
#183 Life on Your Terms ft. Letizia Alto & Kenji Asakura, MD
In this episode, Dr. Peter Kim interviews the founders of Semi-Retired MD, Drs. Letizia Alto and Kenji Asakura. Listen in to learn how they chronicled their experiences of life-changing real estate investment in their book, and how you too can follow in their footsteps.
Are you looking for a community to encourage you as you begin, or want to accelerate your business to the next level? Then join thousands of physicians who share the same journey of creating their ideal lives through multiple streams of income by joining us in our Facebook communities such as Passive Income Docs and Passive Income MD.
Eckard Enterprises brings this episode to you.
Eckard Enterprises, LLC, is a family-owned and operated alternative investment and asset management firm, specializing in mineral rights and the U.S. energy industry. Eckard believes that owning tangible assets is one of the safest, long-term investment strategies available in today’s investment climate.
Episode Highlights
Now, let’s look at what we discussed in this episode:
- Meet Kenji and Letizia
- About the Book: Life on Your Terms
- Real Estate into Entrepreneurship
- Is Now a Good Time?
- A Great Gift for 99 Cents
Here’s a breakdown of how this episode unfolds.
Episode Breakdown
Meet Kenji and Letizia
Peter asks Kenji and Letizia about their journey, where they are, and what their life looks like right now.
The couple shared how they achieved financial freedom through real estate investment, emphasizing how it gave them the ability to live in different countries, travel, and spend time with friends. They have over 150 doors of real estate and have been able to travel with their children for months.
They also mention hosting a party in Italy, planning a trip to Greece, and having a community of like-minded individuals who can join them on these adventures which is extremely rewarding for them.
“This is all been really possible by taking the first step in investing in real estate and getting this other source of income outside of medicine.” — Letizia Alto, MD.
About the Book: Life on Your Terms
Peter continues by asking about their recently published book: Life on Your Terms.
Letizia and Kenji share that the book is a fable about two couples, one of whom becomes a real estate investor while the other follows the traditional route of investing in 401ks. The book shows the steps and challenges involved in building a real estate portfolio and achieving financial freedom.
It also emphasizes the importance of mindset and overcoming fears and limiting beliefs, suitable for anyone to read at any stage of their journey towards real estate investment.
“If you want to achieve a certain dream, if you want that degree of freedom, then you have to overcome those fears, you have to push through and do it despite the fears that will come about at any time and throughout your journey” — Kenji Asakura, MD.
Real Estate into Entrepreneurship
To reflect, Peter asks Kenji and Letizia what they want to tell other doctors who are still at the edge, wondering if they too can achieve remarkable things as they did.
The couple answers that real estate investment is possible for physicians and it’s an efficient way for doctors to enter entrepreneurship. They explain that real estate allows for a plug-and-play approach, where the properties already have established businesses in place and a team of professionals ready to manage them. This makes it easier for physicians to dip their toes into entrepreneurship and generate additional sources of income.
They also emphasize the importance of mentors who can guide them on how to make it happen.
“Real estate’s very different because it’s something that you can do on the side, you can continue to work even full time as a doc, but you’re buying a business that’s already running.” — Letizia Alto, MD.
Is Now a Good Time?
Peter probes the couple whether now is a good time to invest despite everything that’s been happening.
Letizia and Kenji emphasize the importance of not waiting for the “perfect” time and instead focusing on education and taking action. They argue that with proper knowledge and education, one can be successful in any market. They bear witness to it by sharing their own experience of starting in 2015. Despite warnings of a potential bubble, they pushed through and could not have imagined the missed opportunities if they had waited and followed their fears.
They also mention the unique advantages of real estate investing, such as the ability to find deals that others may not have access to.
“It doesn’t matter what the market is doing. You can still get deals, and the real danger is sitting out and not taking action and waiting for the perfect time because the perfect time never comes.” — Letizia Alto, MD.
A Great Gift for 99 Cents
Peter closes by asking Kenji and Letizia why everyone should get their book right now.
The couple shares that the book is currently available at a discounted price, particularly the Kindle version for 99 cents. They emphasize that the book provides valuable tools and knowledge for both beginners and experienced investors, encouraging everyone to read it as soon as possible to start applying the insights and maximizing their income.
They also suggest that the book can serve as a valuable present for others whom you believe would greatly profit from it. Lastly, they conclude by offering their mini-course titled “Ignite Your Journey” to those who are interested in delving deeper into the realm of real estate.
“People oftentimes hide that they’re investing in real estate or they’re doing other sources of passive income because they feel like they’re supposed to just be doctors and that’s the only way to be a good doctor. Well, this is a way to be able to talk real estate about somebody, but not with somebody, not like talk about what you’re doing, but be able to share it in a more subtle way.” — Letizia Alto, MD.