Initial Returns vs. Paper Stock Gains

Last year, Scott Trench, former BiggerPockets CEO, made a big bet on real estate—selling $1,000,000 in stocks to buy rentals instead. A year later, he’s on the show, and we’ve got one crucial question to ask him.

Was it worth it?

The man behind the mustache (yes, he’s still got it!) is joining us today to give a life update and share how his huge financial decision played out. But a lot has changed in the past year, markets aside. Scott stepped down as BiggerPockets CEO and is now fully dedicated to BiggerPockets Money, helping as many people as possible find their own version of financial freedom.

We’ll go over his $1,000,000 stock sell-off, how his investments have been performing since then, his 2026 outlook, and why he believes many investors will be proven wrong about the housing market and real estate investments. Scott believes the next three years will be an “absorption” phase for real estate, but what does that mean for your property values, rent prices, and cash flow?

And don’t worry, Scott also shares what he’s been doing since stepping away from 100-hour weeks as BiggerPockets CEO.

In This Episode We Cover

Was selling worth it? The results of Scott’s $1,000,000 bet on rentals 

Scott’s growing fear about the stock market and AI-led price rallies 

Scott’s investment portfolio in 2026 and why he still has so much of his net worth in the stock market 

The “absorption” phase begins, and Scott’s 2026 rent price growth prediction

Stocks vs. real estate: Are either truly safe in an economy like this?

And So Much More!

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