Missed Fortune (missedfortune.com) helps individuals create liquidity from their real estate equity through time-tested strategies. Douglas Andrew and his team of professionals work with Missed Fortune clients to increase liquidity and rate of return on assets. Andrew recently spoke to Interviewing Experts about his own personal experience that propelled him to write the national bestseller, Missed Fortune, and its follow-up, Missed Fortune 101 in an effort to help others.

Interviewing Experts: Thank you for speaking with us today, Mr. Andrew. In your Missed Fortune books and workshops, you refer to the “Laser Test.” Can you tell us a little about that?

Douglas Andrew: I sure can. In this context, “Laser” stands for “Liquid Assets Safely Earning Returns.” This is an important concept that I’ve emphasized in all of my workshops, and this acronym allows my attendees and readers to remember these steps in that exact order.

Interviewing Experts: When you refer to “liquidity” in your Missed Fortune workshops and videos, what exactly does that mean?

Douglas Andrew: Liquidity simply refers to the ability to get to your money when you need it. Missed Fortune has found that many individuals, businesses, financial institutions, and even governmental entities get into trouble when they lack liquidity.

Interviewing Experts: In other words, you mean money that an individual or organization can’t access, like a 401(k) or real estate equity.

Douglas Andrew: Exactly.

Interviewing Experts: Prior to developing Missed Fortune, you had a personal experience that helped you learn the value of liquidity, is that correct?

Douglas Andrew: Yes. When my wife and I built our first dream home, we moved in without using any of our own money. The home appraised for double what we paid for it, so we thought we had it made.

Interviewing Experts: Did you make extra mortgage payments?

Douglas Andrew: No, as I describe in my Missed Fortune workshops, I learned early on that the key to getting out of debt is not by paying extra principal payments.

Interviewing Experts: Many people don’t realize that.

Douglas Andrew: I’ve also never paid a down payment for any real estate I’ve acquired. This is advice I go into in more detail in several of the Missed Fortune educational videos.

Interviewing Experts: With that third home, you fell into some hard times, as you describe in the Missed Fortune videos.

Douglas Andrew: Unfortunately, yes. The energy crisis hit homeowners hard in the early 80s and that, combined with some events in our lives at the time, caused us to fall behind on our mortgage payments. We decided to put our home on the market but, as many Americans know all too well, it wouldn’t sell quickly enough.

Interviewing Experts: I’m sure many homeowners today can relate to that in this current economy.

Douglas Andrew: Eventually, the home went into foreclosure, which taught me a valuable lesson. As I explain in the Missed Fortune videos and workshops, personal experiences in life can either make you bitter or make you better.

Interviewing Experts: These lessons led to the advice you give today.

Douglas Andrew: Through Missed Fortune, I help others understand what I learned, which is that real estate equity, when it’s trapped in a property, is not liquid when you need to get to it. We have created a series of videos that teach these principals, and your readers can learn more by visiting our website at www.missedfortune.com or www.youtube.com/missedfortune

Interviewing Experts: We appreciate your taking the time to chat with us today.

Douglas Andrew: The pleasure is indeed mine.