Weiss Advice
Weiss Advice
How To Work Less & Impact More with Divya Smith
What happens when a tech executive discovers she can beat her financial advisor's returns by 5%? Divya Smith, founder of Ascending Avenue, shares her journey from 20+ years in Fortune 500 leadership to managing $300M+ in multifamily assets while helping others achieve financial freedom without sacrificing family time.
[00:00 - 07:00] From Corporate Technology to Real Estate Investing
- 20+ years in technology leadership and executive roles at Fortune 500 companies
- The unsettling realization that financial advisors didn't know as much as expected
- Testing her investment skills: 19% returns vs advisor's 14% (minus fees)
- How a LinkedIn connection who quit corporate for real estate sparked the transition
[07:01 - 14:00] Learning from Single Family Rental Mistakes
- Managing one property with 5 tenants over 15 years - including police visits and drug issues
- Being $600 below market rent due to discomfort raising prices on struggling families
[14:01 - 20:00] Building a Different Kind of Real Estate Business
- Currently managing 3 investments per year (down from 4 to avoid burnout)
- The importance of in-house property management and construction teams
- Creating community through quarterly events: pizza parties, Halloween celebrations, Easter hunts
- Why Class B multifamily became the sweet spot for investments
[20:01 - 29:00] Final Four & The Real Goal of Financial Freedom
- Worst job: Asking for $9M in leftover funds for community initiatives - and being denied
- Paradigm-shifting book: "Atomic Habits" by James Clear (re-read annually)
- Skill to learn: Guitar (gifted 2 years ago, still waiting to be played)
- Success definition: Helping others define their own success and touching 10,000 lives through career coaching
Connect with Divya:
Website: https://www.ascendingavenue.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divyasmith/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/investwithdivya
LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW by clicking this link.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
Be sure to follow me on the below platforms:
Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Stitcher.
None of this could be possible without the awesome team at Buzzsprout. They make it easy to get your show listed on every major podcast platform.
Key Quote:
"The goal is not to quit your job. The goal is to do what you love to do." - Divya Smith