The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever!

Passive Wealth Creation Is Not a Ponzi Scheme

• Dwan Bent-Twyford • Season 7 • Episode 400

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Dr. Alan Lomax shares valuable insights about wealth-building through alternative investments, revealing how the wealthy invest differently than the average person. He explains the barriers preventing most people from accessing high-yield private investments and offers solutions through his coaching program.

• Celebrating 1 million podcast downloads
• Introduction to Dr. Alan Lomax, organizational system psychologist and investor
• The story behind "Steed Talker" and connection with traumatized horses
• How animals respond to human energy and presence
• Dr. Lomax's mission to empower professionals to develop wealth while pursuing their passion
• The IMPACT framework: Integrity, Meaning, Prosperity, Altruism, Consciousness, Transformation
• Why 95% of people limit themselves to stocks and bonds
• Three barriers to alternative investments: awareness, education, and access
• How the wealthy invest differently (only 18% in public markets vs 65%+ in private placements)
• Syndications explained - typically $50,000 minimum investment
• Personal transformation stories and finding purpose after hardship
• The importance of compassion in business and life

Find Dr. Alan Lomax on LinkedIn or visit steedtalker.com to learn more about alternative investment opportunities.


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Make it a Dwanderful Day!

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Hey everyone, welcome to the most Dwanderful real estate podcast ever. I am your host, Dwan Bent-T wyford. I'm America's most sought after real estate investor. I'm going to share some really great news with you. We just reached 1 million downloads. 1 million downloads and that is thanks to all of you. I cannot tell you how excited I was when I got the notification from Buzzsprout and the little official 1 million downloads. So thank you and keep listening and keep coming back. If you're new to me, my motto at Dwan it's Dwan-der-ful, so my first name is Dwan. I took wonderful and made a new word, so this is the Dwan-derful Universe, and our motto is people before prophets. So I have a great guest today and let me tell you something. His name is Dr Alan Lomax. We have had a time getting on here today. So, Dr Alan, welcome to my show.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well delighted to be here, Dwan, and congratulations on 1 million downloads 1 million.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I don't even keep track of anything. I got a little notification from a bus driver with all these balloons and this thing. I was like a million. So immediately I Google like is a million downloads high or good, because I don't really know, and it's like, oh, you're in like the top, like 5%, like worldwide, and I'm like, oh no.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So then I was just like this is the coolest thing. This is the coolest thing. So how are you today? And thank you for all of that. I'm telling you, folks, we've been trying for like three times to get in this room together.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

It was quite the time I'm doing well, Dwan, and I'm glad to be with you today.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I am too. I'm glad you're here. So we are just very conversational. We like to have fun. This podcast would be like if you and I were sitting at a table having lunch and we never met before. We would just be talking about and getting to know each other. So I am a big fan of the casual, so I like to just kind of throw my guests into the wolves a little bit and just have you tell us just who you are and what you do, just like in two sentences.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And then I'm going to ask you a bunch of fun questions to find out how you became to be my super cool guy. You're my wicked smart guy on my podcast today.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, thank you for that. And well, I am Dr Alan Lomax. I have been Lomax, I have been investing for way too many years over three decades and I have been in higher education as a professor and an administrator, working in organizational change and working with individuals that whole entire time to develop themselves as people and persons and to find their passion to go for it. So that's me Okay nice.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So doctor of what?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Doctor of organizational system psychology, oh.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I know you know I love psychology, organizational system psychology oh, I know you know I love psychology. I told my husband when I was now. I graduated high school in 77. And I lived in Ohio in a very small town and women were encouraged to work at the factory to get married and have kids. It was not like you should go to college and I always thought if I ever went to college I would totally be into like psychology or psychiatry and be like a forensic psychologist and working with serial killers and trying to figure out people. So I love what you do, because that's one of the things that I wish I would have done, but now I'm like, nah, I'm so far into real estate. I love what I'm doing now. So let's talk about, first of all, how does everyone find you on social media?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I'm on LinkedIn it's probably the best place to do that just at Alan Lomax and Alan is A-L-L-E-N and just Alan Lomax, and you can find me on LinkedIn. You can find me at our website, at steedtalkercom. That's steed as in the horse and talker like I'm doing now. That's one word steedtalkercom.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So I was thinking. When I saw your email, I thought steed talker, what does?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

that mean. Because I hear the word steed I think of a horse. Is that right, Aren't they called?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Steed, that's a horse. Yes, okay, so I like. So how did we come up with Steed Talker?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, that's a very good question, so I'll tell you a story. Okay, you like stories. Okay, I like stories.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I love stories. Well, there was this horse that came into my life and he was about a 10-year-old horse and he was a traumatized horse, to say the least, and we were having significant issues with him. You just even just began to approach him with a bridle and he became hysterical. He just yanked his head up, became a really dangerous horse, and so I just approached him and entered into a present moment, quiet meditation, and I just stood with him for 20, 25 minutes in just this silent meditation, and during that time, of course, that peacefulness is contagious and so he began to drop his head and relax throughout his whole entire body and with him in that relaxed position I just slipped the bridle right on him by the way, I don't use bits, it's a bitless bridle and he just accepted that.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I mean, there was no training, no coercion, and he just accepted that became a totally different horse and over the course of time that I have been with him he's gone from being what was really a very dangerous horse to being one of the most congenial and most willing horses that I've ever had in my life. So that's just one experience. I've had many other experiences with horses, with dogs and cats as well. But incidentally, his name was Doc, which is a healer, the shaman, the healer, and that's what he has been to me as well. I mean, as he's healed himself from the trauma that he had experienced, he's also been a healing agent to me.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Wow, I love that story. That's like you know. I don't think a lot of people realize that animals 100% pick up your energy, and so I don't know if you've ever watched Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I have not. I've heard of him.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So his whole thing is because I've owned, my husband and I are currently dogless but since we've been married the last 23, 23 years we've probably had eight dogs. And after I read his and his thing is like, if you're going to go into like a kennel of puppies, you just sit there and you see which one comes to you, because one will be attracted to your energy and the others will want nothing to do with you. And I was like, oh, so you don't just go, I'll take that one. And we started doing that, like with my last and I've had like four, but we get the big newfoundlands so they only live like 10 years.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But my last four dogs I just sat in the kennel and at one kennel we went to the dogs all smelled me and they all walked away. Not a single dog wanted anything to do with me and I was like, okay, I'm not offended, we're going to go someplace else, I don't have the energy for whatever. And then we went to the next place to get a new fee and it was like 12, 18 puppies in that room All climbed and they all just walk away. And then one comes over and just lays on me and puts his head on me and fell asleep. I was like, oh, this is my dog, and so unfortunately he passed already. His name was Bo, but that I'm telling you that was like my soulmate dog and it's like with the horse. You were just so calm and you got the horse calm.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And the next thing you know, you're healing each other, absolutely. Yeah, it's a two-way street, always is.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, I'm a really big believer. I know people all the time Like, oh, I'm going to just go get a dog from the kennel. It's like, just please, just even just sit and make sure the dog even likes you. And you know people are like, how are these uncontrollable animals? It's like, but you weren't the person, you weren't the energy, you weren't what the dog needed. So it's got to be choice. So I love that story. I love that story and so now let's talk about so you help people become the best they can be.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

That's what I strive to do. Yes, while I'm working, while I'm working on myself, I'm not there yet.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, none of us are there. Yeah, I'll never be. I don't know. We're always moving and changing, so someone comes to you. What kind of a person would come to you and say, hey, I need help with? Are you like counseling a person? Are you working with people in real estate? Are you just, in general, helping people be better versions?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And how would a person, or what kind of person, would come to you? Well, that's a wonderful question. I strive to empower professionals and entrepreneurs to engage passionately in the work of their calling while at the same time developing their financial wealth, and so the kind of person who would come to me is a person who is passionate about what they're doing wealth in the best way possible to what I call to bring positive impact to the world. In fact, impact is an acronym for my core values, which is integrity meaning. Integrity meaning productivity I'm forgetting what all of these are here. Integrity meaning prosperity, I'm sorry and altruism, consciousness and transformation, and so the people that come to me are looking way beyond their wealth development, to looking to see how they can live their best life and how financial well-being can further enhance their impact on this world.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Don't you find that many, many, many, many, many people are completely and totally financially illiterate?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Unfortunately, that is the case, and it's not just people who are on the lower rim of financial well-being. It's very well-off people who are making huge incomes and they're spending all of it and not enhancing their wealth. And even those who are saving and investing 95% of them are going to have all of their capital assets in stocks and bonds, and I mean they've been taught that that's the secure and safe way to go. But there's two problems with that. First of all, that's not the way to find the highest returns on your investment and, secondly, the stock market is in continual volatility and it's okay, I guess, for some of your assets. But when that's the only place you have your assets, you're setting yourself up for a lot of turmoil and disappointment and you're shorting yourself on the returns.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And, like I said, I mean 95% of people who have capital to invest are putting their money in those public markets. Well, that barrier to cross over to private equities and to other alternative investments in real estate and what have you? Well, there's a big barrier there. First of all, you have to know about the fact that there's other alternatives there which your financial advisor, by and large, is not going to tell you. That, because most financial advisors are just salesmen and they want you in stocks and bonds?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

They don't know.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

They don't know.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

They don't want to know and they don't want to know because their money is coming from those commissions, from those stock sales, stock sales. And then, even if you know that there's other alternatives there, then there is. You don't have to know a lot, but there are things you have to know if you're going to put your money in these alternative investments, and that information is just not readily. I mean, it's out there. If you know where to look for it and find it, it's out there. And then the other thing is that, even once you have all of this information, finding the opportunities, these private opportunities, is another hurdle that you have to overcome. So there's the educational, there's just the knowing about it, and then there's finding those private placements. So there's really three barriers to crossing over that.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

The wealthy are doing it, though I mean Wealthy are doing it, though I mean that's where most of the people who have money are putting their money in private opportunities. Tiger 21 is an organization of it's a peer organization of high net worth individuals. I don't know what the floor is on that. I think you have to have $5 million in assets to be in this particular network, but they publish where their members are investing and they have 65% or more in alternative private placements and only about 18% in public markets. So if you want to be wealthy, you want to develop your wealth. Study what the wealthy are doing.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Exactly. So what would you tell people to do? If you meet someone like, hey, I want to start investing, do you help people place money or do you help steer them to the things that you believe will work for them, and can you give anything specific?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, I mean absolutely. I mean I don't want to come on your show and just have a sales pitch here. But yes, since you asked, yes, we do have. We have a coaching program and the coaching program goes beyond that because it's a lifetime coaching program and we also have a wide network of over 700 operators who provide private placements. So we have the coaching, the education and we have the private placement opportunities there. So, yeah, they can come to us. I mean, we're certainly not the only resources out there, but we do provide that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Well, no, it's not a sales pitch, because you know, I have been real estate investing for almost 35 years. I've been teaching for 30 years. I teach people all the time. But I learned from the seat of my pants, Like when I started, I was going through a divorce, my daughter was eight months old and I was like, oh, do I get a job? What do I do? How do I work from home? And I met some people like, oh yeah, we're investors, you buy houses because it might be selling like you know. I'm like, oh, how hard could that be? Totally not as easy as it sounded. But you know, I did it. And then, not long after, I was like gosh, I could teach other people how to do this because I was dealing specifically excuse me in the foreclosure market and I was seeing that there's thousands of people in foreclosure and this is in. I was started off in Palm Beach County, florida, and there's thousands of people in foreclosure and there's like 10 investors. So I was always like, hey, listen, if I do 100 and you do 100 and you do 100 and you do 100, we can help all the people. And I tell people all the time to this day like listen, don't try to figure it out for yourself.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

My learning curve was long. I mean I learned how to rehab houses with no skills. I went to Home Depot, I took classes, I learned how to lay tile and put in kitchens and put in toilets, and I probably didn't really know what I was doing with all the various aspects of real estate for seven or eight or nine years, whereas there would have been a person at that time which there wasn't in the 90s that could say, hey, let me teach you this and I'll cut off all these years of learning curve. I would have done it in a heartbeat. So I always tell people if you can find someone that can help you with what you're looking for, you need to cut your learning curve because you learn from mentors or mistakes and in the long run mentors are cheaper. No matter what they charge, they're still cheaper. And you know one big giant mistake, in real estate especially, and you can be out of business and lose all your money. You put into it and you're done.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And I couldn't agree more the most expensive school is that school of hard knocks, and actually learning that that's the most expensive school is one of the most expensive lessons I think most of us learn, because I had to go through the same path that you did single family and did rehabs and uh and fix for rentals and did some fix and flip and uh and. Well, I learned a lot and you know, what I finally learned after many years of doing this, is that that a, an experienced craftsman, is going to do the job a hundred times better than I will ever do as an amateur.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yep, no, it's true. It's true. I mean, I started off rehabbing so I would actually live in this rehab with my daughter, because I was like I'm not putting her in daycare, I'm raising that kid by myself, I want to be, you know, the Kool-Aid mom, the Girl Scout mom. So I just lived in them with Ayla and I'd sell it, move into another one. And I did that till she started school.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

People were like, oh my gosh, you just moved from house to house. I was like, well, yeah, I didn't. I couldn't rehab over here and pay rent over here. Like I was a broke single mom.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I was fired from Denny's Think about that Denny's on third shift and it took me and obviously I got the hang of it and then I could like hire someone to help me and I could do two houses at once. But all of it I didn't even know about, like doing your bookkeeping and doing your taxes. I didn't understand paperwork and contracts. And oh my God, I look back and I made so many mistakes that luckily, like God is watching over me and kept me going on my path, but I made mistakes that would have put people out of business. You know it's like.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So now I'm such an advocate and I tell everyone, especially if I have a guest like you, I'm like listen, if you want to learn how to do that, I can teach you about real estate. If you want to learn the money and the investing and what to do and how to be your best entrepreneur I'm not your girl for that you need to go to somebody else. So I like to interview people that don't do exactly what I do, because I can teach them what I do. I can't teach them what you do.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, I went through the same experiences of renovating houses that. I was living in. I mean dust, dust everywhere.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's a mess, isn't?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

it. Oh, it's a horrible mess, but yeah, I did it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I learned after the second house. I thought, you know, because Ayla was a baby and I thought, okay, I'm going to when I get the house. I'm going to first, I'm going to go in the master bed and bath and completely fix it so I have one room that's completely clean and dust free and I can light candles at night and Ayla's going to sleep in the room with me. So I would redo the entire master, everything, carpet, everything. People are like, well, you're putting carpet here but not there. I'm like, listen, I don't care. I need one room where I can have peace of mind and like lay in bed and read with my daughter and watch TV. So I do the one room and you open that room and the whole rest house is a tornado.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yes, Like a tornado, and I'd put like a towel under my door at night so dust wouldn't like suck into my one room of solace, and I did that for five years and people like that, I'm like, hey, I didn't know any other way. I met some people that taught me one thing, and that was rehabbing, and I thought how hard can rehabbing be, which it turns out is quite hard and I had to go to Home Depot, take classes and learn and then later I was like man, I don't want to see anybody ever have to go through all that I did.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And I was like I just go like wholesaling, and then you learn about subject to, then you learn about being a landlord and, like, you learn all these things. I could help people and teach people and cut that learning curve. I'm telling you that learning curve. I'm telling you that learning curve. I think a lot of people would have tapped out. But I was just determined not to get a job because I thought, you know, if I get a job now, I'm already 30. I'll keep it till I'm 50. And then I'll have the safety. And then my daughter will grow up and move out and then like so if I just take this chance and it fails, I can still get a job. If I get a job, I'll stay for the security for my daughter. So I was like, eh, I'm taking a chance and I'm glad I did.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But my family was like are you crazy? You need to get a job, you need to get a man, you need a real job, you need insurance. And I was like so I had no support. I'm like that's okay, because I made it. And then they all came to me hey, help me with my house. How do I put things in the land draws? Help me, protect my house. I'm like, oh, now, now you guys want to talk to me and, of course, I helped everybody, so, um. So when people come into your system, what are they doing? I know you're giving them assignments or teaching them. What kind of give us like a, an overview, like what's happening when someone comes to you?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, first of all, we start off with helping them to get a really firm grip and a clear picture of what their core values are.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Okay, and then a clear understanding of how their core values are, and then a clear understanding of how those core values are supporting their highest vision. And so that's the first step, and then, after that, we go through the whole process of how it is that you actually can, while engaged in the work of your calling, you can passively invest in alternative investments. And so we just go through that whole process step by step, from start to finish, so that within six sessions, we take them from having no information to having a complete understanding in terms of how syndications work, how they're put together, who's operating the syndications, what are the different players within the syndication team.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

We go through the process that syndicators go through the operators who are putting these deals together, what they go through in terms of procurement, in terms of underwriting, in terms of due diligence, in terms of putting their management teams in place, and how they pull all of that together to bring value to the properties so that they can turn those properties around and yield very, very good returns for our investors. And once they've gone through that process, then they're ready to take their hard-earned money and put it into high-yield investments.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You have people get into syndications. Are those syndications real estate-based?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

A syndication can be real estate-based or it could be business-based, so it's generally formed around. There's an LLC and the LLC is put together and then, once they're then, they go out. And this is what I do is I bring in the passive investors, the equity partners, who put their money into the project so that the operators can do all of the work, all of the acquisitions, the due diligence, the management. Put the management teams in place, put the construction crews in place, put the maintenance crews in place, put all of that in place so that the passive investors can engage in the work of their calling. Whatever their passions are, whether they're physicians, whether they're architects, engineers, psychologists, psychiatrists people who have spent years getting into their professions and who are passionate about making a difference through their professions need a place to grow their wealth that isn't taking all of their time, effort and energy. Like you and I went through yeah no, I know.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I mean it's like a doctor. They're not going to go knocking on doors in rehab. They're going to be like, hey, here's some money. What is the minimum for people to be in one of your syndications?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Most of the opportunities are $50,000 minimum.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And do they have to be accredited?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Most often. There are occasionally opportunities for what they call sophisticated investors yes, but most often they are for accredited investors.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, I'm a big fan. You know it's funny. I started my podcast I don't know like five, six years ago and I've been in real estate for decades. And when I started my podcast I don't know like five, six years ago and I've been in real estate for decades, and when I started the podcast, I met a few people that did syndication. And the first time I heard about it I remember thinking like how do I not know what this is? Like I've done 2000 real estate deals. How do I not know what this is?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So some of the guests, like you, educated me on syndications. It was like I didn't even know that that was a space that existed and I think that's a good place for people that, like you said, they're doing their thing but they've got money and they need to put it someplace so it makes money. And there are like so many millions of like boomers that are just sitting on gobs of money. They have no idea what to do with it. They just, you know, threaten the stock market or their 401k or whatever they have. It's like syndications are a really good way for people to get a great return and just not have to do anything.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Absolutely yeah.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You know I mean. So I don't know how old are you. I'm going to ask you how old you are.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I'm going to ask you how old you are. I'm 74.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

74. Looking very fine, my man. I turned 66 this year.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Are you kidding?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, and like our generation of boomers, there are so many already retired and they're just sitting on just so much money and it's like in like some CD getting 3% interest, and they're terrified of Bitcoin and maybe they do the stock market and it's like I'd invest that money in something. Invest it into something. Don't just sit on all that money, just sit on it. It just loses value every day.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Absolutely, and that's another thing. I mean there's just a lot of fear, because people are used to getting three, four, six percent on their stocks and bonds and their CDs and they think that those are fantastic returns. Well, when you start talking to them about doubling or even tripling that, they go oh my gosh, that must be some kind of Ponzi scheme.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's got to be a scheme. It's got to be a scheme. That's not possible.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And yet it's lawful, it's legal, it's ethical. If it weren't, I wouldn't be involved in it, and the wealthy have been doing it for generations and generations.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Forever. Yeah, that's how I always tell people listen. If you come on my podcast and listen to all the people and listen to me, you will learn what wealthy people know, that a regular average like I'm a manager of a grocery store person you're not the. They just wouldn't be exposed. It's not even that they don't know, they're just. It's the lack of exposure. You know, like when I was growing up it was pushed upon me very hard Marry my boyfriend, go work at the factory, have babies, work 40 years for the man and then retire. And that was pushed. And so at my first job out of high school I worked in a factory and I remember I wasn't even there two days. Now I'm 18. I've never been in an actual factory.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm like, so hot, there's no air conditioning, everything is dirty. I'm like, oh my God, I'm filthy, dirty every day. And I remember going to my dad one day and I was crying. I'm like, oh my God, I'm filthy, dirty every day. And I remember going to my dad one day and I was crying. I was like, why would you want this for me? This is the worst thing that's ever happened. And I was. I did, oh, screening, like you had the t-shirts with the logos a silk screening which is messy.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And he's like well, you know, you gotta get a good job, you gotta work for me and you put in time, then you can retire early. But I was like but why would you want that? Like? Why would anybody want that for their child? Like on purpose? So I was like you know what? But I wasn't gonna quit because you know midwest work ethic, you can't quit your job.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And they laid people off. One day they're walking through, this guy has all these little pink slips and like the whole place freezes. And I'm like what's happening? Because this is my first job, I don't know. And they're like, oh, they're giving out pink slips. I'm like what does that mean? Because I mean they're going to lay people off. And I'm like what does that mean? They're like they're laying them off and you won't have a job. And I'm was like, oh, the greatest day of my life. And I remember leaving.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And a couple of the women I worked with were like in their 40s and they were crying and they were so upset and I was like why would you be upset? This is like working in hell. And as I got older and then I had a child and then I was a single mom. I looked back and I thought, oh, I understand, that was their job, that was their insurance. Like I was just like, thank God, I'm out of here, I'm never doing this again. And that was like their whole, that was their reality. And I didn't even understand it until after I had a kid and I thought, gosh, all the things I said to some of those women like you should be happy you're out of here. You should be happy you're out of here.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

This place is terrible. Why would you want to do that? This is awful. Break free, run away, do anything. And and it's like, it's your, like I didn't even know what a pink slip was. I like this, like you. Just people aren't exposed to stuff, you know. So I was like, okay, I'm moving out of Ohio and I'm going to go live in Florida because I want warm weather and I don't want to be pushed into another factory job, because I'm never doing that again. And you know, I found my own way. So it is really a lack of exposure for 99% of the people. They just work, get their job, get their 401k, get their retirement and their Social Security, and that's okay. But there's just such a world out there that people just don't know about.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean it's uh, you know we, just we, we're all born into a culture and into a society and it frames us from the day that we enter this world and you know it just, uh, in in my situation, it took that dark night of the soul. It was the worst day of my life, which I look back on now as the best day of my life.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Will you share it with us, or is it too personal?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I don't mind sharing it. But anyway, I was 38 years old and up to that point in time in my life I was doing just exactly what you were describing. I was just one. I was just the most ne'er-do-well person you could imagine, going from dead-end job to dead-end job, from dead end job to dead end job and having no direction and no passion leading me in my life and I thought that was life. And then my wife ended the marriage and I just thought that was the end of my life and my existence.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, I went into counseling and for the first time in my life I really started an inward journey and started looking inside and started really resolving a whole lot of unresolved issues and found a passion, found that in fact, I do have innate skills and abilities and I found that really through counseling I have the ability to instantly empathize and to instantly connect with people with unconditional positive regard. So I went back to school, got my master's, eventually my PhD, and it was that moment that led me to my passion, and my passion led me to a career that I loved. And's not that I wish that on people. It certainly is not something I look back on and go. That was a wonderful experience.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But you know what? My husband left when I had an eight-month-old child and just took off All the money, the car, everything, and I was like same thing, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. But then I thought you know what?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I got a daughter. So I in the end I win and I'm just going to make something happen. So I don't think I ever would have jumped over to this if I hadn't just been left with no job options. I lost my house in foreclosure, my car got repossessed, my credit card. It was a disaster and I was like how do you come back from that? But then look at us both now rockin' life.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

And you know, I mean it's just, you know, if it hadn't been for that experience, I would still be in that near-do-well experience here at 74 years old. So I'm so grateful for it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Yeah, that's how I feel too. I'm just like thank you, man. All right, so let's jump topics for a minute. I always like to get to know people and that story, Thank you Honestly. Thank you for sharing that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I know it's really hard for a lot of people to share the moment. I call it personally, I call it my come to Jesus moment where it's like, okay, my entire life just fell apart one hour ago and now I got to pick back up and it's hard because you're scared, you don't know what to do. Is this going to work? Can I try to bring that back? And then you're like at some point you're like you know what, screw it, I'm just going to go do something else which it sounds like we both did and, you know, ended up in a great position. So I really do appreciate you sharing that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I know it's not always easy for people to share their stories, but I share mine all the time. I'm like Listen, I got a baby. I was fired from Denny's on the third shift. I mean, if I can do this, I'm telling you, anyone on the face of the earth can do this. There was nothing special about me, I just had a really high desire to not go work for somebody else. So let's sidetrack. Tell me what is your favorite band of all time.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

My favorite band? Well, it would be well. You've probably heard of this, but probably most people in the audience have not. It's the Carpenters.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

The Carpenters. Everyone's heard of the Carpenters.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, I'm not sure.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Oh, Karen Carpenter and Richard. Oh man, I love the Carpenters. I don't know anyone alive that doesn't love the Carpenters.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

She had a voice like silk, didn't she the?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

best voice. I've watched all the shows on her, I've watched all the biographies, I've watched everything. And so we have grandkids that are 10, 9, 5, and 3. So Bill and I are turning them on to music and I said, listen, we can really only teach the music from the 60s and the 70s, but after that there's so much cursing. So we, they have, they love the carpenters, they, they know the carpenters, they know like the beatles, um, they know just queen, a lot of really fun music. And I'm, and my daughter-in-law is like, can you like have them listen to country? I'm like girl, I girl, I don't like country, I'm not listening to country. I'm going to teach them my music. But I said, after the 80s there's so much cursing, I just don't want them to be singing along and cursing. So they love the Carpenters and we just bought them some Beatles CDs Like, oh man, we love the Beatles. I'm like beautiful voices, beautiful voices, the carpenters are great Good for you.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

What's your favorite food?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Thai Thai Thai curry. Thai curry is my favorite.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I love Thai food too. My husband's not a huge Thai fan, so we'll go someplace where we have a restaurant. We live in a really tiny mountain, we're at 9,000 feet, we're really away from everything. But we do have a restaurant and the menu is like half chinese and half thai. He gets off the the thing and but the thai food is here, great. I'm like, oh, we live in the mountains and we have thai food, and we just get a brand new restaurant indian food. I'm like, oh my god, 20 years in the mountains and they finally opened up some restaurants where do you live?

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

uh, it's called Bailey Colorado.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Bailey.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Outside Denver but like if you're at the Denver airport and you see those mountains way in the background. We're all the way in those mountains.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

We're 9,000 feet. Yeah, I grew up in Durango, so I was the other side of those mountains.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Durango is great. I love Durango, that's one of the places we go sometimes and just hang out for a few days and go shopping and go to all the boutiques and I buy, like all these really fun, cool jackets, because there's stuff that don't have it anyplace else. I love Durango.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

That's a great place.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I didn't know that. Where do you live now? Where are you at now?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

I'm in North Carolina now in Appalachia.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I like North Carolina, I like North Carolina, I like North Carolina. My sister lives there too, so yeah, durango is a great city. What's your favorite time of day? Like just throughout.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Where's your happy spot? Where you're like this, is it, I guess, around eight o'clock in the evening? That's when everything is put away. Whether I'm finished with it or not, it goes away and I just get real quiet or not, it goes away and I just get real quiet.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

You know it's funny. I ask well, I don't always ask. I started just asking these questions, just like in the last year or so, and all these people are like, oh, I love the morning, I'm up at 4 am, I'm working out. I'm just like, well, like, why, like seriously, why would you be up at 4 am working out? What is wrong with you? I am like you End of the day winding down, hanging out with my husband it's like this is by far the best part of every day.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Yeah, I mean, I'm up at 4.30 every morning, but it's not my favorite time of the day. It's just the time to get up and get going. It is what's good about that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm an end of the day person too. I really look forward to the end of the day because Bill and I are going to finish our work and we're going to hang out for a while. It's like this is great, All right. So now how can my Dwan-derful family help you reach whatever your next big goal is?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

Well, you're helping me now by inviting me to your podcast, and you can help by, of course, sharing your podcast with your audience. That would just be wonderful.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Maybe all one million of my listeners will hear this?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

That would be wonderful, yeah.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I'm just all about. You know. I figure I want to help as many people as I can in my life with their money, their finances, their health, their spirituality, like all the things, because there's many things that make us who we are. I'm like, if I can help anybody in any of those paths, I always want to be able to do that. So everyone is interested in getting better about your money and learning and some syndication. This is your guy right here, All right, last question I want you to leave us with a word of wisdom, but only one single word.

Dr. Allen Lomax:

One single word Compassion.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Okay, so compassion. So what we do at Dwonderful is I tell everyone, when they hear me interview a new guest, take the word, put it on a sticky and put it on the mirror and then compassion is our word of the week. So we just, we see it with compassion, compassion, compassion. So what does that word mean to you?

Dr. Allen Lomax:

It just means that that's how the world should operate. We should all have great compassion for ourselves and other humans and every being on the planet.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Amen. I cannot agree with you more. I always like to ask what it means to you, because compassion can mean different things to different people. So we want to focus on your version of compassion for the week, and I agree, there is just not enough kindness and compassion left in the world anymore. I'm telling you, people have just lost their minds.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's like I look at the world, I get the news. I'm like how is I wonder? I always think, like my grandkids, when they get to be 40 and they look back on this exact time period with all the just you know, all the stuff is like what are they going to look back and think Like we were a bunch of crazy people? Were they going to? That was a good time in society? And I'm thinking, I feel like this, this particular point with, like, the boys and the women's sports, and not to get pulled over, all that stuff. I'm like I'm hoping people look back and go what the hell was wrong with everybody? Like it says, the world's gone crazy. I've got these little grandkids. I'm like I just want to keep living in the mountains for life and this little hole right here maybe can protect you from the big bad wolf that's outside right now.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So, all right, alan, I want to thank you. Dr Alan, I'm so sorry. I want to thank you so much for being on my podcast today. You guys, if you're listening, go to dwonderfulcom and take my real estate investing quiz. I think you'll find it to be quite interesting. And don't forget to subscribe, give a five-star review, write a message about how amazing it was and share with your friends. I can't grow to two million without you. So thank you guys for listening. Dr AllenI appreciate you so much being on here, and everyone. We'll be back next week, same bat time, same bat channel. And remember that the'll be back next week, same bat time, same bat channel. And remember that the truth is in the red letters. Goodbye everybody.