Dr Ben Lee

Case in profile

Sydney-based dental specialist who runs one of the largest dental specialist centres in Australia
First generation that had money ‘spare’ to invest
Attended an Ironfish seminar 10 years ago
Has successfully built a substantial investment portfolio

Occupation

Dental specialist - Prosthodontist

Objective

To have enough passive income so that we no longer need to work for money

Portfolio

Multiple properties

In the back of my mind, I knew my calculations must have been wrong, knowing so many people invest in property and do it well… Luckily, Joseph and his team of specialists contacted me every couple of months and worked with me to re-educate and share why my calculations were wrong at the time. It took a couple of years before I fully understood, and for that, I thank them for never giving up on me.”

— Ben Lee

Dr Ben Lee, is a dental specialist, who runs one of the largest dental specialist centres in Australia and is based in Sydney’s North Shore. His success springs from humble beginnings; for him – ‘money’ was a new problem to have.

“My family didn’t have money before; my generation was the first that had money ‘spare’ to invest. Previously, all we knew or aspired to was to buy a big family home. So we didn’t really know what to do. It was a new ‘family topic’ for us to think about.

“We knew investment was important but didn’t know how to invest… Given I am very busy at work, I didn’t think the share market is a suitable option for me. I was looking for something less volatile, better suited in the long-term alongside my career. That’s what got me thinking about property.

“Luckily, my dad dragged me on a rainy Tuesday night, after a long day at work, to an Ironfish seminar in Burwood. I remember that I didn’t want to go – thinking it would be such a waste of time, and that I would be listening to an agent giving me a pitch about a property I should buy.

“But I was pleasantly surprised by the seminar, walking away with a lot of new ideas from Joseph [Ironfish CEO]… Some I have already heard of but some that challenged the traditional dogma of just buying my own family home, upgrading, avoiding CGT etc. There were a lot of new ideas, many of which I wasn’t able to take it all in at that point in time.”

Taking matters into his own hands

After attending the seminar, armed with new ideas and knowledge, Ben set out to investigate the validity of some of the strategies he’d learned by creating his own excel document, running the numbers on owning a home vs owning an apartment investment.

“It was such a comprehensive excel with so many more expenses and costs factored in, lawyer fee, tax rebates, etc… But it didn’t matter how I ran the numbers…I always ended up with a net loss. Mathematically speaking, it didn’t make sense to invest in anything with a negative outcome so it halted me from investing in property.

“In the back of my mind, I knew my calculations must have been wrong, knowing so many people invest in property and do it well… Luckily Joseph and his team of specialists contacted me every couple of months and worked with me to re-educate and share why my calculations were wrong at the time. It took a couple of years before I fully understood and for that, I thank them for never giving up on me.”

Building a multi-million portfolio since

After making that decision to invest, Ben purchased his first investment property, with Ironfish.

“I’m quite conservative as a person so the first investment I decided to invest in was an affordable 1 bedroom recommended to us in Melbourne’s inner city. Its close proximity to university, transport, local facilities etc, made the risk seem really low. This turned out to be one of the best investments I made, being a positively geared property due to its high rental yield.”

Since then, Ben and his wife have now built a substantial portfolio purchased with the help of his Ironfish Senior Strategist Alice Lei.

Ironfish Senior Strategist Alice Lei

“Joseph told me back then, Ben, one day you won’t care where your property is, what floor it’s on, what it looks like. You won’t even know how many you have; you’ll just know the vague number of properties you own…!”

When asked about his experience with Ironfish, Dr Ben Lee attributes his success to the team and support built around him through his journey with Ironfish.

“What I’ve appreciated most about investing with Ironfish is how they’ve influenced me. Not just in terms of investment knowledge, but also, in my way of thinking. I have learned so much from Joseph and my strategist, Alice – their work ethic and professionalism just goes through the roof”.

Dr Ben Lee’s property investment tips:

“I am a newbie myself - Ironfish professionals like Joseph or Grant, Alice are who you should listen to. My only tip is to have faith in yourself and convince yourself that you’re doing the right thing and commit to it.”

“I am a newbie myself - Ironfish professionals like Joseph or Grant, Alice are who you should listen to. My only tip is to have faith in yourself and convince yourself that you’re doing the right thing and commit to it.”

Ironfish property investment services

If you would like to find out how an Ironfish property investment strategist could help you invest, feel free to book a free appointment here.

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