A group of local real estate investors who had an interest in passive investing held monthly meetings on Zoom starting in March of 2020 to discuss real estate syndications. Seeing that there was a need for education in this space, we decided to set up a website to share our resources to find and vet sponsors and their syndications. For several days in August of 2020, a few of us exchanged a flurry of brainstorming emails to come up with a name that would embody our group’s spirit and financial philosophy. We decided to narrow it down to a whimsical name like Motley Fool or Bigger Pockets. As you can guess, our name comes from a saying that has origins related to the baseball field. The idiomatic definition of “left field” can be summed up as “an unusual or unexpected position or a viewpoint held by very few others in contrast to the majority viewpoint, especially in the phrases out in left field and way out in left field” (Wiktionary).
Here are some terms that we will be using throughout our website.
Left Field Investor / Left Fielder
- A person who thinks differently from the traditional investor and seeks to invest in hard assets to obtain steady cash flow and make use of tax advantages, such as bonus depreciation
- A person who thinks outside of the box by investing passively in syndications that buy alternative assets such as apartments, self-storage facilities, mobile home parks, office/industrial/retail properties, hotels, and businesses
- An investor who uses self-directed retirement accounts to garner interest income by buying discounted mortgage notes and by lending money that is backed by real estate
- A person who invests creatively by using forgotten equity from the cash value in their permanent life insurance policies or home equity lines of credit
Right Field Investor / Right Fielder
- A person who “goes with the crowd” and funds their 401K, IRA, and non-retirement accounts with traditional/conventional investments such stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds and continues to place faith in these investments despite the Wall Street “roller coaster”
- A person who expects to retire with a “nest egg” that will hopefully sustain them for the rest of their life
Center Field Investor / Center Fielder
- A person who is in the process of divesting their traditional retirement accounts to further invest in the Left Field
- An investor who finds a balance between the Left and Right Fields because they want a mix of passive cashflow and conventional growth but hopefully recognizes that the Left Field has more potential, less risk, and more tax advantages than in the Right Field
Infielder
- A member of the exclusive Left Field Investor Club and Mastermind
- A Left Field investor who takes action by continuing to learn, by sharing their experiences, by helping vet sponsors, and by getting involved with dissecting syndicated deals
Steve Suh is one of the founders of Left Field Investors. He began investing in real estate in 2005 when he bought his business’ office condo. After owning a few small residential rentals and seeing that it was not easily scalable, he transitioned to the world of passive investing in commercial real estate syndications. He enjoys learning and talking about real estate and hopes to educate more people about the merits of passive investing in the Left Field.
Nothing on this website should be considered financial advice. Investing involves risks which you assume. It is your duty to do your own due diligence. Read all documents and agreements before signing or investing in anything. It is your duty to consult with your own legal, financial and tax advisors regarding any investment.