When Wealth Feels Like a Lie:
The Pain of Being Asset Rich and Cash Poor
There’s a part of the investing journey nobody talks about.
It’s not the thrill of buying your first rental property.
Not the satisfaction of seeing your net worth hit seven figures.
Not even the freedom of watching a plan unfold.
It’s the quiet, grinding panic of watching it all teeter at once.
Years ago, I had eight investment properties, a tidy stock portfolio, and a safe of gold coins that made me feel like I’d cracked the code. I had spent years carefully building a portfolio that I believed would carry us into a life of financial freedom.
And then—almost without warning—it felt like everything began to collapse.
Three tenants left within weeks of each other.
All three properties needed repairs before they could be re-leased.
The stock market took a nosedive.
Gold didn’t move.
And my consulting work—the income stream that had always filled the gaps—dried up without explanation.
There I was, with several million dollars in assets, and barely enough cash to buy groceries.
To the outside world, nothing looked wrong.
We were never the flashy type. No sports cars. No fancy vacations. Just a family trying to live well and build a future.
But inside our home?
Stress crept into every room.
Eight mortgages.
Only five paying tenants.
A family that depended on me.
And a sinking feeling that I had miscalculated everything.
I had always thought I was close—maybe even months away—from reaching my Time Freedom Point.
Instead, I felt trapped. My wealth had become immobile, illiquid, unhelpful.
And I couldn’t just sell a house overnight to buy groceries.
That’s the part most people don’t see.
And worse—don’t talk about.
They see the asset column on the spreadsheet and assume peace.
They see the properties and think passive income.
They see a calm exterior, but they don’t hear the storm in your head.
That storm gets loud.
It whispers failure.
It screams, “You should have seen this coming.”
It keeps you awake at night wondering how to stretch what little liquidity is left.
For me, it went on for nine months.
Nine months of keeping the lights on.
Nine months of negotiating with contractors, lenders, tenants.
Nine months of swallowing my pride and rebuilding not just my portfolio—but my mindset.
What saved me?
A coach and mentor.
Someone who didn’t judge, didn’t panic, didn’t lecture.
Just listened—and then helped me see what was still possible.
And my own resolve.
A stubborn refusal to accept defeat.
I told myself:
If these are the obstacles in my way, then I will find more energy than ever before to overcome them.
And I did.
It wasn’t pretty.
It wasn’t fast.
But step by step:
The rentals were repaired and re-leased.
The consulting picked up again.
The portfolio started breathing.
Eventually, so did I.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I want you to know that even with a solid plan, with the right assets, with everything technically in place—
You can still find yourself in a liquidity crisis that tests your mindset more than your math.
Because wealth isn’t just numbers on a balance sheet.
It’s the ability to adapt under pressure.
To keep going when it feels impossible.
To trust that the path still exists—even when it’s covered in fog.
If you’re there right now—feeling stuck, scared, or ashamed—know this:
You’re not alone.
You’re not broken.
And you’re not done.
In fact, this might just be the stretch that makes you stronger, wiser, and more resilient than ever before.
Teri and I are here to help you, support you, coach and mentor you
This is the kind of story we don’t tell enough.
But at Abundant Money Mindset, we make space for it.
Because this isn’t just about money — It’s about who you become along the way.