CFA And Early Retiree Reviews Del Walmsley’s Lifestyles Unlimited
Del Walmsley promises financial freedom through real estate. His company, Lifestyles Unlimited, teaches people how to use leverage, rental income, and mindset to retire early. But does Lifestyles Unlimited work?
I’m a CFA who retired young using real estate and traditional investments. I’ve reviewed his program, its methods, and its messaging.
Here’s what I found. Read what holds up, what doesn’t, and what you should know before spending a dime.
👉 Click or scroll through the gallery to see what Lifestyles Unlimited really offers and what it doesn’t.
Table of Contents
Who Is Del Walmsley and What Is Lifestyles Unlimited?
Del Walmsley built his brand around one idea: real estate can make you rich if you know how to use it. In 1990, he launched Lifestyles Unlimited, a paid real estate education and mentoring group.
Walmsley also hosts The Del Walmsley Radio Show, where he blends personal stories with investing advice. The program teaches people to buy and manage income-producing properties, especially multifamily, and use leverage to build wealth.
Like many programs in this space, you need to separate the education from the marketing.
👉 Click or scroll through for my review of Lifestyles Unlimited.
Why Listen to DadisFIRE on Real Estate Investing?
I bought my first rental at 21. I’ve been a real estate investor for more than half my life. I retired at 42 through a mix of rental income and traditional investments.
I’m also a CFA, which means I bring a level of financial discipline and expertise that most “gurus” can’t. I’ve spent decades learning how to manage risk, leverage smartly, and keep a portfolio running when things get ugly.
I am not a random writer guessing here. I’m someone who has gone from nothing to self-made liquid millionaire. I did it without paying for a course.
And unlike gurus like Walmsley, I’m not selling you anything. I’ve already done it.
What Does Lifestyles Unlimited Actually Teach Real Estate Investors?
At its core, Lifestyles Unlimited teaches a strategy built on owning cash-flowing properties. The model emphasizes buying and holding multifamily real estate, using Other People’s Money (OPM), and building multiple income streams.
Students pay for a system that includes access to mentors, investor case studies, and a large member network. The idea is to shortcut the learning curve and avoid the mistakes most new investors make.
But behind the education is a business that makes its real money selling premium mentoring, not just helping you buy rental property.
How I Used Real Estate to Retire at 42 (And Believe It Still Works)
Where Lifestyles Unlimited Real Estate Strategies Get It Right
There’s a lot in Walmsley’s approach that I respect. Using real estate to build passive income works, I’ve done it myself.
Leveraging OPM can absolutely help scale your portfolio faster. I started with just $800 out of pocket and built real wealth through smart use of leverage.
The program also teaches the importance of multiple income streams, which is a trait I’ve seen in nearly every wealthy investor I know.
In these core principles, Lifestyles Unlimited delivers lessons worth learning.
Where Lifestyles Unlimited Strategies Fall Short
Here’s where I push back hard. Walmsley tells investors to avoid 401(k)s and IRAs, arguing they limit returns and control. That’s nonsense.
I built my early retirement using real estate, but I also maxed out tax-advantaged accounts. You can, and I believe you should, do both.
I also find the program’s constant upselling hard to ignore. There’s good information here, but the pressure to buy more and level up makes it feel like the education is often secondary to the sales funnel.
That’s a red flag for anyone serious about building long-term wealth.
Grant Cardone Says Use Your 401(k) to Buy Real Estate. A CFA Says Don’t.
Single-Family vs. Multifamily Real Estate: Which Works Better?
Walmsley strongly promotes multifamily real estate as the superior path to wealth. He highlights the scale, the efficiency of managing more units under one roof, and the potential for stronger cash flow.
Multifamily can work well for many investors.
But I built my own portfolio around single-family homes, and that choice was intentional. Single-family gave me better liquidity. If I needed to sell a property, I could do it quickly without having to move an entire building.
It also helped avoid the tenant conflicts that can pop up in shared spaces. I wanted each tenant to feel like they had their own home, not just an apartment.
On top of that, I believed single-family homes would appreciate faster in my chosen markets.
Multifamily and single-family both work, you just need to understand your own risk tolerance and goals.
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The Truth About “Retire in 5 Years or Less” Promises in Real Estate Investing
Lifestyles Unlimited loves to market the idea that you can retire in five years or less through real estate. You’ll see it all over their website and in their free live trainings.
They walk you through examples of investors buying properties, collecting rent, and quitting their jobs fast.
But retiring isn’t that simple.
Owning Real Estate Is Not Retirement
I retired early, and I have have been a real estate investor. If you own rental houses that you manage, you aren’t retired. Owning rental homes is not passive, unless you have a company managing it.
Let me say that again. Directly owning real estate is not a passive investment.
No program, no guru, and no shortcut will change that.
So no, you probably won’t retire in 5 years by owning real estate, unless you also sell the real estate. Walmsley twists the phrase “quit your job” to mean “retire”.
Using Leverage Wisely in Real Estate Investing
Leverage is one of the most powerful tools in real estate. Walmsley pushes it hard, and in this case, I agree with him. The ability to use Other People’s Money to build wealth is real.
I started my portfolio with only $800 out of pocket and scaled it using leverage. But leverage cuts both ways. Too much of it, or using it poorly, can wreck your finances.
Walmsley tends to present leverage as a simple accelerator of wealth, which can lead new investors to take on more risk than they should.
The key is managing that risk intelligently, knowing how much debt your cash flow can handle, keeping reserves for bad months, and having a plan for when markets shift.
Leverage can make you rich, or it can make you broke. Use it with eyes wide open.
Related Video: Buy a House with No Money Down? Here’s How I Did It!
Real Estate Investing Mindset: Hype or Helpful?
Mindset matters. Walmsley spends a lot of time on this, and that’s not wasted effort. Building wealth through real estate takes discipline and a willingness to stay the course. You need to think like a business owner, not a hobbyist.
That said, mindset is also an easy hook for programs like Lifestyles Unlimited to keep selling you new courses. The idea is that if you’re not succeeding yet, you just need to buy the next mindset module.
I’ve seen this game before.
While mindset does matter, it’s only part of the equation. You still need smart strategies, good deals, and consistent execution. Without those, no amount of positive thinking will save you.
How Much Diversification Do Real Estate Investors Really Need?
Walmsley encourages broad diversification across property types and markets. It sounds smart, but I took a different approach, and it worked.
I chose to specialize in one market, where I knew the neighborhoods, the tenants, and the trends inside out. I did diversify within that niche, some houses had basements, some had garages, some had extra bathrooms.
This gave me flexibility without sacrificing focus. Too much diversification too early can actually dilute your returns and spread your attention too thin.
The Problem With Diversification
It’s hard to be an expert in one thing if you are trying to be an expert on everything.
Master one market first. Once you do, then it might make sense to branch out.
Real estate isn’t about owning a little bit of everything, it’s about owning the right things for your strategy.
What Is The Best Real Estate Niche? Consider My Goldilocks Principle
Real Estate Pro’s Review Of Lifestyles Unlimited
Lifestyles Unlimited teaches solid fundamentals about building wealth through real estate. The program covers cash flow, leverage, and mindset, things every investor should understand and can learn for free at the library.
The constant upselling and pressure to buy into higher tiers of membership can be a turnoff.
I don’t agree with the dismissal of traditional retirement accounts, which are a powerful tool when used right.
Lifestyles Unlimited is a business. There’s good information here, but you need to walk in with your eyes open.
Take what works, skip the hype, and always remember: you don’t need an expensive program to build real wealth.
Lifestyles Unlimited: Smart Real Estate Strategies or Overhyped Program?
Del Walmsley’s Lifestyles Unlimited offers real tools for building wealth through real estate. The core message, use leverage, create passive income, take control of your investments, is sound.
I’ve used those principles myself to reach financial independence. But no program, no mentor, and no guru can do the work for you. And when the sales pitch gets louder than the strategy, you need to pay attention.
Building real wealth takes patience, smart decisions, and the willingness to learn through experience, not just through someone else’s course.
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