Our Mini Retirement Property Story Podcast

Ryan Pellett
Jan 8
3 min read

My wife and I originally shared our story on the Property Academy Podcast with Opes Partners in the episode titled Case Study The Mini Retirements Wealth Strategy No One Talks About Episode 2306.

**Case Study: The Mini-Retirements Wealth Strategy No One Talks About. Ep. 2306**

Our story comes from real life experiences navigating divorce, blended families, remarriage and the challenge of combining multiple households into one life in Auckland. Through trial, error, sweat equity and being willing to say yes to big transitions, our home moves reshaped not only our finances but the way we designed our lifestyle. Along the way we discovered that stepping back from work at key moments and using property gains to fund those breaks became a powerful wealth strategy for our family. This is not traditional retirement planning. It is about creating intentional pauses and building financial momentum throughout life rather than waiting until the end of your career.

This is not advice. It is our story and what worked for us. As the podcast reminds listeners, always do your own research or speak with a professional before making investment decisions.

What Are “Mini Retirements”

Mini retirements are intentional breaks from full time work to reset priorities, travel, focus on family or recharge while your property wealth continues working for you. Unlike the traditional idea of retiring at sixty five, mini retirements let us

Travel overseas as a family including a one hundred thousand dollar adventure
Step back from day to day work without sacrificing long term financial growth
Use property experiences such as renovations to generate gains along the way
This concept was highlighted on the podcast as a wealth strategy most people overlook.

How We Became “Unintentional Property Flippers”

We did not set out to flip houses but we experienced a lot of changes over a short period of time, with our families growing from two separate 3 person families, to a blended family of 6, to a large family of 7. Throw in some international work, a desire to "do more" and a knack for renovations, and things just kind of took on a life of their own and we ended up learning a lot as we went along for the ride; Lessons that anyone can replicate, such as;

How to spot potential others miss and look beyond cosmetic issues
Timing the market matters and understanding when to sell is as important as what you renovate.
Selling privately is not a good idea. Y ou are not saving on commission, you are throwing money away.
Active renovation skills can create unexpected equity