L
etizia Alto and Kenji Asakura, a physician couple, started investing in real estate in 2015 to escape long workweeks. They read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki before buying their first property together, which was two duplexes purchased with money earmarked for a primary residence. Their rental income has allowed them to step back from the hospital and build their online community, Semi-Retired MD.

    Asakura had some experience in real estate investing prior to 2015, but lost money during the 2008 housing market crash. Alto had no prior experience. They continued expanding their rental portfolio, now owning over 100 units as of 2025. The couple credits business-specific books and "The Millionaire Real Estate Investor" by Gary Keller for helping them scale their real estate business.

    They built a cash-on-cash calculator based on the one provided in Keller's book, which helps ensure a property will generate positive cash flow before closing. Reading these books gave them confidence that they could succeed in real estate investing and helped them see that people with similar backgrounds had achieved success.