Don't be George Costanza

Welcome to CRE Broker Playbook!

It's baseball season in North Texas. Meaning when I'm not helping brokers with their money, I'm trying to will a way in my mind for our 6-year-old team to make the playoffs.

One thing you should know is I hate to lose. I also hate that 99% of the kids haven't developed this trait.

And the 1% that have ‘it’ seem to lose it once the temperature approaches 90 degrees. I understand. The Dallas heat leaves me thinking "why did we settle here? Why didn't we keep pushing west to see if things were better?"

But I also understand it at a deeper level.

When I'm drained, hot or tired, I don't want to do the stuff I need to do to put myself in a good spot in the long term. This is where I have to really know myself and set up systems, habits and rewards to ensure I'm not slowly turning into George Costanza.

I've met with over 150 brokers in 2025 and have found that the most financially successful have created systems that run automatically without their own brainpower.

This usually includes some combination of systems, delegation and a little bit of effort on the front end. They're able to step in and act as the CEO, while delegating the the draining stuff.

KNOW WHAT DESERVES YOUR ENERGY

The brokers who are earning the top 1% of income share one trait: they're ruthlessly selective about where they spend their energy. Your deal-closing skills are valuable. Your S Corp/QBI Optimization skills? Maybe not so much.

Financial tasks to handle yourself:

• High-level family cash flow projections (quarterly rhythm)

• Deal profitability analysis

• High-level capital allocation strategies

• Personal financial goal setting

Financial tasks to delegate:

• Daily expense tracking and categorization

• Tax planning and filing

• Investment account rebalancing

• Rental property management

• Receipt organization and documentation

BUILD YOUR FINANCIAL BENCH

Don't try to do it all. At a minimum, your financial bench should include:

• A CPA who understands commission-based income

• A bookkeeper and payroll provider

• A financial planner who specializes in variable income professionals

• A tax strategist for quarterly planning

5 SYSTEMS SUCCESSFUL BROKERS USE TO STAY FINANCIALLY ORGANIZED

1. The Reset Ritual

Top brokers block 30 minutes every evening to review cash positions, upcoming expenses, and pending commission payments. They use this time to prepare mentally for the week's financial needs before the chaos begins.

2. The Commission Split System

When a commission check lands, organized brokers immediately split it into predefined buckets:

• 25% for taxes (separate account)

• 10% for business reinvestment

• 40% for personal expenses

• 25% for long-term investments

3. The Quarterly Financial Review

Every 90 days, successful brokers review the most recent deliverables from their team (CPA, planner, bookkeeper) for a comprehensive review. This forces accountability and prevents small issues from becoming year-end disasters.

4. The "Stop Using Your Business Credit Card on Sketchy Stuff" Policy

Top producers use separate cards for business expenses that are integrated with their accounting software. They use MileIQ to track their mileage. The rule is simple: wrong card, no tax deduction. These apps require minimal effort.

5. The Predictive Cash Flow Calendar

Instead of wondering when the money will run out, organized brokers maintain a 12-month cash flow projection that gets updated weekly. This single system eliminates more financial stress than almost any other practice.

Was this newsletter valuable? Reply with what financial system you struggle with most, and we'll address it in next week's edition.