After many years of wishing to run my own business, I was finally in a position to embark on an exciting new venture to secure my family’s financial future. Following what I felt was good advice, I purchased several properties in the Northeast of England, where I reside, with the intention of renting them. Leading up to this, there had been so much publicity about bad landlords, and I was determined to be a good one.

For the first several years all appeared to be going well. I was on track not only to being profitable but also to providing some local families with decent homes. My plan was coming together, and the picture looked rosy.

Then, in 2007 the world began to feel the effects of the credit crunch. I watched property prices in the United Kingdom tumble right before my eyes. I was left owing significantly more on my mortgages than the properties were worth. Our family home was now in jeopardy, and this was going to impact my retirement plans, which I had worked on for over thirty years. Feelings of failure, stupidity, gullibility, injustice, frustration, and helplessness washed over me. I felt like giving up.