He Was Laid Off From TSA, Now He Owns an Entire Rental Portfolio

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast · Jun 1, 2026 · 53m

Before building an entire real estate portfolio, Matthew Garland was laid off from the TSA. He went from searching for contraband in your suitcase to searching for jobs ASAP. He had no degree, no office job experience, but he was good at connecting with people.

He got a job as a loan officer and was making money hand over fist. Then the market crashed, his savings dwindled, his credit score plummeted, and he even got foreclosed on. It was time to build something real. That’s when a rich client of his introduced him to the “wealth hack” that helped him rebuild his life through rental…