From software to multifamily.

Most of us are taught to put our money in a 401(k) and hope for the best. Then events far outside our control wipe out big pieces of it, and we rebuild — over and over, across a whole career — with little say in the outcome. John Todderud went looking for something he could actually steer.

He found it in multifamily real estate: income from cash flow, tax advantages from depreciation, and appreciation earned by improving a property and growing its income. It started as a way to build his own family’s wealth, alongside a long career in software and technology.

Real estate isn’t foolproof, though — downturns crush values, buyers vanish, and renters disappear. The way through, John learned, was other people. He sought out operators more experienced than he was and traded his own skills for their hard-won lessons, learning how someone who owns a few small properties can go on to buy, manage, and grow much larger ones.

John launched Cardinal Oak Investments in Renton, Washington, buying smaller properties first and building a network of vendors to repair, improve, and manage them. Over time he shifted toward partnering with other motivated investors to acquire larger communities, and is now committed to multifamily full-time. He’s had his share of messy properties, tough situations, and difficult people — but challenges create opportunities, and real estate is one of the clearest examples of that.

Today the firm creates those opportunities for investors who want stable, long-term passive income and tax-favored wealth building. The team acquires properties in growing markets where rental demand is strong, then modernizes stable but outdated apartments into clean, comfortable, safe communities. The properties that look least appealing — dated interiors, leaky roofs, unreliable hot water, rents kept low because that’s the only reason anyone stays — are exactly the ones where there’s room to improve lives by improving communities.