We know that one of the key characteristics of successful property investors is that they have clearly defined goals and every purchase decision is weighed against the question… "Will this property get me to my goal in the time frame I require?"

However to understand how many properties you need now, how large your portfolio needs to be when you plan to sell down some (or all) of your portfolio in the future or in fact how much you actually need to live on is difficult.

Well not any more! This has taken me and my team months to pull together but I am sure you agree it is a quick and easy guide for you to work out what your portfolio needs to look like. Best of all it is fun! Have a play and see what happens if you change the time frame, your loan to value ratio and most importantly the annual capital growth figure. After all this supports everything I teach and have applied to my own portfolio…. it is all about the location.

In the next calculator the Property Plus Calculator you will find not only how to calculate your borrowing capacity but where this means you can actually buy! Another amazing resource for you from Investors Choice Mortgages.

Once you have played around with the Portfolio Tab then go to The Financial Security Tab. Now you've had your fun let's get back to reality. This calculator assists you in working out how much you actually need to cover in your basic costs. Most people dream of retiring and then find out that in fact they would like to still earn an income working 3 days a week or in their own company. If this is the case then you don't need all your costs covered by the money in the bank. This calculator helps you work out what these basic costs are.

The next tab Financial Satisfaction allows you to add on a little bit more for the luxuries and nice to haves. Once you have finished this you will find this figure transposed into the Portfolio Planning Tab and you can start again with this new figure and work out how many properties you need to give you a comfortable lifestyle.

Bookmark this page because you'll find yourself coming back time and time again to make use of this practical and easy to use property investment calculator. Plus, feel free to share this invaluable link with friends.

So, get calculating!