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Meet Clayton Morris

We invite you to discover more about Clayton Morris, including insights into his media career, real estate investment company, and personal life. That said, grab a cup of coffee and prepare to be inspired as you dive into Clayton’s biography.

Who is Clayton Morris?

Clayton Morris is a long-time investor, finance expert, and entrepreneur, as well as the founder and president of Morris Invest, a turnkey real estate investment company that helps individuals create passive income through rental properties. Before going full-time with Morris Invest, Clayton had a long, successful career in the broadcasting industry where he anchored for several prominent media outlets before landing his big role as co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend on the Fox News Channel.

A decade later, Clayton said goodbye to his lucrative job at FOX to fully immerse himself in the real estate sector knowing it was his ticket to creating wealth independent of the shackles of a day job.

During this time, he also began playing a key role in empowering others towards financial freedom through his “Investing in Real Estate” podcast and YouTube channel which has grown to hundreds of thousands of dedicated subscribers. Taking things to the next level, he and his wife Natali, also a former news anchor, developed the Financial Freedom Academy to guide individuals on their journey toward true financial independence.

When Clayton Morris is not engaged in the real estate industry, or keeping the public informed through his independent news channel, Redacted, he taps into his talent of authoring books. Most importantly, and what he strives to achieve through all his business endeavors, is to have the freedom to spend quality time with his family.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of the details above so you can truly grasp who Clayton Morris is, personally and professionally:

Who is Clayton Morris – Rental Real Estate Investor

The Influential Early Years

Many people are often puzzled why Clayton Morris, who built his lucrative broadcasting career up to the level of landing a spot on one of the world’s top media networks, would decide to close the door and walk away from it all to start his real estate business, Morris Invest, and take time to help others achieve financial freedom. Well, when you reach into his past, you get a glimpse of his thought process and why he went down this path.

Clayton Morris Biography

Early Life Lessons that Shaped His Path

Clayton Morris discovered early on in life that what appeared to be the most secure path, one that society was conditioned to take from the start, was, in fact, the least reliable, uncertain, and possibly the most destructive avenue to take.

What path is this? It’s the 9-5 journey that everyone was trained to take part in, including Clayton’s father.

Clayton saw great potential in his father, seeing that his talents could have led him to become the next great comedian.

However, Mr. Morris took what he felt was the most secure path and settled into his day job just like everyone else. And then, around age 12, Clayton saw his father lose that job and his financial security in the blink of an eye.

This was a time when things were already tight, where Clayton often heard phrases like, “Money doesn’t grow on trees” or “We’re not the Rockefellers.” So, his family’s life changed that day; the rug was pulled out from under them because all their financial eggs sat in one basket controlled by an outside person instead of by the Morris family themselves. This instilled a financial fear in Clayton that took some time to diminish, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing his passions that were above and beyond the traditional day job.

Childhood Aspirations That He Would One Day Make a Reality

Clayton learned some big lessons from seeing his father lose his job, with one being the essence of a quote by Jim Carrey, “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” And he did just that. Moving forward, Clayton Morris didn’t shy away from his passion for comedy, TV, and broadcasting, but instead immersed himself in them. As a kid, while other children were sneaking in video game sessions at night, Clayton was sneaking downstairs to watch the Johnny Carson Show and David Lettermen, which inspired him to do his own stand-up comedy.

Determined to keep moving forward, he would secretly travel within Philadelphia to perform. In fact, on one particular night, competing against 12 other comedians, including two professionals, he won and received a trophy, plus $200. He’s quoted as saying, “Other kids have sports trophies; I won an amateur comedy night when I was 15.” Skipping ahead just a bit – this determination paid off because he later went on to win the 2012 New York’s Funniest Reporter contest. On top of this, as a child, Clayton and his friends would grab their camcorders and create mock newsreels that would one day turn into a reality for him.

In 1999, Clayton graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in US History and Broadcast Journalism. While most media major students would start out in a state like Montana, Clayton, right out of college, was brave enough to pack up and move to a location that would have fierce competition for broadcasters. He headed out to Los Angeles, which was ranked the 2nd media market in the country, and this is where his career in media begins.

Clayton Morris – A Journey Through His Media Career

Clayton’s strategic decision to move to California kickstarted a successful 18-year career that started at “Good Day LA” at KTTV in Los Angeles. Expanding his broadcasting career, he became part of the WB Network’s nationally syndicated morning show in Orlando and was brought on as an anchor at NBC WVVA-TV in West Virginia, as well as a political reporter for a CBS affiliate.

He then went on to become a host on FOX 29, “Good Day Philadelphia.” On the heels of this position, his hard work, determination, and personality gained him a spot at what would be considered any broadcaster’s dream job. This was in 2008 when Clayton Morris began working as a co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend. At this time, he also appeared on their weekly morning show, “FOX & Friends First,” hosted a Fox News Network weekly tech show called Gadgets & Games, and covered technology segments for Fox News Radio.

Fox News Anchor Clayton Morris Before Founding Morris Invest

To better understand Clayton’s story and the important events and decisions that eventually take place, we’ll need to break things down a bit by highlighting his last two broadcasting positions:

FOX 29 “Good Day Philadelphia”

In 2007, Clayton Morris began working as a morning anchor for “Good Day Philadelphia”. They encouraged him to move to the Philadelphia area, which happened to be where he was born and raised. He did just that – the Morris family bought a house, packed their belongings, and relocated for this new job. As Clayton was living a good life anchoring a popular morning show, visiting with old childhood friends from his hometown, and getting situated in his new home, the rug was suddenly pulled out from under him like a recreation of the day his father lost his job many years ago. The fear of unexpectedly losing his job, which Clayton had always kept tucked away in the back of his mind, was now materializing.

What exactly happened was not uncommon in the industry, though. Contract negotiations come up every few years, and the broadcasters hope to be renewed. Whenever negotiations were approaching, it was always a stressful time for Clayton. It was a big reminder that his paycheck, his lifeline, was dependent upon someone else and could be taken away at any time, and his time had come in this instance, only nine months after he started at Fox 29.

Learn About Clayton Morris Career Highlights – Broadcaster and Founder of Morris Invest Real Estate Business

Did they decide not to renew because Clayton wasn’t up to par? No, that wasn’t the case at all. It was just a matter of the station bigwigs deciding to change the direction of the show. They originally wanted a fun, light, and humorous direction in which Clayton fit the bill, but then they switched gears and wanted a more serious take on the news.

Either way, he would be out of a job soon and had a mortgage to pay and a family to feed. He had no financial safety net to lean on at this time. And so, on that day, his fears of relying on someone else financially were confirmed, which prompted him to contemplate investing in real estate, something he had always had a passion for.

As a testament to how talented Clayton Morris was at that time – before he officially left “Good Day Philadelphia,” he received a call from the Fox News Network, who wanted him to join their team.

The Fox News Network

When Clayton Morris received a call from the network, which expressed interest in hiring him, he was a bit confused, having just been let go by an affiliate Fox Station. Clayton explains this best in his own words:

“While I was at Fox News Channel, the network called me up and said, ‘Hey, come on up to New York City.’ And I said, Wait, didn’t Fox just lay me off? And they said, ‘No, no, there’s a big separation between church and state, this is the network, that’s a small market TV station. We’ve been following your career for a while, come up to New York. We’d like to have you host our morning show, Fox & Friends, and I said okay.”

Being pursued by a prominent network was the immediate answer to his financial worries of soon being out of a paycheck. As much of a dream job as this was, though, not having his contract renewed at his most recent position was a big reality check. So, he knew that even while working for the network that offered great money, he would still be relying on someone else to keep him afloat financially. He vowed at that point to invest in rental real estate to build his safety net. 

Morris Invest Founder Clayton Morris

And so, he set up camp on the curvy couch on Fox & Friends Weekend, all while mapping out his financial future through real estate investments on the side. Clayton Morris remained at the Fox News Network for about ten years, and while there, he wore many hats. For instance, he regularly engaged in fun, lighthearted segments that mirrored his personality, but also conducted interviews with presidential candidates, exhibiting a more serious aspect of himself.

He took on remarkable interviews with well-known personalities such as Stan Lee, the American comic book writer, Stevie Nicks, Mark Wahlberg, Donald Trump, various politicians, real estate tycoon Robert Kiyosaki, William Shatner, and many others. It goes without saying that he had a media job that most broadcasters would consider the pinnacle of success.

Although he was highly successful in his role at Fox, he just couldn’t let some underlying thoughts go, “What if they don’t renew my contract?”, “What if the show gets canceled?” and other similar worrisome questions. And so, with years of building up his real estate investing foundation on the side, as well as dedicating his time to helping others achieve financial independence, he felt it was time to take the plunge and become independent to enable himself to build wealth and financial stability through real estate investments, and most importantly, spend more time with his family.

And that’s just what he did – with excitement, as well as a heavy heart, he followed through with his decision and gave up his seat at Fox & Friends.

Watch his farewell segment that captures the essence of who Clayton Morris is as a broadcaster and a person:

Clayton’s Real Estate Journey and the Success of Morris Invest

After his time with Fox & Friends, Clayton Morris was free to pursue his passion for investing in real estate, which, by the way, was a passion sparked by an unexpected chat with a man he met many years earlier. During their conversation, Clayton learned that this individual was enjoying a couple of months off while on vacation. Clayton was curious as to how in the world this guy was able to take that much time off from work, so the man shared that he was a self-employed real estate investor.

At this time, Clayton had no idea it was possible to have such freedom and money at the same time. The only life he knew was gaining wealth while losing his freedom, all while being chained to an employer. It was a conversation that changed his life and his outlook on financial independence.

Now, with the fear of the “financial rug” being pulled out from under him gone, along with the wealth he had accumulated through investing in turnkey rental properties, Clayton Morris was ready to embark on this new chapter of his life.

The Evolution of the Real Estate Company Clayton Founded: Morris Invest

One thing that gave Clayton Morris the courage to leave his job was that he and Natali had already reached their Freedom Number (the number of properties needed to cover living expenses to become financially free) and far surpassed it, providing them with the financial security needed to support themselves. At this point, they had over 50 properties in their portfolio, where it typically only takes 5 to 7 to become financially free. With this much experience, Clayton became a pro at investing in real estate, to the point where friends and family frequently asked for advice on how to invest in rental properties to become financially independent like he was.

These circumstances grew into what became the foundation and the business model for Morris Invest – providing fully done-for-you turnkey properties to others while guiding them toward understanding and achieving true financial independence through passive income.

Morris Invest Business Model Rehabbing Older Homes

Morris Invest and its Original Investing Model – Rehabbing Older Properties

Clayton founded Morris Invest with a business model that included seeking out off-market properties that could be purchased below market value. These were pieces of real estate that were typically distressed and in need of repairs and renovations. This strategy allowed Clayton Morris and his team to buy real estate at a lower price, perform the necessary repairs to get the property up to speed, ensure it had curb appeal, place a property manager and tenant, and then let the rent checks roll in month after month.

After some time, the mortgage gets smaller, and property equity grows, allowing for the home to be refinanced. Taking a loan out through a refinance is what provides the funds to buy the next property. It was basically a rinse-and-repeat model, which is also referred to as the BRRRR Method (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Repeat, Refinance).

Clayton Shifts the Company Strategy to New Construction Rental Real Estate

Creating wealth through rehabbing older properties was the foundation of Morris Invest. It served Clayton well and was what allowed him to generate enough wealth to leave his day job. After a number of years providing renovated properties to his clients, he had enough experience to realize that although older pieces of real estate can generate cash flow, they just couldn’t reel in as much profit for an investor, and the ROI was unpredictable. Clayton also wanted to move away from cheaper rehabbed houses because there were certain headaches that went along with them that he just didn’t want to deal with anymore.

The bottom line is that he knew that if Morris Invest moved to a new construction, build-to-rent model, he would be able to provide a better product to his clients. It was a no-brainer with some of the experiences Clayton and Natali went through while renting out older homes. In one instance, Clayton renovated an off-market property only to be slapped with a $12,000 plumbing bill not too long after. The busted pipes were not only under the house, but also extended into the yard that had to be ripped up. Repairs like these are expected with fixer-uppers, but the problem is that it severely impacts the investor’s bottom line.

With new construction, the plumbing, the electric, the roof, and every square inch of the house is brand new, so his clients wouldn’t have to worry about major repairs for years to come. Along with this, Clayton wanted to offer better financing options to his clients, and he knew he could only do this with new construction properties. In his mind, everything from A to Z was better when dealing with new construction, and so he made the switch.

Clayton Morris and his team now spend years researching hot real estate markets to build new properties in, and they don’t start building in an area unless it meets his 10-point checklist. Clayton has his team building single-family and multi-family homes that his clients can be excited about. This switch to new construction was the move that took his company, Morris Invest, to the next level.

Along with this, he decided to raise the bar even further by partnering with another real estate investment company.

New Construction Rental Properties by Clayton Morris the President of Morris Invest

Morris Invest Shifts Again Joining Forces with SDIRA Wealth

As the founder of Morris Invest, Clayton felt he had reached the two main goals he set out to achieve, with the first being the ability to provide high-quality turnkey properties to those who would like to take control of their financial situation. The second, which was of special interest to Clayton, was to have the means to educate others on all aspects of financial intelligence, something he often stresses is not taught in our school system.

Because of the complexities involved in offering turnkey properties, he couldn’t allocate as much time to the educational aspect of Morris Invest. This prompted the decision to partner with SDIRA Wealth, a company that specializes in assisting clients who would like to invest in turnkey real estate. They found that, together, both companies completed the whole picture.

This allowed Morris Invest to provide a customized, full-service experience to its clients, all while freeing up time for Clayton to move full steam ahead with educating others on financial intelligence so they can experience the same wealth and independence that Clayton built for himself and his family. Clayton put together a page that has Morris Invest client testimonials where you can hear their personal stories of how investing in real estate changed their lives.

You can also visit the following page to read more about this partnership: Morris Invest & SDIRA Educational and Program Overview. Anyone is welcome to join the Morris Invest community; Clayton opens the door to all levels of investors, from those with no experience to seasoned professionals. The team is available to help clients reach their investing goals, so feel free to contact Morris Invest if you have questions or just want some advice on investing in turnkey properties.

Highlights that Reflect Clayton’s Commitment to Helping Others

Essential to the success of Morris Invest, as well as Clayton keeping in line with educating others, are a few elements – the Investing in Real Estate Podcast and YouTube Channel, the Financial Freedom Academy, books authored by Clayton Morris, as well as his news platform Redacted:

The Investing in Real Estate Podcast

Years ago, Clayton Morris grabbed the mic and began producing segments for the podcast he started. This allowed him to empower those interested in achieving financial freedom and anyone who had a desire to learn the ropes on how to invest in real estate. Today, this Investing in Real Estate podcast produces three segments per week that cover generating income through turnkey properties, taxes and property financing, smart retirement tips, various topics on attaining financial intelligence, interviews with well-known investors, case studies, building legacy wealth, current economic topics, and more.

Be sure to bookmark Clayton’s personal podcast page for future reading. For now, have a listen to this podcast episode that brilliantly covers the ability to retire early utilizing rental real estate:

The Investing in Real Estate YouTube Channel

A number of years after his podcast started picking up speed, Clayton Morris found himself in front of the camera again through his Investing in Real Estate YouTube channel. This is where Morris Invest really took off because it was then able to reach a larger audience, and his followers were finally able to visually experience Clayton’s personality – basically seeing the face of Morris Invest. Topics covered are virtually the same as what’s presented on his podcast – clips that teach people how to become successful real estate investors, as well as segments on personal development and financial intelligence, current economic affairs, personal stories on how Clayton became financially free investing in real estate, and information about Morris Invest in general.

Clayton was heard saying many years ago that he had 15,000 subscribers and that he someday hoped to reach 100,000. He met and exceeded that goal, like he has so many others, and now has almost 300,000 subscribers. Knowing there is a chance he may change the lives of that many people is what it’s all about for him.

You can explore his videos by heading over to his Morris Invest Media page. For now, if you’d like to see him in action, here are a few videos to get the ball rolling:

The Financial Freedom Academy was Founded

Because so many life lessons shaped Clayton and Natali Morris’s financial life over the years, from mistakes, missed opportunities, and, of course, wise decisions, they were both eager to share what they’ve learned on how to gain financial independence. Now, this information was already being shared through Clayton’s podcast and YouTube channel. However, all the details were spread out between various segments and were not organized in a step-by-step strategy. To combat this, Clayton and Natali founded the Financial Freedom Academy, an online course with modules that places all the essentials in one location.

They designed it to fully cover the steps needed to reach financial freedom, to discover how to confront limiting beliefs surrounding money, to break the belief that a 401(k) is enough to retire on, and how to build wealth to finally leave that day job if that’s the goal. As you can see, everything Clayton puts his efforts into is designed to better the lives of others. If you’d like to find out more and watch a video that Clayton and Natali put together that details this course, then head over to FinancialFreedomAcadamy.com.

Clayton Morris Co-Authored “How to Pay Your Mortgage Off in 5 Years”

Being the president and founder of Morris Invest and having worked in the real estate industry for years, Clayton was well aware of the fact that a mortgage can be a financial ball and chain to the property owner. This led Clayton and Natali to co-author a book that was filled with strategies they personally used over the years to be able to pay their mortgages off in 5 years instead of making bank-draining monthly payments for 30 years. Writing this book with Natali was just another part of his plan to spread the word on how to obtain financial empowerment. If you’re interested, you can grab a copy of How to Pay Your Mortgage Off in 5 Years on Amazon.

The book was well-written and impactful, so much so that Fox News welcomed Clayton back to hear all about it. About 30 seconds into the following clip, he dives into the reason he sought out financial freedom in the first place, and then goes into detail about the book:

Pay Your Mortage Off in Years by Clayton Morris Real Estate Ex

Co-Founder & Co-Host of the Independent News Platform Redacted

With the goal of continuing to help others, but in a different way, one that keeps the general public informed and aware of the truth, Natali and Clayton Morris founded the independent news channel Redacted, which airs on YouTube and Rumble, as well as other platforms. The pair settled right in as co-anchors, as they were accustomed to doing with other news professionals during their previous broadcasting days. Just like Clayton, Natali has an impressive media background, reporting and anchoring for CBS Interactive, MSNBC, and CNBC, as well as contributing to CBS News and the TODAY Show.

Clayton and Natali cover topics that the billionaire-run networks largely ignore and skew to keep corporate narratives in line, which ultimately keeps the real facts hidden from the public. The team does relentless research and reaches out to reliable sources that are often “boots on the ground” reporters who pass on real-time details to the Redacted team.

Natali and Clayton Morris of Redacted and Morris Invest

They cover various geo-political and economic topics, all while not swaying to one side, but instead letting the truth guide them. Redacted currently has 2.51 million subscribers, which is a testament to how hungry the general public is for genuine, unbiased, facts-driven news reporting.

Clayton On a Personal Level

Clayton Morris currently lives in the beautiful state of Colorado, where he and Natali are raising their three children, Miles, Ava, and Eve. He and his family travel around the world, as well as have simple days spending time together at home where their dog Grover joins them. His family life takes priority and is a major factor as to why he worked so hard to have the freedom to spend quality time with them. As a testament to this, when Clayton was asked, “How do you want to be remembered?” he answered with the following statement:

As a loving husband and father, who remained ‘present’ with my family during the moments we could be together. As a role model with my children. And as a man who made time for people and left this world a little better than when I came in.

As far as hobbies and personal interests are concerned, Clayton is an avid reader with hundreds of interesting books in his goodreads account – taking in as much information as possible, from history to current events, as well as fiction. He’s always had a love for photography, and is a gamer at heart, with a special interest in retro games, and even has his own gaming channel on YouTube.

Also, you might be surprised to know that Clayton is fascinated with UFO-related stories. He once interviewed a former Barak Obama presidential campaign pilot, who revealed that he and others witnessed a sighting such as this during one particular flight.

In addition to owning performing assets such as real estate, he’s also a heavy investor of gold, silver, and cryptocurrency – always diversifying to protect his personal wealth.

Clayton Morris Biography

Have a Question for Clayton Morris – Get in Touch

Whether you have a question about Clayton’s personal journey to financial freedom or you’d like to know more about how investing in turnkey real estate can help you achieve the wealth and independence you’ve always desired, don’t hesitate to reach out to Morris Invest. We hope Clayton’s biography has inspired you to take action and start heading down the path to prosperity so you can live the life you have always envisioned for yourself and your family.

 

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