Fame & Fortune: Rev Run Simmons 'My main business is giving -- the money comes back to me'
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Bankrate: How would you characterize your long-term financial investment strategy?

Rev Run: My strategy is to give. I believe in investing in the kingdom of God. I support and sow seeds and tithe and give into the kingdom. Meaning, you have a show you put on television that's talking to people about wellness, talking about finances, talking about health. I'll give maybe 30, 40, 50 percent of my earnings to that. For some reason, putting my money into something that does good comes back to me. So my main business is giving. And money comes back to me as a result. For some reason, giving is like getting inside out. It's all one, it's the nature of life. When you give, you get.

Bankrate: Can you give an example of other causes or charities you've given money to?

Rev Run: My biggest gift is to the church I go to, Zoe Ministries. We're on television five days a week on The Word Network, three days week on BET and on other channels. So I work very closely with spreading the word of God and making sure we have funding to get the word out. People look at my show and go, "Wow, that's a healthy guy that Run. His money looks good, his family looks good." I want to make sure that that same place is available for other people to come to, whether it's a young rapper who made a million dollars and doesn't know how to invest it or how to live. So I try to keep the money flowing through that community.

Bankrate: That being said, do you do more traditional investments, like stocks or bonds?

Rev Run: I do real estate. I like real estate. My first house was $150,000. I'm eyeing another house now for $10 million. I'm able to understand real estate.

Bankrate: Are you a landlord, or do you own more commercial investment properties?

Rev Run: No. I just kept investing in mine. I built my house in Queens, sold it for a higher price, bought a house in Saddle River, made it very beautiful, now it's worth a lot more. I haven't gone as far as getting other real estate.

Bankrate: I read that you bought the house for $1.6 million and then put another $2 million into it.

Rev Run: I think I put another $1.5 million into it. Now it's worth close to $6 million. But I bought a house in Queens for $1 million, and I sold that for $1.5 million. I took that $1.5 million and put it into the house in Saddle River, and then that market zoomed up. I made the house into such a beautiful home. They said, "This house you've only put $3 million into is now worth $6 million, Mr. Simmons." I said, "Wow, that's kinda cool."

Bankrate: So that's the best investment you ever made?

Rev Run: My best investment is in the kingdom of God, with the principles that the Lord taught. That's my best investment and probably will always be. The kingdom system.

Bankrate: What's the worst?

Rev Run: Being ignorant was the worst investment. Running around, living frivolously and not knowing what I was doing. That was a bad investment of time.