@Uptosnuff - I mostly agree. I was a landlord for most of my adult life, since I was 23. It's a good way to make money, and not painful if you get good tenants, but some of them are the pits. I owned multi family houses, where I rented one unit and lived rent free in the other unit. I stopped when I retired and now just own my single family home. I prefer owning stocks, you can sell the losers and the winners instantly, no waiting months or even years to get rid of them, and no bad-tenant headaches.
Of course, you can still own properties without the tenant headaches by hiring a management company. This is what one of the posters in the article had to say =
"Is she saying don't invest in real estate or become a landlord? There is a difference. I invest in real estate but hire a property management company to deal with the tenants. My rental portfolio out performs my stocks when you factor in cash flow, forced appreciation and tax benefits. I think owning tangible real estate is important for a well rounded portfolio. "