[Dantilla]

I like real estate, for the same reasons you like cars-

I control the value. It is tangable, whereas stock values are determined to a great extent by the emotions of "the market", where prices can fluctuate greatly on a whim.

Real estate always has intrinsic value. It will never be mis-managed to the point where it becomes worthless like a penny stock, or lose all value through a bankruptcy, as occasionally happens with stocks.

Like cars, in real estate you make money when you buy, not when you sell. I've yet to loose money on a fixer-upper, but I understand the difficulties of the current market- I quit buying fixer-uppers when the housing market got too hot, as there were no bargains to be purchased. Now that the bubble has burst, and the "masses" are fleeing real estate, it's time to find bargains once again. Good money to be made right now in single-family real estate.

Sorry, but I gotta disagree with paulgtr about cash value life insurance. Always a poor choice for an investment. "Tax free" is good, but the rate of return on the money is pathetic. The only people I've heard plug cash value life insurance are insurance salesmen, where the commissions are very high. The only reason for the high commissions are because they produce high profit for the insurance companies. More income for the insurance company, less income for the investor.