Real Estate vs. Stock Investing: How Do I Allocate My Capital?

[Cole Holloway]

Hey everyone. I just wanted to see what sort of response I could get to this question as it's something that's confused me for a little while now. Thank you in advance for all of your responses!

 Sorry if I come across as naive but I'm fairly new to the world of investing and, when I have the monthly income to do so, I want a better understanding of how to allocate that income to various investment options.

My question is this: how do you all personally decide where you might put your extra income in a given month? Let's say that you have $3,000 left over in a given month (after all expenses) to go back into your assets. How do you personally allocate that money in regards to going toward an index fund/IRA or a future real estate investment?

I know there is unlikely a hard and fast strategy to this and I'm sure it comes down to personal preference but I'm curious what sort of standards other individuals follow as it comes to their investments.

Again, thank you all for your time. It is greatly appreciated!