Dividend investing vs real estate investing

[Skip Gilliam]

I have yet to invest in any real estate, I'm still looking and learning before I buy. However my wife and I have all of our retirement investments in stock roughly $800,000 give or take a few $ which is generating around $20,000 annually in dividends. On top of the dividends the stocks value has avg a 14% annual increase in value for the past ten years helping our retirement accounts grow substantially. The growth is great  but it's not creating enough passive income so we can step away from the high stress jobs. We are still young 36 and 38. 

Not sure what my question is, I'm just confused and trying to find other ways to passive income other than buying rentals, which seems like a lot of work and debt to go into for $300-$500 per door if I'm financing the properties. 

Has anyone here strictly invested for dividend income or any other passive income stream other than real estate? Just trying to figure out the best course for my wife and I over the next few years. 

Thanks

[Alexis John]

Investing in dividend-paying stock or REITs requires very little time commitment, particularly when investors use brokers to develop and manage their portfolios. Investing in physical real estate requires a large time commitment, as well as stores of revenue for employing building maintenance professionals and making required repairs or installations as needed. Those who invest in physical property to earn money as rent must also make themselves available to tenants and manage potential problems within the building, such as conflicts between tenants or legal disputes over damage to the property.