On a performing loan which is professionally serviced, the exposure is minimal. 

All the REI discussion and exposure to BP is quite addictive. 

I am looking at rental real estate since that is what I've had exposure to.  

This will give her the benefit of a regular monthly check coming in for principal and interest on the note, so she'll still have cash flow, but she'll lower her capital gains exposure.  

It separates you from personal exposure to your business. 

You've probably not had much exposure yet to retirement accounts and such, but they can be a huge source of funding for small businesses like real estate investors.

Something buying inexpensive properties does not alway make sense and you should not look solely at cash flow but look at your tax exposure too.  

Agents can legally advertise the properties and probably have the ability to give the property 100x the exposure than most unlicensed brokers.

My impression is that there were a lot of newbies that got real excited by the slick presentation and sales pitch without realizing that they weren't getting any real education at all, just minimal exposure to the business.Now, if you are interested in marketing and persuasion techniques, it is worth investing your money to attend.

I went out and got my Real estate license to get some additional exposure.