If the job is 5k is 600 bux in " savings" really worth the aggravation and potential loss? 

At the end of the year, your account will figure out how much of the profit or loss nets out to each of you.  

This is why Congress set them up to prevent people from pulling the money out until they need it at retirement age and not sooner.The second question is what type of "cookie" you should put into the jar, which means what you should invest in, And if you need the money in three years I would not invest in stocks or corporate bonds or municipal bond funds which could lose significant amounts, but would likely all recover a few years later.

@Rachel Jones copy & paste from our site:A bad tenant can lead to thousands of dollars of losses via unpaid rents, legal fees and property damages.

This creates two loan payments ($100,000 of equity and $300,000 on the new mortgage).Key NumbersHome Equity Loan Interest Rate: 6%Mortgage Interest Rate: 7%Rental Income: $3,000 per monthExpenses (management, taxes, insurance, maintenance): $800 per monthIncome and ExpensesMonthly Rental Income: $3,000Monthly Expenses: $800Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,000ExplanationThe investor earns $3,000 in rent each month.They pay $2,000 on the investment property mortgage and $800 on other expenses.This leaves $200 profit each month or $2,400 per year.However, you have to pay $6,000 interest on the equity borrowed.This leaves you with an annual loss of $3,600.This example shows that while the rental property generates positive monthly income, the interest cost of borrowing the initial $100,000 results in an overall annual loss.

Real estate investing is a pretty forgiving world and the average person can still make money even with some pretty big mistakes.Thank you so much, I am at a loss for words on your kindness.

Each new property or business increases their (and your) risk exposure.The LLC helps a catastrophic loss from bleeding over into your other properties.

This creates two loan payments ($100,000 of equity and $300,000 on the new mortgage).Key NumbersHome Equity Loan Interest Rate: 6%Mortgage Interest Rate: 7%Rental Income: $3,000 per monthExpenses (management, taxes, insurance, maintenance): $800 per monthIncome and ExpensesMonthly Rental Income: $3,000Monthly Expenses: $800Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,000ExplanationThe investor earns $3,000 in rent each month.They pay $2,000 on the investment property mortgage and $800 on other expenses.This leaves $200 profit each month or $2,400 per year.However, you have to pay $6,000 interest on the equity borrowed.This leaves you with an annual loss of $3,600.This example shows that while the rental property generates positive monthly income, the interest cost of borrowing the initial $100,000 results in an overall annual loss.

Thousands of STVR owners have pools and hot tubs with no financial loss via lawsuits.

Next, I **Refinanced** the property, pulling out the increased equity to recover my initial investment.