However, ensure that you've thoroughly vetted the alternative investment for viability and sustainability.

I work as a Nurse Practitioner, he works as a manager of sustainability for a large company. 

Bottom line is the explosive growth of the last several years is not sustainable indefinitely.

I think its pretty evident current method of people with the most money and most influence drafting public policy based on their preference is not sustainable. 

Loaded question, but could it work or is the model just not sustainable?

At $200K or more, then you start seeing some return on the effort to sustain a 401(k) and eliminate UBIT, but it is still only a few hundred dollars a year. 

The only thing we didn't see was the severity of the bust, but we knew it was coming, it was simple math, between the stock being built, % of non-resident buy's, and the lending going to those without true qualifications and sustainability, but..... we just kept building em as long as we could.

I will be resigning from my full time job before Labor Day 2015 and I am looking forward to the challenge of building my own business and creating sustainable wealth through real estate investing.

These items are the most sustainable in a recession. 

You created a self sustaining asset that produces.