Both parents were/are very entrepreneurial, exhibiting a strong, self-sacrificing work ethic: owned restaurants in SF & a dental lab in SF then moved Palo Alto. 

Ill expect some free dental work for my in depth investing advice.

Benefits (medical, dental, 401k..etc) are very expensive.For me, the math finally works but I've made the real estate schedule work with my day job as a University Professor. 

A single tenant investment grade BBB-  or better the odds of default are very low and passive.If you had Aspen Dental, T-mobile, Starbucks 3 topper with corporate guarantee and 10% increase every 5 years then different ballgame then mom and pop tenants.It's all in the details that makes the difference which way you might go.STNL credit tends to sell at lower cap rate also with longer term leases.

My dental hygienist literally pushed her father & unemployed boyfriend (Phd Physics) into a multi-unit gut job.

Were you offered benefits of any kind: medical, dental retirement?

Housing prices shot up, and it the last 2 years, duplexes in our area went up $100K each year.This year we all went to the dentist, all 4 of us, and we need root canals, crowns, and even though with dental insurance, our co-pay is considerable.

I originally got into real estate to have passive income while going through dental school, then I bought a small multifamily while laying on the beach and never looked back!