@ryan @Ryan Jones once you get past his self promotion Ken Dunn has great advice.

Such acts and omissions include, but are not limited to, the following:(1) Manufacture, cultivation, importation, transportation, possession, furnishing, administering, or use of illegal drugs in the dwelling unit or in the common areas.(2) Illegal use, manufacture, importation, possession, furnishing, or discharging of a firearm or firearm ammunition on the premises of the rental property, except for the use or discharge of a firearm or firearm ammunition in cases of self-defense, defense of a third party, or as permissible in Section 13A-3-23.(3) Criminal assault of a tenant or guest on the premises of the rental property, except in cases of self-defense, defense of a third party, or as permissible in Section 13A-3-23.(4) Any breach involving substantially the same acts or omissions as a breach for which a notice to terminate has previously been provided for by the landlord and cured by the tenant, if the second breach occurs within six months of the first breach.

(keep in mind, some asset classes are more tax efficient than others, such as my personal favorite, mobile home parks)Retirement-account friendly: Passive investments can be a great fit for retirement accounts because they are hands off and don't violate rules related to prohibited transactions and self-dealing.

Many people do this, for example, buy helping aunts/uncles/family friends with retirement accounts from previous jobs set up a self-directed IRA which can then loan on the project (though see handsoffmyira.com for an important and immanent legislative threat to this funding model).I honestly feel like a lot of it does come down to the purchase price though.

This is a great forum with very knowledgeable members that will help to guide you in the right direction.If you haven’t been to it already, the Bigger Pockets blog features links to their fantastic podcast and many great articles: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/There are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides

If you are looking to invest into real estate, I have found this site to be incredibly helpful.There are a few self-contained guides that you can access here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guidesAlerts can be really helpful too: http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts

I have zero regrets of my decision.Below are some of the reasons that I made my decision.1) I purchased my property for 10% below FMV(appraisal vs purchase price).That means any penalties that I paid was made up for already on the purchase2) I don't like that my money was tied up and felt restricted until a certain age.3) I believed my appreciation / cash flow from real estate would be greater than the return in a retirement account(Not self-directed)4) Real estate investments can provide some tax benefits so you can still think of it as a 'tax-sheltered account'Best of luck!

Jay, I'm in same position, I'm considered 1099 ( self employed).   $$ in the bank, but taxes won't support income.. lol. 

The underlying dream is based on the fact that we both are both burnt out from making our employers very wealthy, and want to become self-employed and to achieve financial freedom.

On what planet would any self respecting REI ever accept that as an annual return?