I think getting into real estate would be better than stocks.

Rachelle, Mark and Glenn, Thank you for the warm welcome and getting started tips.Joe: After many years investing in the Stock market, I now focus on investments that do not involve securities.

After grad school, I taught myself how to invest in the stock market and have been very successful so far.

My parents do okay, but my dad's almost entirely invested in the stock market, which I think is insane - no leverage there!

They just need to be able to demonstrate it.There are also limits on how much gift money you can use depending on if its a primary residence versus a second home.You can use a collateralized loan backed by physical assets or stocks or bonds for the downpayment.

@Joseph Falco congrats, you have completed the first step to having a million dollars in the stock market.  

I personally like that play for the conservative don't want to lose any principle investors.as U state in a down slide and with 80k income how would you debt service if we had a bad patch..?? 

All the money I have saved is either invested in small-cap stock or has been set aside for this.

I still like to look for undervalued stocks while saving up for my next rental.

Next is to take stock of your goals (for example, accumulate wealth for retirement, quit your job, etc) and be able to articulate them clearly.