I stepped out in 1997 at the age of 29 when my kids were 2 and 4 and have never looked back.

We do live in an age where information is at the touch of a button and the school of hard knocks usually prepares you better than a professor could. @ Nick Britton it's good to hear it from someone with first hand experience.

No excuse in this day and age for sure. 

We went through this several years ago when we bought my aging mother an expensive condo with 40% down.The banks were not that friendly as it was NOT going to be our principal residence (but we held title for obvious reasons).So we sat down with an independent mtg broker only to get a mtg from one of the banks that originally denied us???

I wish I would have read these when I was your age. 

I am 5 years into a 30 year 3.75% conventional mortgage on our home in Florida so if I sell the rental property, I will probably apply that equity into my Florida home thus reducing the loan period 12-13 years, I will be age 74/75 and mortgage free.

@Sam GergleyIt is generally best not to touch 401k funds until you reach age 59 1/2 because of the 10% early distribution penalty that applies in addition to state and federal taxes.

Lessons from the evolution and consolidation of the hotel industry in the 1950s and 60s are informative in understanding the potential for this seismic growth impacting the lodging industry decades later.The history of hoteling – from grand hotel to international brand:According to a December 2013 article in The Economist entitled “A Short History of Hotels: Be My Guest,” the age of the grand hotel lasted from 1860-1960.

My parents have owned rental properties, built developments, and owned agricultural and commercial real estate my entire life and I was involved in helping out at an early age.

That's the age old question, which has ZERO chance of being definitively answered here*!