Below are the assumptions of the study:-Initial investment in all 3 scenarios is the same ($25,950 which is my total investment for my first property-Market investment return is 8% annually (I got this number from a financial planner)-Property appreciation was ignored, income and expenses remain the same, and all income from rental property is saved w/ no interest (so VERY conservative)-End date is 2056 (so 43 years) Scenario #1: Market Investment - Initial investment in 2014, no additional contributions are madeScenario #2 -One Investment Property - I just buy one property, save all rental income in a savings account with 0% interestScenario #3 - 10 Investment Properties - First property cash flows $14,129.40 per year, every 2 years cash flow from property 1 is used to purchase another identical property (same purchase price, cashflow, etc.), this is repeated every 2 years until 10 properties are aqcuiredResults:Scenario #1 ending value - $710,164Scenario #2 ending value - $920,444.04 (savings + equity)Scenario #3 ending value - $6,427,168 (savings + equity)These values were quite shocking to me and the people I have shown it too!

I like financial planners and CPAs.

In addition, we keep 13 months of reserves in a money market - easy to liquidate in case the emergency requires more than $3k. 13 months of reserves can be overkill (our financial planner tried really hard to convince us 3-6 months is enough), but I like to be conservative and lenders kind of like it .

It comes down to the comfort level of the investor and what you understand.There are some financial planners who say diversify into a bunch of things you are not an expert in.

Get educated remember you pay for your education one way or another.Find a good local mortgage planner and develop strategies.Take a good look at student housing see below.Locate and attend 3 different local REIA club meetings great place to meet people gather resources and info.

I don't know... but after 17 years of picking mutual funds and working with a financial planner, this is much more exciting!  

Can you seek independent advice from a CPA or financial planner?

Currently looking for a new Tax Adviser, Planner and general accounting services for payroll and benefits. 

Most financial planners recommend 10% of the portfolio in real estate, however, since real estate is not considered a "traditional" investment by many,and not fully understood, I believe this is a fairly conservative number. 

I've been interested in fixing up houses ever since I was a kid. I started out by going to architecture school, but only lasted a year their. After working in construction management & estimating for a few years, ...