Then I had this sad realization - If I keep my 9 to 5 office job until I retire, never again will I have 3 months to just to whatever the heck I wanted like I did as a kid.

Beer is a necessary expense for most college kids, social growth is part of the education....LOL

I just need a house to live in with my kids!

I'd also check with PD- he's required to register his address, to confirm if being around kids is permitted.

My fiancé & I don't have kids yet but when we do, it would be nice to transition fully into real estate that way I could be a stay at home mom & build wealth through investing.

. - Take it easy on the kid ;)  You know you can just post in your own province forum now.

Having said that, I wrote the following, candid, hopefully not offensive, summary based on the likely perspective of a young family (kids on the way up to teenagers), 25-40 yr old professional, or DINKS (dual income no kids).

Hello  I have a 401k worth 250000 and I am retiring from company> Im 55 years old and want to buy some rental properties for my 2 kids to rent from me..

My main goal for investing is to support my personal efforts in Haiti (I build homes, send kids to school, work with a few orphanages, etc in the Simonette region). 

(401k, insurance, vacation days, stable cash flow, possible stock matching, etc) If you have a family and kids, don't be in too much of a hurry to quit your job!