3 reasons why real estate should be in your investment/retirement plan:

1. Control - unlike mutual funds or stocks where you really can't control or influence the performance of the asset, real estate allows you to be personally involved in selecting, buying, and depending on your goals, even manage the asset. This also helps you mitigate risk and plan for the future.

2. Stability - Contrary to popular belief, when purchased strategically, real estate can be more stable than many other investments. For example, From 1969 to 2011, there were 4 years when residential real estate in the US declined in value. The S&P 500, on the other hand, dropped 11 years in the same period. This does not mean real estate is always a better investment, but the data suggests that when real estate is purchased correctly for investment, it can be much more conservative vs. many stocks or mutual funds.

3. Taxes - In many cases, real estate offers tax advantages that other investments do not, through features like depreciation, qualified expenses, and deferred capital gains.