I think you underestimate the power of real estate. That $100 cash flow may have an accompanying $100,000 in leveraged appreciation. And if using a property management company, it can be done with only a couple hours per month keeping the books, even for multiple properties. Content creation is significantly more work (it is NOT passive income) and far lower returns for 99%. The problem with public equities is that their price is controlled by the emotions of the crowd on a minute by minute basis. I think directly owning real estate or investing in a private syndication are much better ways to build wealth than the options presented here. Having a higher barrier to entry helps to make it more lucrative.