Managing rentals with a good property management company is quite easy. I own 7 rental houses and only need about 2 hours per month if my time. I also made quite a bit more than seven figures last year. Yes, real estate is not as easy as buying index funds, but if done well, the returns are significantly higher. My equity has grown at an average annual rate of 30% over the past 7 years (average hold period of my properties). The fact is you cannot get rich on 8% return. You can have a comfortable retirement, but if you want to do better than average, you will have to learn more and be better than average. To me, single-family rentals are the easiest way for regular families to build meaningful wealth. It is a bit of work, but nothing crazy. I’ve done it all while working a full time job and spending time with my family. The extra wealth I have created through simple rental houses is more than seven figures more than what I would have if I only did the S&P500. That is worth a bit of extra effort, wouldn’t you say?