Can I make income before retirement?

[Gary R Uren]

I'm in my mid 50's and am trying to find a way to supplement retirement.  Did I start too late to be able to make an income to help out?

[Scott Passman]

Establishing steady income through rentals would actually be a great compliment to a traditional 401k based retirement because as you draw down your 401k/IRA funds over time, your annual cash flow from rentals will likely increase over time to offset concerns of a shrinking 401k balance. This can be a great way to mitigate risk and stress of stock market volatility knowing you have steady income outside the market that should not only be minimally impact by temporary market recessions/corrections but that should see steady increases throughout your retirement. As @Will Fraser said, there are multiple factors involved in reaping financial benefits from real estate and since you are in your 50's you should hopefully have a couple decades to receive those benefits.