Which now mostly consist of paying off my own mortgage and investing in the stock market.

Following is the differences and similarities between an IRA  and a solo 4K.The Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k Similarities Both were created by congress for individuals to save for retirement;Both may be invested in alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals tax liens, promissory notes, private company shares, and stocks and mutual funds, to name a few;Both allow for Roth contributions;Both are subject to prohibited transaction rules;Both are subject to federal taxes at time of distribution;Both allow for checkbook control for placing alternative investments;Both may be invested in annuities;Both are protected from creditors;Both allow for nondeductible contributions;Both are prohibited from investing in assets listed under I.R.C. 408(m); andThe Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k DifferencesIn order to open a solo 401k, self-employment, whether on a part-time or full-time basis, is required;To open a self-directed IRA, self-employment income is not required;In order to gain IRA checkbook control over the self-directed IRA funds, a limited liability company ( IRA LLC) must be utilized;The solo 401k allows for checkbook control from the onset;The solo 401k allows for personal loan known as a solo 401k loan;It is prohibited to borrow from your IRA;The Solo 401k may be invested in life insurance;The self-directed IRA may not be invested in life insurance;The solo 401k allow for high contribution amounts (for 2016; the solo 401k contribution limit is $53,000, whereas the self-directed IRA contribution limit is $5,500);The solo 401k business owner can serve as trustee of the solo 401k;The self-directed IRA participant/owner may not serve as trustee or custodian of her IRA; instead, a trust company or bank institution is required;When distributions commence from the solo 401k a mandatory 20% of federal taxes must be withheld from each distribution and submitted electronically to the IRS by the 15th of the month following the date of each distribution;Rollovers and/or transfers from IRAs or qualified plans (e.g., former employer 401k) to a solo 401k are not reported on Form 5498, but rather on Form 5500-EZ, but only if the air market value of the solo 401k exceeds $250K as of the end of the plan year (generally 12/31);When funds are rolled over or transferred from an IRA or 401k to a self-directed IRA, the amount deposited into the self-directed IRA is reported on Form 5498 by the receiving self-directed IRA custodian by May of the year following the rollover/transfer.Rollovers (provided the 60 day rollover window is satisfied) from an IRA to a Solo 401k or self-directed IRA are reported on lines 15a and 15b of Form 1040;Pre-tax IRA contributions on reported on line 32 of Form 1040;Pre-tax solo 401k contributions are reported on line 28 of Form 1040;Roth solo 401k funds are subject to RMDs;A Roth 401k may be transferred to a Roth IRA (Note that from a planning perspective, it may be advantageous to transfer Roth Solo 401k funds to a Roth IRA before turning age 70 ½ in order to escape the Roth RMD requirement applicable to Roth 401k contributions including Roth Solo 401k contributions and earnings.)

I have invested in stocks for years, but I see much more advantages to RE.

We offer generous stock grants and revenue sharing based on production and attracting other agents.  

If some or all of loans are or could be at very low interest rates (< 5%, for example), it might be less financially savvy to pay back those loans as fast as possible then, say, invest the extra money in other ways that might generate > 5% returns (stocks?

Real Estate experts and other celebrates come out one day to motivate you to get involved in real estate and stock.  

You should know already, that the Retail guys start Buying at the Top and Sell at the Bottom in Stocks.

Lower priced restaurants like McDonalds, KFC, etc. get replaced with more upscale Sushi, French and higher priced Artisanal Gourmet restaurants.It also causes Crime to decrease, which also adds increasing demand to live in the neighborhood.This is a great boon to Owners of the Housing stock as the changing landscape increases the value of their rentals and causes sky high appreciation.

The thought of having a passive income and larger returns than my stocks keep me motivated to learn as much as possible.I am around the Charlotte, NC area.  

getting a reality check is half the battle I see so many folks run around trying to pull things off that simply are not going to happen.I have been a bank borrower for 25 years now and own stock in a small commercial bank.. so I have a better than average knowledge of how they operate.. and they simply are not going to take ANY risk. .you either have money and experience or you don't if you don't have both your 100% wasting your time.