for Zero Risk to capital, move cash to your brokerage and buy USFR, paying 5.4%, must pay federal tax but no state taxes, it holds short term US treasury floating rate notes, no FDIC needed as FED can print more money to pay you offfor Mild Risk to capital, buy BKN, BlackRock municipal bond fund with 20% leverage, pays 5.5% tax free, and if 10 year bond yield falls 2% over next year, likely with rate cuts coming, then this will appreciate by about 15%for Mild to Moderate Risk to capital, buy EDV, Vanguard 30year zero coupon US treasuries, pays about 4%, taxable and if 30year bond yield falls 2% over next year, likely with rate cuts coming, then this will appreciate by about 60%Don't put into stocks if you need the cash in <3 to 5 years due to stock volatility

STR - higher risk, potentially higher returns, more volatile LTR - more stable returns, smaller returnsBoth have good tax benefitsSTR are becoming very saturated so I am hearing the math on them doesn't make too much sense either. 

Especially in volatile markets like this one. 

I agree, these can be a great way to get access to more real estate investments and/or diversify retirement portfolios away from more volatile or poorer performing assets.

At first I tried doing stocks for a while but I realized that stocks are VERY volatile and learned a couple of lessons the hard way.

Starting small and paying down debt can create debt-free cash flow and reduce market volatility.

That includes recent sales as well as currently listed properties in the direct vicinity.Given there are so many distressed sales in Detroit on the same blocks as flips and nicely renovated homes, the Zestimate simply can't parse through the volatility of prices. 

You're pulling from a work force of highly volatile people, who're tasked w/ doing an extremely physically and mentally draining job (in whatever weather mother nature provides for the day). 

Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Leland HertigWe are lending (and getting) 15% +3 pts on land at this time.Land financing is going to be very expensive due to its illiquid nature and volatility in down markets.  

Personally, I love the idea of putting more cash down on a deal if it is going to drive up my cash yield, but I never put down too much cash that it would push my COC under 8%.In my calculations, I always run the repairs at 4% and CAPEX at 6% unless the property is in poor condition or in a bad neighborhood (in which case I'm hesitant anyways to buy a rental property because of a possible volatile vacancy rate.)