OK, so it appears that it is certainly "debatable" if stocks are tangible or not...
So far, the only non-stock option we have is the self-directed IRA. It is odd to me that here in the "land of opportunity" we only have 2 options.
Maybe this belongs in another thread, but a concern I have with pre-tax dollars in my 401k is what will my taxes be 30 years from now. The federal debt is now up to 10 trillion I think, and growing about a trillion a year... 30 years from now I may be paying 70% income tax... Well, you can't beat that 100% return via a company match so I hate to just put it all in a roth.
So, I feel doubly trapped. Have to invest in Stocks, and might pay a ton of taxes upon withdrawel...
Maybe this is why rental property is appealing to me. Just a little easier to grasp. I used to rent a garage apartment from a retired lady. She had 4 other 1br "cottages" on her property that she rented out. She was near a college, so there was a steady stream of renters. It seemed she had a good stable income from us renters for her retirement.