I recently received an inquiry which simply said that they had inherited some money and asked: “What would you suggest we do with the money: buy a rental property or invest in the stock market?” This question is not at all unusual, so a great topic for this space.
Like many questions, there lie within it many others, as the subject is so much more complex than it first appears.
There are many ways of deriving an income from property and also many ways of investing in the stock market.
In both cases, it depends on how much effort and expense you are willing to go to, and the desired return. What people also forget to factor in is the all-critical time horizon and need for access to their money.
Seasonal rents and chambres d’hôtes, for example, will usually make a better return than long-term rental, but require that much more effort, unless you engage people to do the work, ...
Subscribe now to The Connexion and benefit from access to our archived articles since 2006

Pay every three months. Our most flexible subscription.
Subscription automatically renews so you don't miss an edition (you can switch this off at any time)

1 year of great reading in print and online
Subscription automatically renews so you don't miss an edition (you can switch this off at any time).

1 year of great reading online *no paper*
Subscription automatically renews so you don't miss an edition (you can switch this off at any time).