Every job has it's own stress levels. It's how you deal with it. I'm on the verge of retirement at 56-57 from my job. I picked up the real estate business as side/ full time next job. Money is made when you buy, appreciation should not be depended upon to make you money. When I had cows, you worry about them getting out or sick etc. If a house burns down( knock on wood won't happen) I still make about 4 times my money. Anything else is fixable. I have a pension and various saving investments. You will make some money on these but if you take out inflation you average 4% or so. Still not a lot of money. I have saved $400 a check for a long while, still never will make a million. Any business a person has will take time to run just like any other job. Management is the key.