To revisit the real estate idea... If you've got $15k to invest for a couple years, my favorite idea to start off with is the following; 1) most importantly, find a good property manager. 2) put 25% down on a $40k-$60k duplex in MKE. 3) Rent each side out for $550 - $700, depending on location and rooms. 4) don't take any profits for a couple years, just save the income so you have a bubble for a bad turn (fixing the unit and getting a new tenant in) 5) Within a few years, you will have saved up enough money to get your initial down payment back and either put it back in wherever it came from or invest in another property and double your cash flow. You'll never get rich off of what the property is worth, but it'll constantly cash flow until you sell the house. Its not as scary as people think, as long as you have a good property manager. You can get good tenants everywhere. Crappy landlords and managers bring in crappy tenants.
