You can't rely on a hot housing market to bolster your net worth: it can all come tumbling down, as it did in the US and as it had in the past here at home. Remember property values in the late 80's? Don't put all your eggs in one basket, be it stocks, real estate or gold bricks. All of these pillars of investment are worth having in your portfolio: just make sure you've spread your risk by holding a bit of each. No one knows the magic formula, perhaps because there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to financial planning. But a wise man once said don't let any one type of investment become more than half of your total portfolio.