I've recently become a big believer in REITs. Of course they have their downsides, but I added one to my investment portfolio and another to my retirement portfolio and they've been very strong performers.

Not only have they each gained around 10% since last year, they also each pay about an 11% dividend that is distributed quarterly. Though I do fear that if we enter another economic downturn, these may get hit harder than regular stocks and mutual funds.