How does owning rental properties invalidate his message of &quot;avoid rampant, unnecessary consumerism&quot;? Certainly, not everyone can derive their retirement income from rentals (the numbers don&#x27;t work out).  But lucky for you: There are other forms of investment.<p>BTW: I currently rent. It&#x27;s the financially prudent thing to do in my situation, and I certainly don&#x27;t begrudge my landlords for it -- they&#x27;re the ones locked into an illiquid, overvalued asset.