I think you're not clear on the definition of an investment; it's not mutually exclusive with the definition of an asset.

> a primary home is an asset, not an investment.

so weird that this venn diagram only has one circle on it

I think you are asserting that "asset" and "investment" are synonymous. I'll reply to that.

A house is something you own. It can appreciate or depreciate, but it does not generate value. You might get lucky and realize a capital gain by selling it after it appreciates (if it appreciates and you can time the sale correctly), but it does not create value.

An investment is ownership of something that generates value.

All investments are assets, but not all assets are investments.

Your definition of generating value is narrowly linked to interest-bearing or dividend issuing investments.

Even with that fictionally higher standard and procedurally generated definition of "investment", renting out a part of the house is generating value.

If we go with the fictional notion that all homeowners become landlords, then we can start calling a home an "investment", and I will retract everything I've said.

By your definition, a stock that does not pay dividends would not count as an "investment" either because you can only realize capital gains on it (if you get "lucky").

My definition of an investment does not require that the investment return be liquid.

The stock is still generating value. The house is not generating value unless you go out of your way to rent part or all of it.

You could just as easily rent out bicycles or hammers, but no one would go so far out of their way to class a bicycle or a hammer as an investment.

if you lived in that house you owned, then it's generating value - for you, since you're paying yourself rent!

All assets generate a return, some just do so badly (or negative returns). Anything that's not an asset is a consumable (like food).

Do you continue paying yourself rent after the mortgage is paid?

And how is the rent "income" not offset by an equal rent expense?

> Do you continue paying yourself rent after the mortgage is paid?

yes, in a sense. The fact that you're not getting paid a rent from somebody else doesn't mean there isn't value. You could think of it as opportunity cost - owning a property but not getting rent from it.

> And how is the rent "income" not offset by an equal rent expense?

it is exactly offset-ed if you lived in that property.

I call stocks that don't not pay dividends speculation. I do not count them as investment.

positive expected value = investment

negative expected value = gambling

every other money game is a synonym of either of those