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Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by snowwrestler on Wednesday January 22, 2020 @02:22PM (#22121018)
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").
Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by slumdev on Wednesday January 22, 2020 @03:26PM (#22121641)
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.

Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by chii on Wednesday January 22, 2020 @11:47PM (#22124947)
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).

Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by slumdev on Thursday January 23, 2020 @09:08AM (#22127609)
Do you continue paying yourself rent after the mortgage is paid?

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

Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by chii on Thursday January 23, 2020 @07:42PM (#22134155)
> 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.

Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by pgreenwood on Wednesday January 22, 2020 @11:33PM (#22124896)
I call stocks that don't not pay dividends speculation. I do not count them as investment.
Re:How housing became the world’s biggest asset class by rolltiide on Sunday January 26, 2020 @11:43PM (#22156895)
positive expected value = investment

negative expected value = gambling

every other money game is a synonym of either of those