The Mail compared the results of investing in shares and residential property between 1985 and 2014, with surprising results.
An investment in shares would have returned 1,433% over the 30 years, an average rate of 9.9% a year, while property managed just 402%. Over the period since 2000, property did modestly better than shares, but as experts pointed out, the reason shares usually do so well over the longer term is the reinvestment of dividends.