Congress created real estate investment trusts (REITs) in 1960 to level the playing field. REITs empower anyone to invest in wealth-creating, income-producing real estate.

They've certainly done that over the years. Over the long term, our research found that REITs have outperformed stocks. Since 1994, three REIT subgroups stood out for their ability to beat the S&P 500. Here's a closer look at these market-beating REIT types.

According to data from Nareit, self-storage REITs have delivered a 17.3% average annual total return since 1994. That has obliterated the S&P 500's 10.1% average annual total return during that period.

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Source Fool.com