ORLANDO—Commercial real estate is the one investment category that every individual must use in some form or fashion in his or her lifetime. So says Gary Carmell, president of CWS Capital Partners and author of the new book, The Philosophical Investor: Transforming Wisdom into Wealth.

“Whether as a place to live, an office to work in, a store to shop in, or a place to store some of our larger possessions, real estate will always be in demand,” Carmell tells GlobeSt.com. “This has historically made real estate a very good way to store, preserve, and grow wealth.”

Carmell says this is the case for strategically-located properties that are well-maintained, because real estate is typically a byproduct of economic and demographic factors. The United States, particularly in dynamic cities with a well-educated workforce, he says, is able to innovate and grow over the long term, despite periodic setbacks.