SHAJ: Why "rule 4. No REITS?" Perhaps you mean the very dangerous mREITs which are leveraged mortgage portfolios at their core. Regular REITs own real estate, passing their income thru to shareholders. I've never owned one, but that sector has done extremely well over the past decade.
Generally, shun what I call Alphabet Stocks: MLPs, BDCs, mREITS, and CEFs (that sell at fat premiums) unless you really know what's in them and you completely understand their leverage. Another dangerous type of alphabet stock... SPACs.