There is an old saying, " better to keep your mouth closed and have the world think you're a fool than to open it and remove all doubt ."   A lot of timeshares are rip offs, however a lot of them or not.   A timeshare, if it is the right one, can be a great investment .   I have been a timeshare owner for over 20 years and it is one of the best investments I have ever made. If you don't travel at least once a year and you don't plan on traveling when you retire, then certainly, do not buy a timeshare.   I will retire on a fairly modest income, but I will be able to travel to first class  accommodations pretty much whenever I want.   Yes they are spend the upfront, but so was your house.   Yes I pay maintenance fees but that keeps the properties in first class condition and it's worth every penny.  I pay well less than $100 a night for a two or three bedroom condominium in a resort setting, you can't even get a roadside dump hotel for that kind of money.   When I retire if I can travel on seven days notice or less I can have my pick of any available resort in the world for $350 a week .   I'm not going to tell you who I own with because I don't want people thinking I am pushing timeshares.  I am not. But for the right person, who knows how to buy them and knows how to use them, they are an outstanding investment.