There used to be buildings for the fiefs that gave negative income for your fief, but these were removed i think a short time ago. The majority of the information there is still correct (build times & protection from catastrphes) and should just be adjusted yourself accordingly as you just did in your last post.

The choice is all down to personal preference, for example i like the military route, because it gives 2 x +3 silver improvements back-to-back quickly which can greatly improve your knights income. The choice is yours and there are no wrong choices, they all have their advantages and disadvantages.