Passive income is money that requires little to no effort to generate once the initial work has been done.
4 min read · Nov 2, 2023
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Having a steady passive income allows you to cover your basic expenses, save for the future, and have more freedom over how you spend your time. While generating thousands of dollars in passive income per month may sound out of reach, it is possible with the right strategy and effort.
Dividend stocks pay shareholders a portion of the company’s earnings on a regular basis. The payments are considered passive income since you can collect the dividends whether you trade the stock actively or not.
- To generate $5,000 per month in dividends, you would need a portfolio value of approximately $1 million invested in stocks with an average dividend yield of 5%.
- For example, Johnson & Johnson stock currently yields 2.7% annually. $1 million invested would generate about $27,000 per year or $2,250 per month.
- Top dividend stocks like Apple, Microsoft and JPMorgan Chase pay 2–3% yields. Combining stocks with higher and lower yields can produce an average dividend income of 5% on a stock portfolio.
- Studies show dividend stocks tend to outperform non-dividend paying stocks over time. The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index has had an average annual return of 14.34% over the last 10 years compared to 13.74% for the S&P 500 Index.
Owning rental properties can provide mostly passive income after the properties are acquired and rented out. There are several paths to take like investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs), rental properties, and real estate crowdfunding platforms.
- Real estate investment trusts (REITs) allow you to invest in rental properties as a stock. REITs pay 90% of their taxable income as dividends to shareholders.
- Investing $500,000 in REITs with a 5% average dividend yield would generate $25,000 per year or $2,083 per month in dividends.
- Owning rental properties directly…
