What would you do if you had more time on your hands and less worry about financial obligations? Generating passive income is a popular strategy employed by investors as a way to create long-term wealth. With fewer financial obligations to worry about, investors can use their freed-up time to pursue individual aspirations.
Continue reading to learn how passive income investments can generate income, including general methods and real estate strategies so that you can also be on your path towards financial freedom. Before you start earning money through passive income investments of your own, however, let us explore what passive income means, as well as some of its benefits.
What Is Passive Income?
Passive income is defined as earnings that require little to no effort on the part of the person receiving them. In essence, it’s a form of residual income—not a second job. According to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), passive income activities include:
“Rentals, including both equipment and rental real estate, regardless of the level of participation;”
“Businesses in which the taxpayer does not materially participate on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis.”
It should be noted that there is a significant difference between passive and active income. The former refers to earnings from which the individual is not actively involved, while the latter is income from which services were performed—similar to a job.
Some active income examples include traditional employment or running a business. Real estate investors’ income is considered active if they are heavily involved in their projects, such as wholesaling, rehabbing, or rehabbing. Some passive income ideas include interest income, stocks, and bonds. While many real estate investors favor passive income rental properties or investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), they are not the only options available; there are several ways to earn money without over-exerting yourself.
Some of these activities may require a little bit of effort during the set-up phase, but the key difference between these active and passive activities is the necessary effort and involvement. This is one of the critical aspects that draw investors to passive income; however, several other benefits are worth noting.
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16 Passive Income Investments For 2024
Passive income investments enable investors to compound gains over time. The very nature of a passive investment exponentially grows reinvested profits over time without investors having to lift a finger. That said, investors may also compound gains by increasing their income streams. Instead of considering a single passive investment strategy, investors should be thinking about all of these passive income ideas made available to them:
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Rental property real estate
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REITs
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Stock market
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Bonds
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Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
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Mutual funds
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Peer to peer lending
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Turnkey real estate
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E-books
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Blogging & Youtube videos
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Buy an existing business
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High yield savings accounts
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Dividend stocks
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Index funds
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Affiliate marketing
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Crypto Staking
Although the opportunities are endless, some of the most popular ways to generate passive income include investing in real estate, the stock market, or generating interest income through bonds and certificates of deposit (CDs.) One could also invest in a wide array of securities at once by using something called mutual funds.
1. Rental Property Real Estate
When someone mentions investing in passive income through real estate, rental properties are among the first methods that come to mind. Investors can choose between investing in single-family properties as well as multi-unit properties like duplexes and apartment buildings. Allocating a property as a vacation rental in popular tourist destinations is also an attractive option. Although an initial cash outlay is required to acquire these properties, the investor can generate rental income to help pay off the mortgage. Once the mortgage is paid off, they are free to continue earning rental income indefinitely or even refinance or sell the property as they please.
To be effective, these investment properties must be purchased at the right cost to produce cash flow monthly. To make your property investing experience truly passive in nature, consider hiring a property management company that can oversee anything from screening tenants to responding to maintenance issues. Be sure to check out our guide to buying a rental property like a pro, as well as this breakdown of how to calculate cash flow and other important rental property calculators.
2. REITs
If you are interested in earning a passive income through real estate but don’t want to deal with researching, purchasing, and maintaining real properties on your own, then perhaps you would enjoy investing in a real estate investment trust (REIT).
REITs are an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to purchase ownership in income-producing real estate ventures comprised of commercial real estate. This can include anything from apartment and office buildings to mixed-use properties. Similar to mutual funds, REITs are managed by experts who specialize in creating portfolios of real estate while minimizing investor risk as much as possible. These trusts provide investors with regularly paid dividends. While REITs are generally traded on major stock exchanges, there are also public, non-listed, and private REITs. Find out more about REIT investing for beginners.
3. Stock Market
The stock market provides a channel for individuals to purchase shares of public corporations. Once they purchase these stocks, they are entitled to earn dividends based on that company’s financial performance. Those who choose to invest in the stock market typically manage a portfolio of stocks from different companies to help diversify risk.
4. Bonds
Bonds are prime examples of how individuals can earn interest income passively. Bonds are notes by the federal government or corporations as a way to raise funds. Members of the public can invest in bonds with the promise that they will be paid back in full with interest. The bond amount, interest rate, and payback time frame are pre-determined, allowing investors to calculate exactly how much they will earn back before even investing.
5. Certificates Of Deposit
Certificates of Deposit or CDs are issued by banks with fixed interest rates and withdrawal dates. These accounts can be compared to a traditional savings account but typically offer much higher interest rates. These rates tend to increase with the term length and are a viable option for those looking to earn interest income.
6. Mutual Funds
Mutual funds are yet another passive income strategy that should not be ignored. Thought of as one of the lowest-risk retirement savings vehicles, mutual funds represent a large pool of money that is invested into portfolios of various securities. Fund managers—such as mutual fund firms, brokerages, and banks—will carefully select these portfolios in a manner that delivers long-term growth and solid pay-offs, all while minimizing risk as much as possible. Most places of employment will sponsor a 401(k) program, which employees can use to invest in mutual funds as a way to save up for retirement.
7. Peer-to-Peer Lending
Individuals who lend their own money to other investors or professionally managed real estate funds while securing the loan with a mortgage against real estate are known as peer-to-peer lenders or private money lenders. Private money lending, in essence, is an alternative to established lending organizations such as large banks.
Peer-to-peer lending is appealing to both borrowers and lenders because of its flexibility. With a standard loan, lenders earn money from the borrower’s interest payments. Private loans, on the other hand, allow lenders to specify how (and when) they will be repaid for the loan.
8. Turnkey Real Estate
Turnkey real estate investment is the practice of acquiring a rental property that has already been refurbished by a turnkey real estate business that will also function as the property manager, allowing the owner to receive passive income without having to do anything.
A turnkey real estate business will restore undervalued buildings in strong rental markets and then sell the move-in ready property to investors. All that is required of the investor is to “turn the key.” Property management services, such as promoting the property, dealing with paperwork and tenant turnover, and managing maintenance concerns, are often provided by the same organization.
Turnkey rental properties are ideal for investors who want to start earning passive income right away but don’t want to deal with the hassles of buying, renovating, and managing rental property in the traditional sense.
9. E-Books
Creating an e-book can be a smart passive income investment that takes advantage of the low cost of publication and even use Amazon’s global reach to have your book viewed by possibly millions of prospective purchasers. E-books can be short and are relatively inexpensive to produce because they rely on your own skills.
An e-book may be used to drive visitors to your other services, such as audio or video courses, additional e-books, a website, or perhaps higher-priced seminars, in addition to delivering useful information and value to readers. According to Business Insider, financial blogger Sam Dogen reportedly earned $36,000 in royalties from his e-book in the past year.
10. Blogging & Youtube Videos
A blog or Youtube channel is a great space to share your expert knowledge and earn some residual income on the side. By sharing your expertise in the form of blog posts, you’ll have the opportunity to establish yourself as an authority in your particular niche. As your audience grows, you’ll be able to direct more traffic to revenue-generating advertisements that are placed throughout your site.
11. Buy An Existing Business
Buying an existing business can be a great way to reap the benefits of being a business owner without having to deal with start-up costs. An online business is a less risky option, as you won’t have to deal with overhead costs or physical assets.
However, purchasing a business is a difficult task. You must not only discover a company to buy, but you must also raise the necessary funds to complete the acquisition. Even if you successfully purchase an established firm, you are saddled with the enormous duty of ensuring that it does not fail. With the appropriate mentality and determination, you can succeed and generate a large amount of passive income.
12. High-Yield Savings Accounts
Liz Tomic, the CGO at Flying Embers, recommends high yield savings accounts as a passive income investment as “high yield savings accounts are FDIC insured and located at banks. Whereas money market funds can be found at investment companies and banks. Passive income creates freedom to do what you want in life without constantly worrying about income. The downside is that you may have to watch markets to ensure your money is not lost if the market crashes”.
13. Dividend Stocks
Dividend stocks not only have the potential to appreciate, but they also pay out profits to owners regularly in the form of dividends. Dividends can be a dependable income source, but be aware that stock values can drop, resulting in smaller dividend payments.
14. Index Funds
As their names suggest, index funds are mutual funds associated with a specific market index. Therefore, investing in an index fund will essentially mimic the returns of the specific index one invest in. Better yet, index funds are passively managed by professional money managers, which means investors don’t have to do anything but pick the fund.
15. Affiliate Marketing
If you have a website, blog, or any form of social media, affiliate marketing could be a great opportunity for passive income. This practice involves aligning yourself with a specific brand and earning residual income by promoting the product online. For example, you could get a unique weblink for Audible and earn passive income by steering people towards their sign-up process. Research affiliate marketing opportunities and courses online to get started.
16. Crypto Staking
Crypto staking is the latest passive income strategy involving online currency. Essentially, the process requires investors to delegate their crypto holdings to a verifier. The verifier spends time compiling records of network transactions, and can therefore put certain tokens up against potentially fraudulent transactions. If successful, investors can receive a share of earnings from the verifier. Note that not all cryptocurrencies allow staking, so always research the strategy (and potential verifier) before getting started.
Other Passive Income Investment Ideas
Rental property and REIT investing—as well as mutual funds, bonds, and stocks—are just a few prominent examples of passive income investing, both inside and outside real estate. Over the years, investors have identified a myriad of inventive ways to generate passive income. Review some of the unique methods for generating passive income below to see which ones best resonate with your interests:
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A bond ladder: A bond ladder is a fancy way of saying investors should diversify their bond holdings. More specifically, however, a bond ladder will witness investors invest in a series of bonds with different maturity dates. In staggering the bonds (and their maturity dates), investors may ensure income comes in when they need it while simultaneously diversifying their assets. With a properly diversified bond portfolio, investors can realistically predict when they expect to be paid in the future and how much they can expect to net.
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Advertise on your car: Some investors looking to think outside of the box won’t have to look for a passive investment strategy beyond their own car. In fact, it is entirely possible to turn your automobile into a portable advertisement and get paid for doing so. Doing so will require investors to “wrap” their car with ads, usually at no cost. While not as passive as other strategies (this one will require some driving), advertising on a car can result in free cash with minimal effort. Contact a specialized ad agency in your area to find out more.
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The Benefits Of Passive Income Investments
Along with generating continuous streams of revenue void of extensive activity, passive income provides a variety of advantages over traditional investment methods. For example, an investor who generates passive income through real estate might experience the following benefits:
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Tax breaks
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Retirement funds
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Your mortgage gets paid
Tax Breaks
Making your first investment also means you are increasing your taxable income. It is crucial to consider the various tax strategies you can follow to minimize the taxes owed on your new investment. Fortunately, one of the biggest perks that passive income assets can provide comes from tax deductions. For example, rental property owners get to claim depreciation losses by writing off the property’s cost over the life of the loan.
There are other important tax considerations to make when selecting a passive income investment. One common strategy is to use a retirement account, such as an IRA or 401k, to invest your money in other asset types. There are numerous tax benefits associated with these account structures. As you consider various passive income assets, set aside time to meet with your accountant or financial advisor. They are the most qualified at guiding your passive income portfolio. By paying attention to potential tax breaks, you can make sure you are maximizing the overall profits from your passive income investments.
Retirement Fund
Many view passive income as a powerful strategy for growing retirement funds at a faster rate.
Although it may take more work than investing in the stock market, securing multiple revenue streams can help eliminate long-term concerns about running out of money during one’s retirement years. It is also a means of providing financial assets for future generations. Also, rental income will typically keep up with inflation—sometimes even outpacing it.
Your Mortgage Gets Paid
One of the greatest perks of earning a passive income is being able to pay off your mortgage. For example, a rental property investor can use their rental income from tenants to pay off those properties’ mortgages. In an ideal situation, they would even have income left over each month. This can be extremely beneficial, as not having to pay a mortgage out-of-pocket can free up your finances, as well as help you tap into the liquidity of your investment much faster.
Summary
If you were wondering how to generate income with passive income investments the way an experienced investor would, you now have plenty of options to consider. Beginner investors should know that the success of these passive income strategies is contingent upon your ability to mind due diligence. Before committing to any one type of passive income strategy, one should always conduct research, examine options, and verify market conditions. As a beginner, one of the best ways to prepare is by consulting an experienced investor. Although you’ll initially need to put in some sweat equity before you can generate income passively, it’s the only way to ensure that you can make sound investment decisions.
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The information presented is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Nothing provided shall constitute financial, tax, legal, or accounting advice or individually tailored investment advice. This information is for educational purposes only.
