Passive income is income that isn’t directly based on the amount of time or work you put into it. For example, if you publish an ebook, and you can sell that one book a million times over the next five years, that is a passive income because you aren’t continuing to work.
Another great way to embrace nearly effortless income is to buy passive real estate investments and hire a management company to run the day-to-day operations of the property. From there, the money you make on the property becomes a steady stream of passive income that you don’t have to spend valuable time every day grueling over.
Here are five benefits to setting up a passive income.
1. Increasing income without increasing time
Nearly 80% of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck. For many, they are unable to make more money at their current job or with their current skills, and they do not have the time to take on another job. To make ends meet or to create a nest egg, they need to find a way to make more money without investing more time daily. A passive income can provide additional income without requiring more hours of work every day. If you need extra money to pay your monthly bills, a passive income can make all the difference in the world.
2. Diversification
There is no such thing as job security in today’s world. Building a passive income will diversify your income so that if you lose your job, you won’t be entirely out of an income. Your passive income may not be enough to support you, but it will provide you with something until you can replace your other income stream. Similarly to investment strategies, diversification is a solid approach to income and will help you get through unexpected job loss or emergencies. You may even decide to make your passive income your primary salary. Many people start with a passive income as a side opportunity until it grows enough that they can make it their primary income.
3. Discretionary spending
If your primary income is enough to cover all of your daily expenses, your passive income can provide money for discretionary spending. Working all of the time just to pay bills is discouraging and leads to a great deal of financial stress. If you can use your passive income to go out once in a while, buy a luxury item, or go on a vacation, it has the potential to increase your overall happiness exponentially. Having passive income for discretionary spending can allow you to pay for things like school supplies, band trips, and summer camps without stress and worry.
4. Planning for the future
A passive income will allow you to create an emergency fund, save up to buy a house or new vehicle, or save for retirement. As you grow your savings with a passive income, you can reinvest some into a new passive revenue stream to grow your savings even faster. Since many jobs no longer offer retirement as a benefit, your passive income can become your retirement. As long as you are not relying on the passive income for daily expenses, you can use it to ensure a better future for yourself and your family.
When you create a budget, do not include your passive income as part of your budget. If you can live within your primary salary, the passive income will always be extra money that you can use; however, you deem most beneficial. If you need the extra money to get by, it will be there, but if you can reduce your expenses can put the extra income into savings, you can set yourself up for a financially independent future.
