Do you want to know how to live off of interest income and enjoy your retirement? For many people, retirement is a distant, vaguely defined concept. Many people cannot accept the idea of leaving the workforce and relying only on the money they have earned from investments.
It’s not easy. Although it may be challenging, it is possible to achieve your goals with a good plan and a positive attitude.
You can generate extra cash flow each month by earning passive income through interest income. This can be especially helpful in offsetting inflation. If you have passive income, you can earn more money during good times, and you will still have money coming in if you become unemployed, take time away from work, or if inflation decreases your purchasing power, particularly with interest.
If you have passive income, you will continue to receive money even if you are not actively working. This income can be helpful if you want to retire or take a break from your primary job. Either way, a passive income gives you extra security.
If you’re concerned about having enough money saved up for retirement, passive income could be a strategy worth considering.
Living Off Interest
The goal is to have a retirement portfolio that throws off enough income to cover basic living expenses, without dipping into the money originally invested.
This part is very important…it is also a significant reality check. Just because you have a million dollars doesn’t mean you can spend it all recklessly.
You would now have $950,000. If you had one million dollars but you spent fifty thousand dollars on a new car, you would now have nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Now you have $950,000 left in principal. If you earn an annual return of 5% and live off those funds, you will have an annual spending budget of $47,500. If you did not have a car, you would have $1 million and an annual income of $50,000.
If you add in more expenses on top of the cost of the car, the price would be even lower than $47,500. This is why protecting your principal is so important.
What Is Passive Income?
Income that is not earned from working for an employer or contractor is considered passive income. According to the Internal Revenue Service, passive income can come from two sources: rental property or a business in which one does not actively participate. This includes income from book royalties or stock dividends.
“I don’t think that’s what it is at all.” Todd Tresidder, a financial coach and retired hedge fund manager, believes that passive income is not about getting something for nothing. Multi-level marketing does have the potential to make you rich… but it’s not quick, and you have to work for it.” Multi-level marketing might make you rich eventually, but it’s not going to happen quickly and you will have to work for it. You just give the work upfront.”
You may have to do some work upfront, but passive income often requires extra work as well. You need to keep your product updated or your rental property well-maintained in order to keep making money passively.
However, if you are dedicated to the plan, it can be an excellent way to generate income and you will also establish some additional financial security for yourself in the meantime.
9 Passive Income Ideas for Building Wealth
If you want to create a passive income stream, here are 20 strategies to consider, along with an understanding of the risks involved with each one.
1. Create a Course.
One strategy for earning passive income is to create an audio or video course, then sit back and receive payments from the sales of your product. Courses can be found and purchased on sites such as Udemy, SkillShare and Coursera.
Instead of using the traditional model, you might want to try a “freemium model” where you give away free content to attract a following and then charge people for more detailed information or for people who want to know more. For example, this model could be used by language teachers or by someone giving stock-picking advice. The free content on your site may attract those looking to learn more about your area of expertise.
2. Write an e-book.
An e-book can be published cheaply, and Amazon’s global reach means that it can be seen by many people who might want to buy it. Since e-books are often shorter and only require your own expertise to create, they tend to be relatively cheap.
You need to be an expert in a particular subject to write for this website, but it could be a niche topic that only requires a few special skills or abilities that not many people have. You can design the book quickly on an online platform and then test-market different titles and price points.
The more e-books you have, the more value your customers will get.
3. Affiliate marketing.
If a purchased is made through one of these links, the site owner or influencer earns a commission on the sale. With affiliate marketing, website owners, social media “influencers” or bloggers can earn a commission on a third party’s product by including a link to the product on their site or social media account. Among the larger affiliate partner names are eBay, Awin, and ShareASale. Instagram and TikTok are popular platforms for people who want to have a large fanbase and advertise their products.
An email list can be a useful tool to help promote your blog or direct people to products and services that they may be interested in.
4. Flip retail products.
Look for online sales platforms, such as eBay or Amazon, to sell products you find at a discount elsewhere. You’ll be able to make a profit by taking advantage of the difference in your purchase and sale prices, and you may be able to get people to follow your deals.
5. Sell photography online.
While selling photography online might not be the most intuitive place to start a business, it could be a great way to scale your efforts. If you can sell the same photos multiple times, it could be a very passive form of income. In order to sell your photos as stock photography, you will need to work with a stock photography organization, such as Getty Images, Shutterstock, or Alamy.
After you are approved by the platform, you can license your photos to be used by anyone who downloads them. The platform gets paid every time you use your photo.
The photos you take should be specific to one audience or scene, and you should be able to identify the demand for them. Photos can be of models, landscapes, creative scenarios, or events that could make the news.
6. Buy crowdfunded real estate.
If you want to invest in real estate without having to do things like repairs and managing tenants, you can do it by investing through a crowdfunding platform. An experienced investing team will help you choose the right real estate investment and guide you through the process. You can choose how much you want to invest and the team will provide support every step of the way.
If you want to use a real estate platform, you will have to pay a yearly management fee. The minimum investment amount could be anywhere from $10 to $10,000.
7. Dividend stocks.
Regular payments are received by shareholders from the company for stocks that have a dividend yield. If you own stock in a company, that company will pay you cash dividends on a quarterly basis out of its profits. The amount of money you receive from dividends is directly proportional to the number of shares you own. Therefore, the more shares you own, the higher your payout will be.
8. Rent out your home short-term.
This easy to follow strategy uses space that would otherwise go to waste and provides a way to make some extra money. If you plan to travel for the summer or be away from your home for an extended period, you may want to consider renting it out while you’re gone. This could be a great way to offset travel costs.
9. Invest in Cash Flowing Real Estate
As we’ve stated on this site before, our favorite strategy for generating passive income is to buy and hold real estate in the form of single family homes. While there will be ups and downs monthly from the cashflow generated, if you are able to build a portfolio of single family homes, they act as a form of risk mitigation with each other. Some will generate great income while others will generate less.
How To Live Off Interest Income
As is evident, retirees can live solely off interest income; however, this is also a high-risk venture. Here’s how to live off interest income:
1. Work as Hard as Possible
You will only be able to live off the interest of your money if you have a lot of it. Therefore, you must begin earning more money. It’s that simple.
Request a salary increase from your employer and find additional sources of income from part-time work. If you want to earn significantly more money, try doubling or even tripling your annual salary and saving every penny.
If you have $1 million in savings and you want to live off the interest, you would need a 6% yield to make $60,000 a year. If you have 5 million dollars, you would have 300,000 dollars to live off of. This is a drastic change in terms of lifestyle and wellbeing.
Once people earn a million dollars, they often stop working as hard. The goal is to keep going after you reach the point you were aiming for. Use $1 million as a launchpad, not a destination.
2. Protect Your Wealth
Once you make enough interest income to support yourself, you will need to rearrange your investments so that most of your money is in safe accounts.
Mutual funds can work. The problem, however, is that the levels of interest produced are inconsistent, making it difficult to make ends meet. The worst thing you can do is selling your mutual funds for cash if you don’t have to.
It would be beneficial to switch to a portfolio that has a mix of annuities, CDs, and Treasury bonds.
3. Stick to a Budget
You need to be mentally prepared to live off of interest alone. For most people, that means being mindful of how much money they are spending each month.
To save money, be mindful of your spending and don’t waste money on unnecessary things. If you want to be financially comfortable, you need more than $1 million and no credit card debt.
Adhering to a budget now will increase your investment, putting you in a position to earn more money in interest later on.
Additional Factors To Consider
Living off interest income sounds great. But the reality is that it can get complicated. Reaching $1 million doesn’t guarantee that you can successfully quit your job andlive off investments, as many people find out the hard way.
Here are some pitfalls to watch out for:
Inflation
The annual inflation rate is increasing as prices gradually increase over time. This means that the money you have saved up will be worth less in the future. It’s critical to plan ahead and account for the cost of inflation at retirement age to combat inflation and rising healthcare costs. If you can, try to save or invest more money.
Emergencies
Emergencies can happen at any time. Illness, accident, or unexpected expenses may occur suddenly and without warning. Your child may decide to go to an expensive college, which would require you to come up with more money than originally budgeted. The fact is that an annual salary of $50,000 or less is not a lot of money to live off of in retirement. If you retire before you are eligible for Social Security, you will have to wait years before you can receive any benefits.
Down Markets
The stock market can sometimes be unpredictable, meaning there’s no certain way to know if it will provide a 8-10% return each year. It’s possible for the market to have a down year. If you rely only on interest and have most of your money in stocks and mutual funds, you could have problems if the market crashes. This could force you to use up your savings or go back to work to make ends meet.
Tips For Achieving Early Retirement
It’s About Money, Not Age
The majority of people are taught that they should retire at the age of 65. Although people assume that retirement is determined by age, it is actually based on how much money you have saved up.
For some people, it takes a lifetime to reach retirement age. This is especially true for those who have spent their entire lives working in manual labor jobs. Other people are able to save money and reach their financial goals in half the time by being careful with their spending and investing.
Think about how much money you need to live off of annually. It can be $50,000 or $100,000 or more. Save money and invest it until the interest you earn from your investment is greater than the salary from your full-time job.
Retirement Requires Vision
Most people fail to retire on interest alone because they lack the focus and vision to do so. Make a visual representation of what you want your life to look like and be filled with images that inspire you to achieve it. If you want to retire young, tell yourself and then structure your daily spending and lifestyle habits accordingly.
A vision board can help you save money by keeping you focused on your goals. Instead of spending time watching TV, you can use that time to earn more money.
Pick the Right Strategy for You
There are many approaches to retirement income. Research your options and pick the one that lines up with your goals the best. Remember: Every investor is different. What is effective for one person may not be effective for another. Some investors find success with real estate while others do not.
Kurt has gone from the financial lows of the ’08 financial crisis to personal financial success. He is a professional real estate investor owning properties in multiple states.
One of his passions is financial education and the pursuit of financial freedom.
You can learn more about Kurt here.
