Geldanlage: Aktien, Anleihen, ETFs, Optionen: So klappt es mit dem Nebenverdienst ohne Arbeit

Psychologists understand that even the thought of passive income triggers feelings of happiness in the brain. While generating regular income without work may initially require effort, it is indeed possible. The business magazine The Handelsblatt demonstrates four investment strategies to achieve this goal. Bonds promise a particularly predictable passive income.

To learn how investors can best benefit from this trend, read on. Many companies offer steadily increasing dividend payouts. Discover how dividend stocks can become a source of passive income. However, you can extract even more from your stocks, such as through call options. Funds and ETFs can also yield high dividend return rates for passive income.

When these two words are mentioned, most people's minds start racing. No more deadlines, just doing what one feels like doing, without the nagging question: "Who will pay for it?" The appeal and success of many self-proclaimed financial strategists promoting passive income ideas on social media likely lie in this aspect. "Psychologically, the idea of passive income primarily satisfies three desires: security, freedom, and relief," says Valentin Haas, a psychologist and leadership coach.

He has observed this phenomenon in countless sessions: whenever someone feels stuck in a never-ending cycle, the mere thought of making up for a short breathing space triggers a sense of happiness. Dopamine is released because we believe we have found an escape route, even though the situation hasn't changed. "Videos, success stories, and promises like 'Save amount X and you can live off it forever' create a genuine dopamine rush," says the psychologist.

However, when people delve deeper into the offerings, they often find little concrete information. Yet, few questions have concrete answers that play a significant role. Whether it can work out with passive income depends on various factors: current personal income and expenses, how and according to what rules wealth is built, and finally, how one manages to create a steady income stream from wealth.

To distinguish the different paths to passive income, the Trade magazine's editorial team interviewed several experts and presents four investment strategies that can all lead to the same goal. For now, it's important to note that passive income that flows entirely without personal effort is only possible for inheritors and beneficiaries.

For everyone else, however, wealth must first be worked for. However, with the right financial planning, it is not impossible to live off this wealth. Generally, passive income should be distinguished as either the sole source of income from one's own wealth or as a supplement to other income sources like salary or pension, especially in retirement.

Living off wealth exclusively requires a thorough financial plan. For retirement or even a few years before, passive income can supplement other income sources. Living off wealth exclusively is usually only possible for people who have inherited a lot of money, started a business, or invented something and sold it at a good price.

As a salaried employee, it's challenging to plan to live off savings and clever investing by the age of 50. Even for people with above-average salaries, this path is extremely demanding. A calculation based on optimistic assumptions reveals this: A young person earning 3,000 euros net in 25 years will have saved 1.75 million euros, excluding taxes, if they invest half of their net income monthly in an ETF savings plan with a 7% return after costs.

Although a seemingly large sum, it is reduced in value due to inflation. In 25 years, 2,700 euros will be needed to purchase what costs 1,500 euros today. At age 50, the person will need to draw half of their last net income, which would be 5,000 euros. However, this amount will only have the purchasing power of about 2,800 euros from today.

To have a buffer, financial planner Stefanie Kühn recommends 6,000 euros per month, which will need to increase by 2.5% annually due to inflation. This may seem small, but when the person turns 70, they will need to withdraw 9,340 euros monthly. If the 1.75 million euros is not reinvested from the start, the money will only last 19 years.

With a 3.5% return during the withdrawal phase, the money will last until the 77th birthday. After that, the person will have to rely solely on their statutory pension, which, given the low working years, will not be very high. This calculation is very tight given the increasing life expectancy and assumes that income will continuously grow, savings will be disciplined, and inflation will remain relatively constant.

For Michael Huber, the numerous uncertainties, especially regarding the savings rate, make this very risky.