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

Psychologists know that even thinking about passive income triggers feelings of luck in the brain. While achieving a regular income stream without work initially requires effort, it is indeed possible. The Handelsblatt demonstrates this through four investment strategies. Bonds promise particularly calculable passive income. Learn how investors can best benefit from this trend.

Many companies offer steadily increasing dividend payouts. Discover how dividend stocks can become a passive income source. From your stocks, you can extract more than just dividends, such as with call options. Funds and ETFs can also yield high dividend yield returns for passive income. The concept of passive income evokes strong feelings in most people.

No more deadlines, only doing what one feels like, and all without the nagging question: "Who will pay for it?" This allure, along with the success of many self-proclaimed financial strategists promoting passive income ideas on social media, is likely the reason. "Psychologically, the idea of passive income primarily bundles three desires: security, freedom, and relief," says Valentin Haas, a psychologist and leadership coach.

He knows this phenomenon from countless sessions: When someone constantly feels trapped in a vicious cycle, the mere thought of breaking free already brings a sense of relief. At that moment, our brain releases the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, believing it has found an escape – even though the situation hasn't changed. "Videos, success stories, and promises like: 'Save sum X and you can live off it forever' generate a genuine dopamine rush," the psychologist explains.

However, upon closer examination of the offerings, little concrete information is found. Yet, few questions have concrete answers. Whether passive income can actually flow without any personal input depends on several factors: current personal income and expenses, how and according to what rules assets are built up, and how to structure wealth to ensure a steady income stream.

To differentiate the various paths to passive income, the Handelsblatt consulted several experts and presents four investment strategies that can all lead to this goal. Basically, passive income that flows entirely without personal effort only exists for inheritors and heirs. For everyone else, creating wealth first is necessary, but it is not impossible with proper financial planning to live off this wealth.

Passive income should first be distinguished as either solely supporting one's own wealth or supplementing other income sources like salary or pension in retirement or even a few years earlier. Living off one's own wealth exclusively is possible for few people, usually those who inherited a lot of money, started a business, or invented something and sold it at a good price.

As a salaried employee, however, it is very difficult. "Anyone who plans to retire at 50 solely through iron savings and wise investing must work extremely hard," says Michael Huber, Germany's head of the VZ Vermögenszentrum. Even for someone with an above-average income, this path is strenuous. An example calculation, based on optimistic assumptions, shows that a young person earning 3000 euros net in 25 years would have amassed 1.75 million euros, adjusted for inflation.

This amount, however, only has the purchasing power of about 2800 euros today. To maintain a comfortable lifestyle, the person would need to withdraw 6000 euros per month, growing by 2.5 percent annually to account for inflation. At 50, this "pension" must cover not only living expenses but also the employer's share of health insurance and other social contributions.

This "pension" would need to grow by 2.5 percent each year to meet these expenses. While this might seem modest, by the age of 70, the person would need to withdraw 9340 euros monthly. If these 1.75 million euros are not reinvested from the beginning, the money will only last until the age of 77, even with a 3.5 percent return during the withdrawal phase.

Beyond that, the person would have to rely solely on their state pension, which, given their early retirement, will not be very high. This calculation is particularly tight given the increasing life expectancy and assumes that the salary continues to grow, savings are disciplined, and inflation remains relatively constant. For Michael Huber, there are too many uncertainties, especially regarding the savings rate.