Geldanlage: Geld ohne Arbeit: Mit diesem Rechner planen Sie Ihr passives Einkommen

Investing money to generate passive income is a dream many people share. Psychologist Valentin Haas explains that the concept of passive income appeals to three main desires: security, freedom, and relief. The Handelsblatt has developed a calculator to help investors determine if this dream is realistic for their specific situation.

Several paths exist to generate a classic income from the stock market. The calculator considers five of them: dividend stocks, dividend ETFs, bond ETFs, money market ETFs, and REIT ETFs. Dividend stocks are shares of companies that distribute a large portion of their profits to shareholders. Dividend ETFs are exchange-traded funds composed of stocks that distribute dividends.

Bond ETFs bundle several bonds, while money market ETFs invest in very short-term bonds that mirror the central bank's reserve rate. REIT ETFs are a way to invest in real estate through special, listed real estate companies that receive tax benefits when they distribute most of their profits.

Investors start by selecting the amount they can invest and their investment horizon, which can range from 0 to 20 years. They then choose between three strategies: a relatively safe strategy with lower dividend payouts and a lower risk of losses, a more risky strategy with higher payouts but a higher chance of losses, or a personalized strategy where investors can assemble their portfolio from various individual stocks, dividend ETFs, bond ETFs, and money market ETFs.

The calculator shows how much passive income will be generated each year and how the value of the invested capital evolves over time. It also calculates the passive income and course development based on historical data, allowing for a realistic estimation of future returns and dividend payout ratios. The data is adjusted for historical inflation rates, reflecting the purchasing power of today's income.

The calculator's predicted passive income corresponds to today's purchasing power, but it is a gross value, excluding taxes and other deductions.

To illustrate, let's consider an example: an investor puts 200,000 euros into three dividend ETFs - VanEck Developed Markets (35%), Vanguard High Dividend (35%), and iShares Global Dividend (30%). These three funds are currently the largest dividend ETFs. The investor's weighting would expose them to about 26% US stocks, 20% Eurozone countries, 8% UK, and 7% Japan.

In the first year, this combination would yield an estimated dividend payout of 7,700 euros. This amount would increase in subsequent years, reaching over 10,000 euros annually in 20 years. Simultaneously, the value of the deposit would grow, assuming historical performance as a benchmark: in the worst-case scenario, it would be around 213,000 euros after 20 years, and in the best case, 305,000 euros.

This example demonstrates how challenging it is to live solely on capital gains. As financial planner Michael Huber points out, independently living off one's own wealth is usually only possible for those who have inherited significant wealth, started a business, or created an invention that sold at a good price. For salaried employees, it is particularly difficult.

For instance, someone planning to retire at 50 by solely saving and investing wisely would only see a passive income of 38,500 euros in the first year with the chosen portfolio combination. However, with the right combination, higher dividends are possible, as shown by the Handelsblatt calculator.