I’ve been hearing a lot about “passive income” lately – the dream of earning money without lifting a finger. While the idea sounds enticing, I think it’s important to demystify this concept.
In reality, what many label as “passive” income usually requires significant upfront effort, continuous oversight, and regular adjustments. Whether it’s writing a book, setting up an online course, or investing in stocks, none of these avenues guarantee income without some level of involvement.
It’s easy to get enticed by online gurus painting a picture of lounging on beaches while checks roll in. But behind every “passive” success story, there’s a tale of hard work, persistence, and constant learning.
Does this mean passive income ventures are not worth pursuing? Absolutely not. But let’s approach them with realistic expectations and the understanding that no reward comes without effort.
What are your thoughts and experiences on this? Would love to hear from the community!
You must log in or register to comment.
The easiest way to create a passive income stream is to invest in the total market. It’s 0 effort outside of what you’re already doing.
Every other (non-scam) method is fairly risky and requires a lot of work.
It’s the wantrepreneur myth of the magic money machine. A search for a loophole or workaround for, well …work. There’s nothing interesting about it.
You won’t educate that. You can’t advise that. There will be no end of, “yes, but…”
Wantrepreneurs fancy themselves as smarter than the average working stiff, a wise-guy. They make the thugs smashing open parking meters for quarters look like geniuses.
Upfront effort will exist with literally anything. Or upfront cost. But I have a couple websites that net me about $1k per month and I don’t do anything at all anymore lol. Like actually 0 effort. The money goes directly to my high yield savings account too so I guess the only other piece is filing taxes, which I have to do anyway as an individual
Pretty much. We should market to those people with random crap ideas and strategies to make free money. We should sell them classes and workshops! Think of how much money we can make from those suckers! We can call our selves mentors and gurus :D.
No but really my “passive” income is 24/7 on call asset ready to yoink away all my free time at a moments notice. lol. 😂
Listen to AM radio sometime, there’s already a steady stream of grifters targeting the dumbest people.
This is why I don’t actually mind all the course hawkers who prey on these people. Folks who fall for “I makes $1m a year doing X and now I want to show you how to do X for the low low price of $899” lack any critical thinking skills.
Nothing like an average Joe, telling you…
“You know what you should do…”
When it comes to running your business.
I usually tell them to front me the money, lol.
It does exist though r/thetagang
It exists for the ultra-wealthy–people that on paper are the CEOs of a dozen companies each but in actuality spend their days posting on Twitter or going on “business retreats”.
It doesn’t exist for the peons like you and me.
The ONLY REAL passive income is selling online courses teaching others how to do passive income 😂
True, a lot of these online gurus preaching this stuff are making money off of preaching this stuff to the masses. Ironically, they put consistent work into it lol
Whenever I hear some sort of “I’ll start/buy a business and get someone to run it”…
I cringe.
I wonder if it’s naivety, stupidity, hubris.
Doesn’t really matter, as they’re going to lose a lot of money.
In a world where banks are being bankrupted by their bond portfolio, anyone talking about passive income is telling you the results of their IQ test.
There ain’t nothing passive aBout passive income.
Also those fake Gurus are the ones making money peddling get rich quick passive income schemes to gullible fools who buy into it.
True “passive income” would be just buying dividend stocks. People dont like this answer because they scoff at getting a few % return a year. Then they go “well how can I make more return than that” well you can make more by putting in more effort (starting a business, etc), which by definition means its less passive 😅.
Return percentage is directly proportional to the effort you put in. Another example would be buying real estate and then hiring a management company to do all the work renting it out and maintaining it. Of course management companies are expensive and it cuts into your return so many choose again, to trade effort for return and manage it themselves. Its always a tradeoff of effort vs return.
Even if you grow a successful company and then sell it and live off the profits, you probably spent 80 hours a week for years earning those future profits - might feel passive after youve sold but definitely took effort to create that wealth.
The only thing really passive is what you buy at a brokerage, like stocks and bonds. If you can get a call and have to take over it’s not passive.
Great reminder by OP. I spent about three years building up my clientele and putting in some major time on my own dime. But because of that work and effort, I now can make money replying to order emails. I make around $1,500 a month doing this, which is nice. I’m on year 8. So in my own personal experience, passive income is possible, but the phrase has been hijacked by get rich quick schemes and con artists. It’s been twisted and made to believe no work is involved in creating passive income, when in fact it is the exact opposite. Lots of NON-PAID work upfront.
Who are you exactly?
Lately? Man in the black community I’ve been hearing this for years.
Funny enough the examples of passive income is not really passive - real estate, stocks, Amazon stores ect - that’s real work!!!
If you don’t like, and I mean like, not tolerate, hard work and challenges, entrepreneurship probably isn’t for you.
I agree
Utopia, there must be constant maintenance being to a lower or higher extent. Changes are inevitable