What is passive income?

Passive income
We have probably heard of passive or residual income, but do we really know what is it?

Passive income is an income which we collect with little or no effort at all. .. .. Sounds like money falling from the sky? Not quite.

Some classic examples of passive income are:
Rental (Income from renting out a property)
Royalties (From writing books, CD albums, movies etc)
Businesses (Being a sleeping partner or shareholder)
Dividends (Stocks, shares, bonds and any other paper assets)
Internet Marketing (Most people call it the web 2.0)
And many many more...

I have a friend that did nothing but writing hip-hop music. For every music that he wrote, he earns a minimal sum of money every time someone buys it. His publisher was probably earning loads of money from him, but he didn't care because he doesn't want to be involve in all the publishing hassle.
After 5 years, he had written over thousands of music and his publisher is paying him close to ten grands every month. Just today, he gave me a call that he is going to retire and travel all around the world. I was like.. HE IS ONLY 31 YEARS OLD. RETIRE?!
That's passive income.

So which is the best type of passive income?
Well, there isn't really any "best" passive income. Many people have misconceptions that passive income is equivalent to "quick buck", scam, big money etc.

The "best" type of passive income is to have SUSTAINABILITY and MODERATION.

Why?

Imagine spending $100,000 on a business that gives $2000 every month, but the business fails in the first year. It sucks because the business lacks sustainability.


Identifying good passive income opportunities
Opportunities are everywhere, some good and some bad. Always evaluate how long will the income lasts versus the amount of income in return.

A good deal is when you know this income is trustworthy and you will get back your initial investment in less than 4 years (an average gauge).