There are many ways an investor can earn passive income. If I had just a few hundred dollars a month to spare, I'd likely turn to ASX dividend shares.
Investing in shares requires very little upfront capital, comes with low transaction costs, and allows for far greater diversification than compared to, say, buying property.
But, while many companies listed on the ASX pay a portion of their profits to shareholders in the form of dividends, not all dividend shares are created equal. Here's how I would aim to build a winning passive income portfolio.
Buying ASX dividend shares for passive income
Imagine sitting back and living life as $2,000 drops into your account every month. All that could be mine in the future for the low price of just $300 a month right now.
Of course, investing more or less than $300 each month will likely speed up or slow down the journey to my goal.
Still, I think consistently investing an achievable sum into quality shares is perhaps more important than the amount I invest. But what makes a share a 'quality' investment? Well, that's subjective.
If my end goal was passive income, I'd argue a quality share is one that can provide consistent dividends now and into the future.
Identifying winning investments
As dividends are generally born from a company's free cash flow, I would be keeping my eyes out for those trading with healthy balance sheets and dependable income streams.
Such companies likely also offer competitive advantages over their peers and a strong management team. Those qualities could put them in good stead to bring in excess cash and offer that cash to shareholders.
Finally, I would contemplate if a company is trading at a good price. Buying stocks for more than they're worth could be a surefire way to start my journey out on the wrong foot.
Risk reduction
But investing in just one ASX dividend share is risky. For that reason, I would look for multiple stocks that house the qualities I'm after – preferably across multiple sectors.
That way my passive income portfolio would be diversified, thereby protecting it from single company or sector downturns.
Sit back and watch the ASX share dividends do their thing
My final step to realising my ideal monthly passive income would be to sit back and wait. And, here, patience is key.
If I were to realise a decent 5% dividend yield, I would need a portfolio worth $480,000 before I could receive $2,000 of passive income each month.
That could take more time than I've got, assuming I continue putting aside just $300 a month and none of my shares provides capital gains.
That's why I would compound my dividends. By reinvesting all the passive income my portfolio provides into more shares, I could reach my goal in 42 years' time.
While that's certainly a long-term plan, I think it's a worthwhile one. And those staying the course would undoubtedly gain positive savings habits and valuable investing knowledge along the way.
