Can passive income really earn $1K a month? These 10 methods are the most reliable.

Passive income sounds great, but in the beginning, it's actually not “passive”—it requires you to spend time building the system. Once you reach the upper band, the money will come on its own. American financial lawyer Erika Kullberg summarized 10 ways to earn over $1K a month; let's see which one suits you.

The most stable: dividends + real estate funds Dividend stocks and REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) are tried-and-true yet the most stable choices. Stable companies or funds have a history of consistent dividends, and by opening an account with brokerages like Vanguard or Fidelity and setting up automatic reinvestment, you can accumulate $1K+ over time. Want to dip your toes in real estate but don't want to lock up your money? You can also directly buy REIT stocks (like IRM, BXMT).

Most Flexible: Sell Digital Products E-books, online courses, and print materials—create once, sell infinitely. Amazon Kindle Direct, Udemy, and Etsy are all starting points. This requires upfront marketing investment, but the returns can be significant.

Highest Returns but Requires Principal: P2P Lending Annual returns of 5-10% are quite common, with some even reporting 10%+. Let's do the math: investing $140K at an annualized rate of 9% would yield $1K per month. Starting with a small amount and continuously reinvesting can also achieve this.

Other Options Affiliate marketing, blogging, YouTube channels, renting parking/storage spaces, email newsletters… there are many options, but they all require time to refine. The good news is that some can start completely for free.

Note Don't forget to pay taxes. Different types of income have different tax rates, but usually, a portion can be deducted through depreciation and other means.

Core Advice: Choose a field you are good at or interested in, start small, and be patient with reinvestment—there's no shortcut to financial freedom, but it can indeed be achieved.