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Mon, Jul 14, 2025, 10:03 AM 4 min read
Earning passive income isn’t always passive — at least not at first. You’ll need to take some time and dedicate yourself to setting up something that ultimately generates money while you’re busy doing something else. But once you have something going, you can sit back and reap the benefits — or continue building more income streams to garner long-term financial stability and wealth.
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If you want to earn passive income, it’s best to start small. Even an extra $1,000 a month can set you on the path to financial freedom. After all, once you’ve made that much passively, there’s virtually no limit to what you can achieve next.
But what exactly should you do to earn at least $1,000 a month in passive income? And what are your options?
GOBankingRates spoke with Erika Kullberg, an attorney, personal finance expert and founder of Erika.com, to see what she suggested. Here are some ways to start earning money through passive income.
One way to start earning $1,000 or more a month is to invest in — and hold — dividend-paying stocks or real estate investment trusts (REITs).
“These are the investments that bring regular cash in the form of dividends or rental income without daily management,” Kullberg said. “To start, do some research for companies or funds that have stable returns in the past, and open an account at a brokerage service, such as Vanguard or Fidelity. By regular contributions and dividend reinvestment, you’ll increase your passive income over time.”
Say you want to get started with REITs, for example. You can go through a platform like Arrived or Fundrise, which gives you access to both commercial and residential properties.
Keep in mind that you’ll typically need to keep your money invested for a long time to see the best returns. Invest only an amount you’re comfortable with. As you start to earn, you can always reinvest your earnings for even higher returns.
If you don’t want your money locked up, you can also invest in REIT stocks, such as Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) and Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE: BXMT).
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If investing isn’t your preference, or if you don’t have a ton of capital, consider producing and selling something digitally.
“Another passive income opportunity is to sell a digital item like an e-book, an online course or printables,” Kullberg said. “When they’re made, these can be sold again and again without much additional work.”
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