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I was talking with a client the other day who said, “One of my goals is to create passive income streams so that I no longer have to rely on my day job for income. I’d like to travel, not be dependent on a specific location, and have income I receive each month without having to actively work on earning that income.”

It’s a goal I hear often from people who are thinking about long-term financial independence.

It makes sense. Who wouldn’t want more flexibility, more freedom, and income that shows up without punching a clock?

Passive Income Trends on Social Media

There are many fin-fluencers on social media promoting different ways of generating passive income streams. Rental properties. Video courses. Buying a small business like a laundromat. The secret method used by

None of these sound very “passive” to me.

Each of these ideas seems like a lot of work in actuality.

Let’s Talk About What Is Not So Passive

Take a rental property, for example. Who changes the lightbulbs in the hallway, or fixes the overflowing toilet or leaky sink? Who vets the renters, makes sure they pay on time, pays the mortgage and property taxes, and covers all the other bills?

You do.

That might be a great business for some people. But it is important to be honest about the time, energy, and stress involved. For many people, so-called passive income is anything but passive.

What Truly Passive Income Can Look Like

You know what actually IS passive income?

My retired clients who are living on their investment portfolios. About the most they have to do each year is confirm how much they would like to withdraw. After that, they are off to play pickleball, do charity work, and travel. In short, they are living their best life!

That sounds pretty passive to me.

I am being a little facetious here, but let’s face it. Sometimes fin-fluencers make things far more complicated than they need to be.

So let me offer a few simple ideas that can help create a more realistic path to a future passive income stream.

Tip One: Save Regularly

Saving consistently is the foundation of any sustainable passive income strategy.

Many experts recommend saving at least 10 to 15 percent of your income. It is not flashy. It does not go viral on social media. But it works.

Consistency matters far more than chasing the next big idea.

Tip Two: Invest in Line With Your Goals and Risk Profile

How you invest matters just as much as how much you save.

At One Wild Life Advisors, we help clients select investment portfolios that align with their goals, time horizon, and comfort with risk. Often, this means a diversified portfolio that includes equities and fixed income assets.

This is how your money can truly work passively for you.

Passive Investing in Action

At a high level, investing in a combination of stocks and bonds can help smooth out returns because when stocks fall, bonds often rally.

If an investor had invested in a sample diversified portfolio consisting of 80 percent equities and 20 percent bonds from January 2016 through December 2025, the annualized return would have been about 10.5 percent.

That means an investor who invested $100,000 in January 2016 would have approximately $271,150 by December 2025.

Not bad, considering there were no lightbulbs to change and no emergency plumbing calls in the middle of the night.

Tip Three: Stay Focused on the Long Term

Long-term investing rewards patience.

The chart below shows the steady march upward over time. The longer the period you look at, the smoother the returns tend to be.

If you looked at returns on any given day, there would be many more ups and downs. That is normal.

The key is to ignore the day to day fluctuations and stay focused on the long term.

Passive income stream, here you come.

Ready to Simplify Your Path to Passive Income?

If you are curious whether a long-term, diversified investment approach could support your goals, we would be happy to explore whether working together is a good fit. Reach out to start the conversation.

The Newest Passive Income Stream - is it right for you?