Passive Income Ideas Requiring an Upfront Monetary Investment These types of passive income require you to invest money upfront to generate the passive income later. Don't be alarmed though - you can start with as little as $5 with some of these ideas, so it's achievable for everyone. 1. Dividend Stocks Dividend stocks are tried and true way to earn passive income. You will have to do plenty of research to find good stocks and invest a significant amount of money to receive large dividend checks. However, if you consistently invest money into dividend stocks you can amass a nice residual income over time. For any of these investment opportunities, make sure you open an account at the best online brokerage and get rewards while doing it. This is amazing for investing in dividend stocks because you can build your portfolio of, say, 30 stocks. Then, your investments will be auto-allocated to your entire portfolio every deposit - for FREE! You can even auto-rebalance. Then, your dividends can also be reinvested. It's a fantastic platform, and it was made for this. 2. Rental Properties A cash-flowing rental property is a fantastic way to bring in a monthly income. To make this truly passive you can outsource the running of the properties to a management company. However, the internet has made investing in rental properties easier than ever before. There are a lot of ways you can invest in rental properties depending on what your goals and interests are. You can be a limited partner in large residential or commercial properties, or you can buy homes and be a landlord - all online!