Long-term investing in the stock market can offer a passive return around 5-8% if you remain invested for 30 years; but, unfortunately, that return is before taxes and inflation. This is so low because the company founders, backers, early investors, investment bankers, etc., have removed all foreseeable profit from the company before it is ever offered to the public market. There is a spectrum of investments available to you that is dependent on how much effort you are willing to put into educating yourself, networking, and performing your own investment due diligence. If you dont want to do any work, you are going to receive the tiny return of a CD or mutual fund in exchange for supporting many people (in expensive suits) in between you and the actual business that is making money. For people willing to educate themselves and put forth added effort, they will be sitting across the table from business owners and managers; investing directly into a business that pays monthly or quarterly cash returns from 10 to over 20%.
For example, lets suppose that there is a great single-family rehabber in your area. This rehabber buys homes in bad condition, fixes them up, and then...