Active vs. passive vs. portfolio income | Metrobank (2024)

There is more than one way to earn income, each with unique benefits to bring you. The three common categories are: active, passive, and portfolio. These three categories differ based on how you earn money and how the money will be taxed.

Find out which one is right for you as we discuss the difference between active, passive, and portfolio income.

Active income

Active income, also called earned income, is income received for performing a service. You get this in the form of a salary, wages, commissions, or tips. Active income earners can either be employed by another person or corporation or have their own business.

For active income earners, the money they receive is directly proportional to the amount of time they spend working. So, the less time they work, the less money they receive.

Active income examples include driving for a ride-hailing company, writing during your free time, and freelancing as a website designer.

Passive income

Money collected from businesses or investments you are not actively participating in is called passively earning income. These include rent money, interest on savings accounts, certificates of deposits, or your pension.

Passive income is any money you regularly receive without the need to exchange work for it, which makes it appealing for many people.

Other kinds of passive income include:

  • Business or investment payouts
  • Book royalties
  • Sales from an e-book or online course

While enticing to many because it requires less effort to earn, it does entail risk and investment in order to earn. This investment can be through time (as in the case of creating e-books and online courses), money (to purchase rental properties), or both (growing a business).

Portfolio income

In the event you decide to invest long-term and choose to purchase stocks, bonds, and other investments that don’t require you to actively perform work to earn money, this all goes into what is called your portfolio.

Any income earned by your portfolio, such as dividends, interest, or capital gains, are called your portfolio or investment income. While these may seem like passive income, too, they are taxed differently.

Unlike passive income, portfolio income is not subject to Medicare or social security taxes, and portfolio losses can offset your capital gains.

Which should you have: active, passive, or portfolio income?

The answer depends on your lifestyle and your risk tolerance. If you like having the security of knowing when your money comes, then an active income is more suited for you.

If you do not like being tied down to a 9-to-5 job and prefer having flexibility in your life, then a passive income may be the one for you.

Regardless of your preference, it boils down to what is more realistic for you. You may want to have the freedom passive income gives. But if you have just welcomed a baby and have another child who has just entered elementary school, then earning via passive income may not be the wisest choice. You may be better off staying grounded in a job that gives you bi-weekly salaries that you can rely on and budget.

You don’t even have to choose one over the other. You can have two or even all three at once. Again, it all depends on your current financial situation and lifestyle. If you have the extra money or time to invest in something that can generate passive income or to build your portfolio, this may be wise so you can have two sources of income.

Metrobank offers a wide range of investment types to suit different goals, risk tolerances, and timelines. Invest meaningfully with Metrobank today.

Active vs. passive vs. portfolio income | Metrobank (2024)

FAQs

Active vs. passive vs. portfolio income | Metrobank? ›

The answer depends on your lifestyle and your risk tolerance. If you like having the security of knowing when your money comes, then an active income is more suited for you. If you do not like being tied down to a 9-to-5 job and prefer having flexibility in your life, then a passive income may be the one for you.

What is the difference between active passive and portfolio income? ›

Passive income is income that is passed from one individual to another in a passive way, and they include cash from property income--for example, real estates, rents and profits from capital owners. Portfolio income, on the other hand, is the money obtained from investments, dividends, interest and capital gain.

What is the difference between active and passive income and passive income? ›

Active Income is earned through direct work, like salaries from a job. Passive Income comes from investments or ventures not requiring daily involvement, like rental income. Active Income is steady but time-bound, whereas Passive Income offers potential long-term earnings with initial capital.

What is the difference between passive and portfolio income tax? ›

Portfolio income does not come from passive investments and is not earned through regular business activity. It comes from dividends, interest, and capital gains, or from interest paid on loans. The categories of income are important for tax purposes.

What are the three types of income? ›

The three main types of income to consider are:
  • Active income. If you have a job and receive a paycheck, you make your money through active or earned income . ...
  • Portfolio income. Portfolio income comes from investments such as dividends, interest, royalties and capital gains. ...
  • Passive income.
Aug 15, 2024

What is an example of a portfolio income? ›

Portfolio income is income generated from investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or real estate. It consists of capital gains, dividends and interest from a traditional savings account, a money market account, a certificate of deposit (CD) or a bond.

What is the most profitable passive income? ›

25 passive income ideas for building wealth
  • Flip retail products. ...
  • Sell photography online. ...
  • Buy crowdfunded real estate. ...
  • Peer-to-peer lending. ...
  • Dividend stocks. ...
  • Create an app. ...
  • Rent out a parking space. ...
  • REITs. A REIT is a real estate investment trust, which is a fancy name for a company that owns and manages real estate.
May 1, 2024

Is my rental income passive or active? ›

Rental income is generally seen as passive, even if an investor actively manages the rental property business. Typically, passive income is subject to your usual marginal tax rate, which is based on your tax bracket.

How do you know if income is passive or active? ›

Active income, generally speaking, is generated from tasks linked to your job or career that take up time. Passive income, on the other hand, is income that you can earn with relatively minimal effort, such as renting out a property or earning money from a business without much active participation.

What qualifies as passive income? ›

Passive income is money you earn without actively working for it — as opposed to earned income from a job. In general, passive income comes from putting something you own — property, money or expertise — to work. The revenue you collect in rent, dividends or ad sales are all forms of passive income.

Are capital gains considered active income? ›

Types of Passive Income

Like active income, passive income can flow from different types of streams. Common types of passive income include dividends and interest, rental income, royalties and capital gains. Dividends and interest income.

What is active and passive portfolio? ›

The primary difference between active and passive portfolio management lies in their strategies: active management seeks to achieve higher returns through market timing and stock selection, while passive portfolio strategy focuses on long-term growth by mirroring index performance.

Can passive income offset portfolio income? ›

Passive Activity Losses

In general losses from passive activities can offset only passive income. They cannot offset active or portfolio income income, however, they can be carried forward to future years and applied against passive income.

What are the 4 income categories? ›

The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income.

Is K-1 income active or passive? ›

Ordinary business income (loss) reported in Box 1 of the K-1 is entered as either Non-Passive Income/Loss or as Passive Income/Loss. The determining factor in whether the income should be reported as Passive or Non-Passive depends on whether the taxpayer materially participated in the business activities.

What is active income? ›

What is active income? Active income is defined as salary earned from specific duties or services rendered according to an agreed task, within a specified time frame. Examples of active income are salaries, tips, fees, commissions, and allowances from the companies you provide services to.

Which is better active or passive portfolio management? ›

For example, when the market is volatile or the economy is weakening, active managers may outperform more often than when it is not. Conversely, when specific securities within the market are moving in unison or equity valuations are more uniform, passive strategies may be the better way to go.

What is the difference between active and passive portfolio 529? ›

Active funds* aim to beat the returns of an index by attempting to invest in only the best stocks within the index. They're run by professional fund managers or investment research teams. Passively managed or index funds simply track a market by owning all, or a representative sample, of the stocks in an index.

What is active income portfolio income passive income? ›

Active income, generally speaking, is generated from tasks linked to your job or career that take up time. Passive income, on the other hand, is income that you can earn with relatively minimal effort, such as renting out a property or earning money from a business without much active participation.

What is better, passive or active income? ›

Active income has its set of advantages. It's generally more predictable than passive income, providing a steady cash inflow which is crucial for effective daily and monthly budgeting. This reliability can help in planning expenses, saving for short-term goals, and managing debt.

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