Ask HN: What was your best passive income of 2019?

I have had success with class action lawsuits.

I kind like the surprise check that comes in the mail every few weeks. Once I got a check for $1200. Need to thank Ashley Madison lawsuit for that one.

dudul 6 years ago |

Don't know if it counts, but I sold my house for 40% more than I bought it 5 years ago. Combination of market appreciation in the area and strategic improvements.

Also, I wrote a tech book a few years ago and still get a couple hundred bucks every quarter.

slipwalker 6 years ago | |

mind to share which was the topic and publisher of the book ?

EpicEng 6 years ago |

Not at all tech related, but my friend and I loan money for mortgages to people who likely wouldn't be able to get one from a bank. Mostly fix and flips, interest only, two year term. Make 12% on each one.

ks1234 6 years ago | |

How did you find these deals? Did you find them directly or through a service like Patch of Land?

throw03172019 6 years ago | |

Interesting! How did you get into this and how much capital was needed to start?

monoideism 6 years ago | |

What happens is they haven't sold at the end of the two year term?

EpicEng 6 years ago | | |

Sometimes they pay it off, sometimes they extend. Defaults are rare, and we're first in line.

monoideism 6 years ago | | |

> Defaults are rare,

Because we've been living through a lengthy real-estate boom that will likely bust in the coming year or two. I'm sure you've kept that in mind, but that's the reason defaults have been rare.

I like the idea, however. How do you find your flippers?

iends 6 years ago | |

12% a year?

EpicEng 6 years ago | | |

Yeah, it's a mortgage. Interest only though, so it's a flat 12% / 12

gigatexal 6 years ago |

I bought a few shares of Apple at 149 during the silly market overreaction of 2019 and have almost doubled my investment at current prices.

negrit 6 years ago |

I’ll post mine since I started the topic. I sold a couple pictures of my travel this year. Got a few hundred bucks out of it. I’m pretty happy about it since the goal wasn’t to make money out of it.

thijsvandien 6 years ago | |

Where/whom do you sell those? I have a friend who'd love to do such photography for money, but what's the market really...?

negrit 6 years ago | | |

I published then on my instagram and travel magazine like condenast traveller reached out to me to buy them.

beefchops 6 years ago | |

Cool, what kind of photography was it? Landscapes?

negrit 6 years ago | | |

Travel photography, so landscape/drone photography.

tracer4201 6 years ago |

30% returns across a few hand picked stocks, VTSAX, and VOO. The hand picked stocks are a good chunk of the SP500, and so this isn’t all really that diversified... I know.

1.8-2.2% returns on cash. Meh.

mtnGoat 6 years ago |

A niche shopify store netted me low 5 figures without much work.

EpicEng 6 years ago | |

What are you selling?

xcubic 6 years ago | | |

You'll never know :)

spocklivelong 6 years ago |

Made some good money on the stock market, some modest bets and a lot of index funds. Made about 10% more than s&p 500 for 2019.

jetti 6 years ago |

My best was dividends on a REIT and that was followed up by royalties from a book I published a couple years ago

wmurmann 6 years ago |

Bought bitcoin at 4K, sold at 10k.

Rainymood 6 years ago | |

I'm wondering how this comment will age in 10 years...

malux85 6 years ago | | |

As wise I'd bet

dev_north_east 6 years ago |

Global indexed funds. 23% gain in 2019. Nice.

mmvs 6 years ago |

AMD stock

ksherlock 6 years ago |

stock dividends.