Residual Income That Just Keeps Coming In
Your residual income is the financial little extra that is leftover in your hand after your bills are paid each month. The financial obligations are paid off and any extra money is left as residual income. But don’t forget to plan for every bill, not just the ones for this month, but the quarterly payments also.
The income that you have not put into the budget is the residual income that varies month to month. This residual income is obtained from sources over which you often do not direct control. The salary you earn is earned income. You make x number of dollars an hour or a year and you are there at work, putting in your hours on a regular basis. Residual income is different.
Residual income, in most instances, comes on a monthly schedule. When you open your bank statement, you will see the interest you have earned on your checking account. This assumes you have an interest-bearing checking account. If you own stock in a company, you may not see your dividends until a quarterly statement. Any income that comes to you due to an original action on your part, is a residual income. Even pension checks are considered to be residual income.
If you have a mortgage on your home or the home you rent out, upon the complete payment of that mortgage, the funds you use to pay to the mortgage company is no longer needed there so it becomes residual income. It’s like there is now an empty space where money is no longer needed. You can stash that money away as residual or replace the mortgage payment with a boat payment. It’s up to you.
The amount of residual income you can show a bank when applying for a loan is paramount in the bank’s decision to lend you the money. It shows them that you have enough funds to assume the responsibility to repay the loan. With the loan money in hand, you assume a payment plan and may be paying less interest on the loan than you would have lost by dipping into a great stock that provides steady residual income.
Income of all sorts pay needs to pay income tax. Pensions are dealt with on a state to state basis. The tax on the residual income doesn’t outweigh the benefits of getting that income. Residual income is a terrific way to supplement your finances. It could be your nest egg!
As with any earnings, you should make sure you keep accurate books. Sloppy bookkeeping can run you into trouble with the IRS. If you are still employed and have several rental properties, stocks, bonds and other residual income ventures, you might need help from an accountant. You need to make sure that you save receipts for ease in doing your taxes.
Having good sources of residual income often begin years before. Royalties on a short documentary that you did after college keep coming in! Any lifetime commissions or rental properties just keep paying off in most circumstances. The residual money is in the bank account. It is there because all the other bills are paid off and there’s the extra that just rolled in.




