How much should I invest in UK shares to stop working and live off dividends?

Dr James Fox investigates how much money he’d need to invest in UK shares to live comfortably off dividend income and give up work.

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UK shares have pushed downwards over the last week, prompted by concerns about US debt ceiling negotiations, higher UK inflation, and a recession in Germany.

While these are concerns for the market, falling share prices also represents opportunity. The opportunity to buy at lower prices and secure larger dividend yields.

And that’s useful, because today I’m looking at how much money I’d need to invest in UK stocks to stop working and live off dividends alone.

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Obviously, it’s going to be a lot of money. But the big questions is how we get there.

How it works

This strategy revolves around owning a portfolio of dividend stocks that pay enough money throughout the course of the year to live on. In turn, this would allow me to stop working.

Firstly, I’d want to be using an ISA wrapper for my investments. That’s because dividends received on shares within an ISA are tax free. So if I’m able to generate £30,000 a year from stocks in an ISA, I get to keep all of it.

However, if I want to generate £30,000, I’m going to need a lot of money invested in UK stocks to achieve it. Personally, I believe the biggest sustainable dividends achievable at the moment are around 8%.

This involves investing in several companies — to spread risk — that don’t tend to offer much in the way of share price growth, but reward shareholders with sizeable dividends. But this means I’d need £375,000 invested to hopefully achieve £30,000 in dividends.

Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future. The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be, neither does it constitute, any form of tax advice. Readers are responsible for carrying out their own due diligence and for obtaining professional advice before making any investment decisions.

Getting there

Very few of us are fortunate enough to have £375,000 sitting in a bank account. To many, that will sound like an insuperable financial target. However, with time and regular contributions, it’s possible to turn a small pot of money into a much larger one.

Using a compound returns strategy, and 8% yields, it’d take 19 years to turn £35,000 into £375,000. This involves reinvesting the dividends every year, and regular contribution — £300 a month, increasing by 5% annually.

The stocks

Whether we’ve already got £375,000, or we’re embarking on our compound returns strategy, the stocks we pick are important.

Big yields are always attractive, but some are warning signs. So it pays to do our research. The dividend coverage ratio is a great place to start. This tells us how many times a company can pay dividends from its net income.

A ratio above two suggests the dividend is healthy. But some companies will have strong cash generation, but lower coverage ratios — I back several of these companies too.

Legal & General is among my top picks right now. In fact, I recently topped up as the share price fell last week. The insurance giant now offers a dividend yield around 8.6%. That makes it one of the strongest on the FTSE 100. Coverage is around 1.8, but cash generation is strong.

Our analysis has uncovered an incredible value play!

This seems ridiculous, but we almost never see shares looking this cheap. Yet this Share Advisor pick has a price/book ratio of 0.31. In plain English, this means that investors effectively get in on a business that holds £1 of assets for every 31p they invest!

Of course, this is the stock market where money is always at risk — these valuations can change and there are no guarantees. But some risks are a LOT more interesting than others, and at The Motley Fool we believe this company is amongst them.

What’s more, it currently boasts a stellar dividend yield of around 10%, and right now it’s possible for investors to jump aboard at near-historic lows. Want to get the name for yourself?

See the full investment case

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

James Fox has positions in Legal & General Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

Our best passive income stock ideas

Do you like the idea of dividend income?

The prospect of investing in a company just once, then sitting back and watching as it potentially pays a dividend out over and over?

If you’re excited by the thought of regular passive income payments, as well as the potential for significant growth on your initial investment…

Then we think you’ll want to see this report inside Motley Fool Share Advisor — ‘5 Essential Stocks For Passive Income Seekers’.

What’s more, today we’re giving away one of these stock picks, absolutely free!

Get your free passive income stock pick

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