£30k in savings? Here’s how I’d aim to turn that into passive income of £50k a year

Aiming for £50,000 in annual passive income is a challenging goal. Although it’s not risk-free, I think stock market investing is the best way to achieve this when it comes to my own money.

So, if I had £30,000 in spare savings, I think I could reach this target in a reasonable timeframe. But it might require additional contributions along the way, aided by a handy 25% government top-up.

Here’s how I’d aim to build a passive income empire today.

Embrace volatility

A sizeable £30,000 savings pot would be the perfect head start, but it’s important to put that money to work as soon as possible in a Stocks and Shares ISA over two tax years.

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.

Over time, inflation erodes the purchasing power of cash since interest rates on traditional savings accounts often don’t keep pace with rising prices.

To target higher returns and benefit from compound returns, I’ll need to embrace volatility by investing in shares.

The performance of individual stocks varies considerably from year to year. To illustrate this, here’s how some companies in my portfolio have performed year-to-date.

Shares can fall in value as well as rise — that’s an inescapable possibility with stock market investing. As such, a risk appetite and the ability to keep emotions in check are essential qualities for a good investor.

After all, the potential reward for accepting the risk of capital losses is that well-chosen equities can sometimes turbocharge investors’ returns in a way that cash never could.

Keep saving

I’m aiming for a 4% dividend yield across my final stock market holdings. So, when the time arrives to start spending my passive income, I’d need a portfolio worth £1.25m.

By investing £30k as a lump sum, I could achieve this in 35 years if I secured an 11.2% compound annual growth rate on my portfolio.

Achieving returns of this nature — or even higher — is hard, but isn’t impossible. Just ask long-term Nvidia shareholders or look at Warren Buffett’s track record.

Nonetheless, it would in all likelihood require me to beat the market by a considerable margin. No mean feat.

Accordingly, I’d want to maximise my chances of reaching my portfolio target by making additional contributions along the way. In doing so, I could still succeed with less spectacular returns.

An overlooked ISA product

If I invested an additional £5,000 annually for the next 20 years until I was 50, I could bring my required compound annual growth rate down to 8%. This figure’s broadly in line with the historical returns of leading indexes like the FTSE 100 and S&P 500.

And that’s not all.

Thanks to the 25% government top-up on Lifetime ISA contributions, I can invest an extra £5k a year by contributing just £4k.

Withdrawal restrictions apply before the age of 60 and the product has to be opened before the age of 40, but as part of a long-term plan, it has some significant advantages.

Consequently, if I started with £30,000 at 30 and invested an additional £5,000 a year for much of my working lifetime, I’d have a good chance of securing a retirement funded by £50,000 in annual tax-free passive income from dividend distributions.

Time to start investing!