How investing £800 a month could help me live off my second income

Jon Smith explains how he can make a second income to live off later in life and shares one stock he feels should be included in a portfolio.

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

Image source: Getty Images

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

I think most of us have a dream of being able to not work and live off a second income stream. For an investor like myself, the main way this could become a reality is via the stock market.

With a mix of dividend and growth stocks, regular investing could get me to a point later in life where I could pack in other work. Here’s the strategy in more detail!

Working in reverse

I’m actually going to start at the end and work backwards. My goal would be to make £30k a year by the time I hit 55. This gives me around 20 years to build up my investment pot to hit this target. That £30k might seem low, but remember by this age my overheads and cost of living should be much lower.

Should you invest £1,000 in Vodafone right now?

When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Vodafone made the list?

See the 6 stocks

I’m going to assume I’m starting from £0 and make the educated assumption on how much I feel my pot can grow by each year.

For the dividend part of my portfolio, I’m going to use an average dividend yield of 6%. For my growth shares, I’m going to use a share price appreciation of 8% per annum. With my reinvesting of any dividends back to help speed up the compounding process, my overall growth rate should be around 7%.

Here are the numbers

Putting this all together, I’m working towards investing £400 a month in dividend shares and £400 a month in growth stocks. By year 20, my pot could be worth £420k. The following year, I could start trimming some profit from the stocks and enjoying the dividends, with this 7% amounting to £29.4k.

Even though the strategy’s sound, I think the main risk is the timeframe. Planning anything that far into the future is hard. My life could change significantly in that period, meaning I could invest more, or less, depending on life. This could change the period at which I could hit my target.

An example to include

It’s key to think about whether there are stocks that realistically fit my goal. After all, there’s no point having a plan with no way to execute on it!

Fortunately, my assumptions on yields have been conservative for this exact reason.

If I was an investor starting from scratch and wanting to buy a stock with a 6% yield, I’d think about adding IG Group (LSE:IGG). The business provides retail and professional investors with a trading platform for many different assets. The dividend yield is 6.26%. As for the share price, it’s flat over the last year.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3IG Group Holdings PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALLwww.fool.co.uk

I like the stock for the long term as it’s a FinTech that has several years of solid growth behind it. This gives it the ammunition and funds to growth further which, in turn, should lead to higher profitability and dividend payments.

A good case here was the purchase of tastytrade, a US brokerage, back in 2021. This gave IG Group an easy foothold in the large US marketplace. It generated £164m in revenue for the group last year, up 26% versus the previous year.

A risk is that the stock’s influenced by sentiment in the market. Should we see a stock market crash, it could cause investors to stop trading as actively on the platform.

Investing in AI: 3 Stocks with Huge Potential!

🤖 Are you fascinated by the potential of AI? 🤖

Imagine investing in cutting-edge technology just once, then watching as it evolves and grows, transforming industries and potentially even yielding substantial returns.

If the idea of being part of the AI revolution excites you, along with the prospect of significant potential gains on your initial investment…

Then you won't want to miss this special report inside Motley Fool Share Advisor – 'AI Front Runners: 3 Surprising Stocks Riding The AI Wave’!

And today, we're giving you exclusive access to ONE of these top AI stock picks, absolutely free!

Get your free AI stock pick

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.

Jon Smith has no position in any of the shares mentioned. 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.

More on Investing For Beginners

Smart young brown businesswoman working from home on a laptop
Investing Articles

Could BP’s share price rebound over the next 12 months? These analysts think the answer is ‘yes’!

BPs share price has plummeted over the last year. But City brokers think things are about to turn around, as…

Read more »

Affectionate Asian senior mother and daughter using smartphone together at home, smiling joyfully
Investing Articles

With Cash ISA changes coming, could now be the time to consider buying shares?

Changes to the Cash ISA could lead to greater investment in the stock market. This could be a good thing…

Read more »

Young black woman using a mobile phone in a transport facility
Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 safe haven stocks to consider as trade wars bite

I'm confident in the long-term outlook for the FTSE index of stocks. But these blue chips may protect investors from…

Read more »

Investing Articles

2 cheap FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 shares to consider for an ISA before 5 April!

These FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 shares are on sale today! Here's why long-term Stocks and Shares ISA investors should…

Read more »

Investing Articles

How I’m building a new second income for 2035

Millions of us invest for a second income. Here are the steps Dr James Fox is taking in order to…

Read more »

The flag of the United States of America flying in front of the Capitol building
Investing For Beginners

Why FTSE 100 investors should pay attention to ‘Liberation Day’

Jon Smith explains why the upcoming tariff announcement from across the pond could have an impact on the FTSE 100,…

Read more »

Investing Articles

3 top FTSE 100 shares to consider for a new ISA

The FTSE 100 is packed with top-notch companies that can form the building blocks of a quality Stocks and Shares…

Read more »

Investing Articles

Is buying gold stocks the best way to capitalise on bullion’s bull run?

Forget about gold bars, coins, and funds for a moment. Here's why considering gold stocks could be the best option…

Read more »