Today, more and more people are looking for financial solutions. Are you one of them? With all the news about layoffs and company mergers, many people struggle for a job and financial security. I know, because I have been one of them. Below are some suggestions to achieve a passive income. Each category has the potential for solid financial security.

1. Royalties

Actors and musicians continue making money with each sale from a purchase or rental of their products, such as DVDs and CDs. Many authors also continue to collect royalties from their books. Royalties provide a great solution to produce passive income.

2. Real Estate

The reason why some people invest in real estate such as houses and apartment buildings is to receive income and security in their future. There is work involved in buying the property and getting the inside and out ready for rental. A key to success with purchasing real estate is to research the market, mortgage and condition of the property. The result of looking into these things can be a solid investment and a possible passive income. Creating an inviting atmosphere on both the outside and the inside of the property is a positive step to success.

3. Real Estate Agents and Brokers

Real estate agents and brokers have different licenses. Each is responsible to help a buyer purchase an establishment. Both also work with people trying to sell their home, condo, or other buildings. The agent works under the broker. With motivation and personality, both of these professions have the ability to make money. As with any real estate transaction, there is risk. Understanding today's market and following through on each sale is critical in creating a possible passive income.

4. Interest and Dividends

Some people have enough money in stock and 401Ks to be able to draw a monthly income. A 401K is a great investment for the future and retirement. Investing in a 401K, stocks, or bonds can be a risk today. Proper research, awareness, and patience can create security for you and your family.

5. Work-From-Home Opportunities

Here are three work-from-home opportunities for developing a passive income: Internet marketing, MLM distribution and Affiliate marketing.

Internet Marketing

Internet marketing is a vast and rapidly growing industry. One of the advantages of Internet marketing is that you don't need to invest a lot of capital to get started. There are many free ways to advertise: YouTube, Yahoo Answers, blog posts, article submissions, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. A tip to remember is that free methods may take longer to build traffic.

If you plan to do PPC (pay per click), or CPA (cost per action), the more you invest upfront for ad space, usually the more money you earn. For example, for every $1 spent on ads, a good CPA marketer should get $2 in earnings. That's a great return on investment. CPA marketers have the potential to make up to $100,000 a month.

MLM Distribution

MLM/network marketing opportunities are very popular, especially in tough economic times. Major corporations such as GM use MLM as a way of marketing. It saves money in the upfront costs usually associated with traditional marketing methods. Many celebrities are into MLM. If you plan to do MLM, your downline of recruited distributors will do what you do. Duplication is the key to wealth with multi-level marketing. Over time, as you add hundreds or even thousands of distributors to your team, THEIR efforts reward YOU financially. This creates massive passive income.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is also very popular and there are some people who make thousands and thousands of dollars a month doing it. ClickBank offers affiliates over 12,000 digital products to promote. Joe Bucks (now MarketHealth.com) is another good affiliate company. The better you are at promoting online products for people to buy, the greater your profit. Using the Internet marketing methods mentioned above, you generate traffic and build trust. This is a wonderful passive income opportunity once you have the marketing methods in place. Customers will buy your promoted products, even while you sleep!