Let’s also say you want to earn $ 6,000 a year in passive income, or $ 500 a month. With a $ 3 annual dividend, you must own 2,000 shares to reach this goal. And if you pay $ 100 per share for the stock, you have to invest $ 200,000 in total to own 2,000 shares. Of course, $ 200,000 is a lot of money.