Have you ever wondered how can I make money while I sleep? Or how about how can I create passive income opportunities as a beginner?
We all dream of being financially secure and by having multiple sources of passive income it may be just what you need to help you through the rough times.
Can you imagine what your life would look like if you had financial security?
Ahhhhhhh…..
I’m glad you’re here because passive income is all about having multiple streams of income to generate you money!
Most people don’t realize there are income producing opportunities outside of their 9-5 jobs. I’m here to let you know there are plenty of passive income opportunities (possibly right in front of you)!
Let’s dive in and discover why you may want to consider a side hustle or part time job that generates you some additional money.
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Reasons For Passive Income Opportunities
Are you craving a bit of financial independence, or the possibility of early retirement, what about living with a bit more flexibility?
By thinking outside the box and identifying areas you can create passive income you are allowing yourself to pay off debt, build wealth, or have the ability to retire early. This can all be accomplished by supplemental income opportunities.
Both my husband and I couldn’t bear the thought of clocking in and out of a job every single day. Because of our unconventional way of living (as some would say) it forced us to discover various income sources. Passive income is one of the ways we are now able to live on one income.
Honestly this is a fact! Jan 1, 2019 my husband will be working on various income sources only. The cats out of the bag! My husband quit his job and we will be relying on my income as an imaging tech and his passive income sources to support us.
What Exactly Is Passive Income?
Passive income sources require a large time investment upfront and a great deal of nurturing in the infancy stage. After time and a lot of hard work these income streams start to build and are able to maintain themselves, bringing you consistent revenue with little effort on your part.
You essentially get paid over and over again for work that you did once. For example, we make passive income through affiliate links inserted in this blog.
What’s The Difference Between Passive And Active Income?
You know that clock you punch into and out of every time you go to your 9-5 job? That’s active income. Active income involves earning money in the form of a salary, an hourly wage, commissions or tips.
It’s essentially working for a fixed dollar amount. Active income is the income most people are familiar with earning.
Now I say most people but you don’t want to be “most people” do you? I’m providing you this list of creative ways to earn passive income because I want everyone to know there are various ways to generate wealth outside of an active income.
Why Create Passive Income?
We realize that our unconventional lives are not for everyone but they are for us!
Many people work 40 plus hour work weeks and are completely happy doing so! If this is you, and it’s working for you that’s fantastic, I’m super happy for you.
For us, we want to spend time doing the things we enjoy. The things that matter to us. However, this doesn’t mean we aren’t working!
No, as a matter of fact, some of the income streams we have chosen require us to slave away for hours and hours before we can expect anything in monetary value.
After us both working for 15 plus years in the medical field, we realize we want more out of life than showing up to a job that is no longer fulfilling our needs like it used to.
Best Passive Income Ideas
We want you to know that there are alternatives to working your 9-5 and we can help you find exactly what you may be looking for.
1. Create Passive Income By Investing With Robo Advisors
Robo what? I know up until a couple of years ago robo-advisors were foreign to me too. Robo-advisors have really gained popularity in the last couple of years and have eliminated the need to hire a portfolio manager or financial advisor.
The reason we chose robo advisors is because many portfolio managers and advisors come at a hefty fee in exchange for their expertise.
What Are Robo-Advisors?
A Robo-advisor is a trading platform, that offers an online service that’s specifically designed to automate and manage your investment portfolio.
Robo-advisors use computer algorithms with a definable set of rules that make appropriate investment decisions based on your specific needs. With the recent proliferation of robo-advisors, it’s almost ‘old school’ to have a human manage your investment.
Betterment is a clear leader when it comes to robo-advisors. With over 300,000 clients, $11 billion in assets under management, low minimum account balances and one of the lowest annual fees. It’s truly a great option!
Their new account setup is intuitive and easy. Through a series of questions Betterment will build you a portfolio based on your timeline and needs. This is a perfect option for those just starting out and who are new to investing.
Blooom is very similar to Betterment but specifically for your 401k plan. What I like most about Blooom is they will give you a free analysis of your current employer-sponsored retirement plan.
Did you know that if your current 401(k) isn’t managed properly you could end up having a conservative savings goal when you were hoping to be aggressive?
Unfortunately, it happens all too often where people don’t have the right “basket” of stocks and bonds in their 401(k) accounts. By being too conservative you may not have the amount of money you were hoping to have by retirement.
Get your FREE analysis in under 5 minutes!
2. Invest In Crowdfunded Real Estate
No, neither my husband or I come from rich families who have given us money to invest in real estate. Oh, and we absolutely did not inherit any property. I wish! That would be too easy 😉
However investing with Fundrise to earn passive real estate income makes me feel like I am from one of those rich families!
As we all know real estate can be VERY expensive. But it’s also one of the most well-known sources for creating wealth. Real estate investing generally requires a large amount of money upfront compared to stock or index investing. But by using a crowdfunding platform to invest in real estate it can make it an affordable option.
When you invest in crowdfunded real estate you are essentially investing in others’ loans or projects which are used to buy and improve properties and in return you make money.
If you want an easy, relatively low cost ($500) way to invest in income-producing commercial real estate consider a starter portfolio with Fundrise.
According to Fundrise an estimated 70 million Americans invest in and own shares in REIT’s.
With Fundrise, you also get to pick an investment plan based on your financial goals. They have plans that produce residual income, diversification or long-term growth.
Another option is to sign up with Peerstreet. Peerstreet’s minimum investment is $1000. If you want to learn more I suggest you sign up for free. Once you’re all signed up you’re be able to check potential deals or portfolios.
3. Open A High-Yield Savings Account To Make Passive Income
Did you know that some banks will pay a good amount in interest just for opening a savings account with them?
If you’ve got a bank account, the interest you’re getting paid is probably close to nothing. If you have money just sitting in a bank account and are looking for a low-risk way to make passive income be sure to open a high yield savings account.
Cit Bank pays 17-20 times more than traditional banks. Right now Cit Bank is paying 1.55% and with the CIT Savings Builder option, you can earn 2.25% if you open your account with at least $100 and deposit an additional $100 per month.
This won’t make you crazy rich but it’s still free money. And since there are no monthly fees, I consider CIT Bank a definite win.
4. Affiliate Marketing– Best Passive Income Idea (in my opinion)
A fantastic way to earn passive income online is through affiliate marketing. Michelle from Making Sense of Cents is an absolute pro at this, she makes over $50,000 every month with affiliate marketing! Yes, $50,000 a month that was not a typo!
Affiliate marketing is a source of passive income we use in this blog. If you don’t know what it’s all about it’s when you promote products that you love and believe will add a great deal of value to your audience. If a person clicks on your link and makes a purchase you earn a commission at no extra cost to your audience.
Blogging income through affiliate marketing is one of those passive income sources that’s a ton of effort up front but all the content you create will allow you to make affiliate sales as time goes on.
For example, the largest affiliate program in the world is Amazon’s Associates Program. You can link to any product on Amazon and if your readers click the link and make a purchase, you get a percentage of the sale.
Don’t worry, clicking on a persons link does not cost you any additional money. As a matter of fact it doesn’t cost anyone any money its simply a way for Amazon to market their products through bloggers.
If you are interested in starting a blog you HAVE to read this article. If we can do this blogging affiliate thing and make money, you can too!
5. Create An Online Course
Online courses can be a fabulous source of online passive income. Have you ever taken some time to think about what you are really good at and could teach to others? I’m sure you have at least one skill you’re passionate about and could educate others.
It’s never been easier than now to share information through online websites. The demand for online teaching platforms is growing rapidly and there are plenty of people who make full-time salaries from selling online courses through these platforms. You can create e-books, checklists, emails, and audio files to supplement the lessons you are teaching.
The best part about creating courses is that it’s truly passive income where you can earn money while you sleep– you have a lot of hard work up front but once the course is created you can sell it over and over again without having to do anything more.
A couple of our favorite platforms for creating courses that people pay to do are:
6. Peer-To-Peer Lending
This is a really popular way to earn passive income. With peer to peer or P2P lending you are loaning your money to other people. Specifically, you are helping others who may not qualify for a traditional bank loan borrow money to start businesses, consolidate debt, pay bills, etc.
Peer to peer lending is a great option for making money while you sleep because Lending Club and Prosper offer returns in the range fo 3-10%, which is much higher than any savings accounts.
Here’s how to get Started with Lending Club
- Open an account
- Build your portfolio: Invest in a range of loans in increments as little as $25
- Get paid: Receive payments as borrowers repay their loans
- Reinvest or withdraw your money
7. Rent Your Car
Do you have a car that isn’t being used? Most of the 250 million cars in the U.S. sit idle 22 hours a day. Why not use Getaround to earn you some passive income when you aren’t using your car.
Cars lose money as soon as you drive them off the lot. Rather than letting your car depreciate, share it on Getaround.
You can choose the length of time you want to rent your car, maybe it’s only a couple of hours or perhaps you want to make good money by renting it out for a whole week. The average annual cost of owning a car is almost $9,000.
Those who use Getaround to rent their cars are able to cover the cost of their car payments. The earning potential varies by car and location, but standard vehicles typically rent for $30 to $65 per day.
To sign up for this passive income opportunity you can sign up for free here.
8. Write A Book
Yes, you can write a book, publish it, and make money! Writing an E-book requires a bit of time investment upfront, but it can be an amazing source of passive income month after month.
Writing a book is one of those easy ways to create passive income with no money.
And with platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform it makes it extremely easy for anyone to become an author and get a book in front of thousands of people.
You can write an eBook on just about any topic. If you have a passion for something like gardening, organization, saving money, blogging, pet training, writing a 80-100 page ebook won’t be too difficult.
Every time someone purchases your book you will generate passive income.
Recommended: The ultimate guide to self-publishing for beginners.
9. Use Credit Card Rewards To Generate Passive Income
Having a credit card you pay off in full on a monthly basis is an easy way to earn free money aka !
With a couple simple modifications of the way you use credit cards you can make your credit cards work for you not against you.
We’ve saved thousands of dollars in flights and have flown to Thailand, Hawaii, Peru, New York and Nepal all on credit card miles. This year we are flying to Ireland and Scotland all for free!
We earn these flights every single day just by making ordinary purchases. It’s the ultimate passive income. This requires no extra time and effort on your part and you can easily earn cash back or redeem your points for airline miles which equal hundreds of dollars of free money each year!
If you have the discipline to put a rewards credit card on automatic payment in full, this is a fantastic way to earn extra cash, travel points or various other perks. Please only consider this as a way to earn passive income if you are extremely responsible about paying your credit card off in full each month.
One of my favorite, easy ways to make money is through credit card bonuses. Many credit cards offer sign-up bonuses to entice you to open a credit account with them. They will give you a bonus just for signing up and for making a minimum amount of purchases on the card during an introductory period.
Important Things To Consider Before Signing Up With a Rewards Card
- It’s critical that you avoid credit card debt by paying your bill in full each and every month.
- If you don’t think you have the discipline to have a credit card, or pay your balance in full this is not a good money making opportunity for you
- Consider your credit score and don’t go overboard with opening accounts. Opening too many new credit accounts in a short period of time can hurt your ability to get credit when you really need it.
RELATED
- A Beginners Guide To Understanding And Improving Your Credit Score
- 5 Smart Ways To Improve Your Credit Score Quickly
10. Rent Out A Spare Room In Your Home
Can you think of anything better than earning passive income from home? How about earning passive income from your home! If you have a spare room in your house why not rent it out to earn some income while they (your guest) sleeps!
Our long term goal is to use our house to make money while we are away. What I mean by this is renting out our house when we leave to go on vacation.
We absolutely love travel and seeing the world. We’re hoping to eventually take a year long trip to Asia. One way we plan to pay for this trip is to rent our home while we are gone.
Renting our home through Airbnb or a local property management company will allow us to earn passive income easily.
We could rent our home for approximately $2000 a month and get a fantastic apartment in Asia for only a couple hundred dollars a month. If we rent our house and travel abroad to less expensive countries we can make a profit from renting out our home to help with day to day living expenses with we travel.
To learn more about renting out your home with Airbnb, go here.
11. License Your Photos For Passive Income On The Internet
There are a number of stock photography websites that would love to have you post your photos on their site to offer them to their customers.
Most websites pay you based on the number of downloads. For example, you get paid a percentage every time someone downloads one of your pictures.
Shutterstock is one of the best sites to make money with your photos. Since 2003, Shutterstock has paid over $500 million to its photo contributors. Since everyone has a phone with a camera these days licensing your photos is a great passive income source regardless of your photo taking experience.
Passive Income Apps
Who would have known there’s such as thing as passive income apps? I didn’t until I was putting together this article.
- Interested in having someone negotiate all your bills and eliminate unnecessary subscriptions from your bills. Check out Trim.
- I can’t think of a better way to earn money behind the scenes. If you’re interested in investing in your future through “rounding-up” your money check out Acorns. Not sure what Acorns is all about read my full review here.
Final Thoughts On Generating Passive Income
Have you thought about taking the dive into earning passive income but need a little push to make it happen? I’d love to help! Sign up our newsletter or drop me a line below!
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I like every article on the internet that spread the ideas of making money online and living your home business. Bye the way I found your content such helpful. Keep up the good work.
I like every article on the internet that spread the ideas of making money online and living your home business.
Bye the way I found your content such helpful.
Keep up the good work.