Last Updated on Apr 8, 2020 by James W
There are a lot of things that a person strives to achieve in life, but a comfortable lifestyle and a secure income to fund said lifestyle are often the top of the list for most people. Money may not be the be all and end all of happiness, but without it we cannot afford a comfortable living. This means stress and feelings of depression and anxiety are far more prevalent. No one wants to worry about where their next wage packet is coming from and while the advice for this is usually ‘get a second job’, we aren’t always in the right economy for that. The employment market is very tough at the moment, so you have to get creative with how you pull together that second income. It’s also sometimes the case that you don’t want to have to put in even more hours just to earn more. Hello burnout!
To be able to earn as you sleep (well, mostly), you need a passive income. One that can build with minimal effort from you. Some people have enough savings to put into a HDB rental and invest in real estate, but this isn’t always an option – especially if you don’t have the savings in place already. We’ve got some passive income ideas that you could benefit from, and you don’t have to choose just the one!
Index Funds
For those who aren’t aware, index funds are involved in the stock market. There’s no need to shy away at that phrase, though, because you don’t have to worry about choosing individual investments. Index funds are a way you can invest passively and be in the general market, and you’re free to choose a fund to invest in based on any index you like. You can read here about index funds in more detail, and make a decision based on whether it’s right for you.
Start Vlogging
The internet is a smashing hit around the world, and many people are making a name for themselves on YouTube as a ‘vlogger’. People tune in from all around the world to listen to what people have to say, and you get to choose what you want to vlog about. Music, TV show reviews, shopping hauls – you name it, you can vlog about it. If you add Google AdSense to the videos, you can gain cash from it when people click through! You have to have the right content and know where to promote yourself, and have some confidence that you can be a success!
Affiliate Marketing
This is the perfect way to earn income in a passive way if you have a blog or an active website already. By promoting specific products on your site, you can earn money on a percentage or a fee. The best bit? It’s not hard at all. Those adverts will stay visible 24/7 on your blog or website, which means that even when you’re asleep you’re reaching people and able to get the clicks you need to make some cash.
Talent Out
Your main income is your job that you spend all your time in. Your hobbies are the thing you escape work to do. If you could make money from your hobby, wouldn’t you do it? Photography, writing and painting are three of the best talents that can provide you with an income outside of your job. Photography websites like ShutterStock have ways you can sell your best photography to the public. You may have to pay a small percentage, but that’s the price you wouldn’t mind paying for your work getting out there, right? Even one photo can be sold repeatedly, and you can make money each time it’s sold!
Cash-Back Every Time
You may not yet have a credit card, but cashback rewards should be something to think about if you do. If you’re going to be out at the shops and buying what you need anyway, you may as well use it as a way to earn up to 5% on every transaction if you can. It’s more of a reduced outgoing than a passive income, but collecting reward points or cash back can build up for you and the points you collect while you shop can mean a meal out or a night away in a swish hotel. It’s all for a good cause.
Sell Your Own Creations
Etsy has been a big feature online the last few years, with hundreds of people creating and selling their wares on the website. You can sell pretty much any product you like, and even if you’re not all that creative with products, you could start your own service and sell that online instead. People are always crying out for freelancers who can do work in IT, writing and CV writing and if this is a service you can offer, then you should absolutely market yourself. You could also set up a site specific to your service or product if you don’t want to use one of the existing platforms available. Each of these can make you quite a bit of cash if you have the time!
Write An eBook
If you are an expert in a particular field, you could write an eBook and get it on the Kindle market. Of course, it’s a lot of work up front, but once you’ve got that book written you could potentially rely on a passive income for a long time! Many people have turned their successful blogs into books, and made their book relevant to their own business or blog in terms of its topic. This way of doing things can earn a considerable income, and once you’ve put the work in upfront you can sit back and watch the income flow.
Earning a passive income doesn’t mean you do nothing for it, but when you compare it to the hours you put into with your job, you can guarantee it’ll be less work for you in the long run! Getting a second income isn’t always easy, but these passive income ideas could give you something more than what you have now.
Featured image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/P2BoE6tb8ig
