How to Make $1,000 Online With Zero Investment

 First of all: YES IT IS POSSIBLE to earn $1000 with zero investment!!!

Here are few examples:
-Write some top quality articles and sell them (example Listverse pays 100$ for every article),
-Do some free guest posting on well standing blogs, but include some PPL affiliate program in the text,
-Solve a problem for someone (this is usually done in business consulting area, since there are a lot of companies with problems that are stopping them from doing certain things, growing and of course make more money). If you have some great knowledge or expertise that can benefit them, they are ready to pay for it.

Average Net Worth of the 1%: Here's how much the super-rich in the world are really worth

 

Many people perceive being wealthy as having nice houses and a pleasure yacht. But the kind of money that the wealthiest 1% of the world's households has dwarfs this concept. This segment of the population large portions of major corporations, multibillion-dollar investment funds, islands in the Caribbean, and even rocket ships taking them into outer space.

The average net worth of the 1%, aka the richest 1% of the global population's households, has mushroomed over the past two decades. It now towers higher above the net worth of the average citizen than ever before. Here are some of the basic facts about how the 1% lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The minimum net worth of the top 1% is roughly $11.1 million.

A person would need to earn an average of $823,763 per year in order to join the top 1%.

The widening gaps in wealth and income stem from a variety of factors, including the wealthiest's increasing dominance of public and private equity, and tax breaks.

Demographic Breakdown

Before looking at the demographics of the top 1%, it's important to understand just how much this portion of the population earns. According to the Economic Policy Institute, gaining entry into the top 1% club requires an average annual income of $823,763.

That's a far cry from the annual income of $40,085 reported by the average taxpayer (the bottom 90%). Those who want to become part of the top 0.01% would need to live in a household making an average of $2.9 million annually.

Although the media and politicians have largely portrayed this group as greedy, uncaring Wall Street fat cats, demographic analysis reveals a very different picture. The wealthiest 1% are spread across many industries and come from many backgrounds. They include medical professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives, as well as those who inherited wealth.

According to IRS data, the top 1% earned over 20% of the total adjusted gross income in the U.S. and paid just under 40% of federal income taxes. They also accounted for just under one-third of all charitable donations.

A Worldwide Condition

The number of billionaires on Forbes’  35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 in 2021—660 more than in 2020. Altogether, they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion on the previous year's list.

Wealth-X, a "wealth intelligence" research and marketing firm that is also part of the Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC Group puts the U.S. population of billionaires at 927. There were 410 billionaires in China. The total wealth of U.S. billionaires was $3.71 trillion.

The Widening Gap

The Economic Policy Institute reports that the net worth of the top 1% of American households has risen substantially. In 1962, the wealthiest 1% had net worths equal to approximately 125 times that of the average American household. Their net worths were shown to be approximately 225 times the net worth of the average household in 2009.

 The gap between the richest and the poorest more than doubled between 1982 and 2016.

172%

Percentage of the rise in the wages for the top 1% from 1980 to 2020—compared to 31% for those in the bottom 90%.

The minimum net worth of the top 1% of households is roughly $11.1 million. The top 10%, on the other hand, has a net worth of about $1.2 million.

 The wealth of the middle class is also rising, but it primarily rose between 1970 and 2000; median income increased by 41% during this time at an annual average rate of 1.2%. From 2000 to 2018, the rate was 0.3%.

The wealth of the top 1% continues to outstrip that of the entire middle class. In fact, the top earners hold more wealth than the middle and upper-middle classes put together. There's a variety of reasons for the disparity, but one chief factor is that they own more than 50% of the equity in both private and public companies. And they've also benefited from surges in the stock market. These gains help them reinvest their money back into exclusive investments like hedge funds and private equity ventures.

Underlying Causes

Much of the growing disparity can be traced to tax breaks on income, gift, and estate taxes, as well as the decline of labor unions in America. Although the middle class also benefited somewhat from the reduction in taxes, it allowed the wealthy to retain a much greater portion of their assets and pass them on to their heirs.

As of May, 9, 2022, the richest person in the world is Elon Musk, with a net worth of $268 billion.

In fact, there's been a lot of debate about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017—passed by the Trump administration—has influenced the wealthiest Americans. Though the Trump White House consistently defended the bill, saying it helped put money back in the pockets of the middle class, others have disagreed. For example, in their book The Triumph of Injustice (2019), economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman argue the tax reform bill gave the country's wealthiest households an effective lower average tax rate than the rest of the U.S. population: those who fall in the bottom 50%: 23% versus 25% for the working and middle class, and 28% for the upper-middle class.

Criticism of the Top 1%

There's been a lot of criticism of the world's ultra-rich, especially those living in the United States. They've been accused of hoarding wealth, lobbying for tax breaks, and not contributing their fair share in taxes. Responding to the criticism, many politicians are calling for more taxes on the wealthy.

Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed a tax on ultra-millionaires as part of her campaign to become the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 election. Senator Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has pushed for an estate tax hike, meaning billionaire heirs would pay more in taxes. Their rationale? Taxing the ultra-rich would help cut down on the nation's income inequality.

President Joe Biden has also proposed significant increases in taxes on the wealthy. Outlined in April 2021, they include raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% (starting with individuals earning $400,000 a year) from the current 37% (starting at people earning more than $518,000). The top tax rate on capital gains and unqualified dividends would also rise to 39.6%, up from a maximum of 20% now.

 Biden also wishes to increase the corporate tax rate to 28%.

How Much Net Worth Is Needed to Be In Top 1%?

The minimum amount of net worth to be considered in the top 1% is $11.1 million.

What Is the Net Worth of the Top 1% of Americans?

The total net worth of billionaires in the U.S. is $3.71 trillion.

What Percentage of the Population Has a Net Worth of $1 Million Dollars?

Roughly 10% of Americans have a net worth of $1.22 million or more.

The Bottom Line

Like the poor, the rich we always have with us: Disparity in income is inevitable in a capitalist society and a free-enterprise economy. However, the fact that the disparity seems to be increasing is a source of growing concern for many. The uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic shed a brighter light on the situation, though in fact, it had been developing for years: In the U.S., the share of the nation's wealth held by the top 1% increased from 23% to nearly 32% from 1989 to 2018.

Even billionaires such as Warren Buffett have expressed amazement that they often pay less in taxes than their employees do. Whether the 1% should be left alone or whether their wealth should be somehow shared will doubtless be an ongoing debate.

6 Investing Mistakes the Ultra Wealthy Don't Make

 

The ultra-wealthy, known as ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), make up a group of people who have net worths of at least $30 million.

The net worth of these individuals consists of shares in private and public companies, real estate, and personal investments, such as art, airplanes, and cars.

When people with lower net worths look at these UHNWIs, many of them believe that the key to becoming ultra wealthy lies in some secret investment strategy. However, this isn't usually the case. Instead, UHNWIs understand the basics of having their money work for them and know how to take calculated risks.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ultra-high-net-worth individuals often understand the importance of savings, the basics of investing, and how to take calculated risks.

Concentrating portfolios with investments only from the U.S. and the EU is an example of an approach that overlooks potential opportunities elsewhere, such as the emerging markets.

UHNWIs do not try to keep up with their neighbors or compare themselves to others but focus instead on achieving their objectives and goals.

Periodically rebalancing portfolios is essential when trying to achieve the right mix of stocks and bonds over time.

UNNWIs often find opportunities in private markets that are overlooked by investors that focus only on public markets.

In the words of Warren Buffett, the No. 1 investing rule is not to lose money. UHNWIs aren't mystics, and they don't harbor deep investing secrets. Instead, they know what simple investing blunders to avoid. Many of these mistakes are common knowledge, even among investors who are not particularly wealthy. Here is a list of the biggest investing errors UHNWIs avoid making.

1. Only Investing in the U.S. and the EU

While developed countries such as the United States and those within the European Union are thought to offer the most investment security, UHNWIs look beyond their borders to frontier and emerging markets. Some of the top countries that the ultra-wealthy are investing in include Indonesia, Chile, and Singapore. Of course, individual investors should do their research on emerging markets, and decide whether they fit into their investment portfolios and their overall investment strategies.

2. Investing Only in Intangible Assets

When people think of investing and investing strategies, stocks, and bonds normally come to mind. Whether this is due to higher liquidity or a smaller price for entry, it doesn't mean that these types of investments are always the best.

Instead, UHNWIs understand the value of physical assets, and they allocate their money accordingly. Ultra-wealthy individuals invest in such assets as private and commercial real estate, land, gold, and even artwork. Real estate continues to be a popular asset class in their portfolios to balance out the volatility of stocks. While it's important to invest in these physical assets, they often scare away smaller investors because of the lack of liquidity and the higher investment price point.

However, according to the ultra-wealthy, ownership in illiquid assets, especially ones that are uncorrelated with the market, is beneficial to any investment portfolio. These assets aren't as susceptible to market swings, and they pay off over the long term. For example, Yale's endowment fund has implemented a strategy that includes uncorrelated physical assets, and it returned an average of 10.9% per year between June 2010 and June 2020.

3. Allocating 100% of Investments to the Public Markets

UHNWIs understand that real wealth is generated in the private markets rather than the public or common markets. The ultra wealthy may gain a lot of their initial wealth from private businesses, often through business ownership or as an angel investor in private equity. Additionally, top endowments, such as those run at Yale and Stanford, use private equity investments to generate high returns and add to the funds' diversification.

4. Keeping up With the Joneses

Many smaller investors are always looking at what their peers are doing, and they try to match or beat their investment strategies. However, not getting caught up in this type of competition is critical to building personal wealth.

The ultra-wealthy know this, and they establish personal investment goals and long-term investment strategies before making investment decisions. UHNWIs envision where they want to be in 10 years, 20 years, and beyond. And they adhere to an investment strategy that will get them there. Instead of trying to chase the competition or becoming scared of the inevitable economic downturn, they stay the course.

Further, the ultra-wealthy are very good at not comparing their wealth to other individuals. This is a trap that many non-wealthy people fall into. UHNWIs stave off the desire to purchase a Lexus just because their neighbors are buying one. Instead, they invest the money they have to compound their investment returns. Then, when they've reached their desired level of wealth, they can cash out and buy the toys they want.

5. Failing to Rebalance a Personal Portfolio

Financial literacy is a big problem in America, but everyone should understand the practice of rebalancing their portfolios. Through consistent rebalancing, investors can ensure their portfolios remain adequately diversified and proportionally allocated. However, even if some investors have specific allocation goals, they often do not keep up with rebalancing, allowing their portfolios to skew too far one way or the other.

A balanced portfolio typically includes the right mix of cash, stocks, and bonds based on a person's age and risk tolerance.

For the ultra-wealthy, rebalancing is a necessity. They can undertake this rebalancing monthly, weekly, or even daily, but all UHNWIs rebalance their portfolios on a regular basis. For the people who don't have the time to rebalance or the money to pay someone to do it, it's possible to set rebalancing parameters with investment firms based on asset prices.

6. Omitting a Savings Strategy From a Financial Plan

Investing is essential to becoming ultra-wealthy, but many people forget about the importance of a savings strategy. UHNWIs, on the other hand, understand that a financial plan is a dual strategy: They invest wisely and save wisely.

As a result, the ultra-wealthy can focus on increasing their cash inflows as well as reducing their cash outflows, thus increasing overall wealth. While it might not be common to think of the ultra-wealthy as savers, UHNWIs know that living below their means will allow them to achieve their desired level of wealth in a shorter amount of time.

10 Steps to Financial Security Before Age 30

Being financially secure before you reach 30 may seem out of reach for many people in their 20s, but it's possible. Working toward financial security need not be an exercise in self-deprivation, though many people assume it to be.

Attaining this goal even has some immediate benefits given that financial insecurity can be a serious source of stress.

The following are 10 steps to consider to achieve financial security before you turn 30.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Knowing how much you spend can keep spending in check.

Live within your means, don’t use credit to fund a lifestyle, and set short-term achievable financial goals.

Become financially literate and save what you can for retirement.

Take calculated risks, such as moving to a city with more job opportunities or taking on a new job that pays less but has more upside potential.

Invest in yourself by continually upgrading your skills and knowledge.

Strike a balance—working toward financial security doesn’t mean you need to deprive yourself. 

1. Track Your Spending

Knowing how much you spend and on what keeps your spending in check. A free budgeting app like Mint can help you do this.

You might discover that ordering in food several times a week costs more than $300 a month, or recurring charges for streaming services and subscriptions you never use are a waste of your hard-earned money. If you can afford to spend hundreds a month on ordering in—great. If not, you’ve just discovered an easy way to save money in addition to canceling those streaming services you forgot you had.

2. Live Within Your Means

Keep your standard of living below what your earnings can accommodate. As you advance in your career and gain more experience, your pay should increase. But rather than using this excess income to buy new toys and live a more luxurious lifestyle, the best move is to put the money toward reducing debt or adding to savings. If the cost of your lifestyle lags behind your income growth, you will always have excess cash flow that can be put toward financial goals or an unexpected financial emergency.

3. Don't Borrow to Finance a Lifestyle

Borrowed money should be used when your gain will outrun your borrowing costs. This might mean investing in yourself—for your education, to start a business, or to buy a house. In these cases, borrowing can provide the leverage you need to reach your financial goals faster.

On the other hand, using credit for a lifestyle you can't afford is a losing proposition when it comes to building wealth. And the added interest expense of borrowing further increases the cost of the lifestyle.

4. Set Short-Term Goals

Life holds many uncertainties, such as an economic crisis or the loss of a job, and much can change between when you are in your 20s and, say, 40 years later when you may retire. As such, the prospect of planning far into the future can seem daunting.

Rather than setting long-term goals, set a series of small short-term goals that are both measurable and precise—for example, paying off credit card debt within a year or contributing to a retirement plan with a set contribution each month. If you set goals, you'll have a better chance of achieving them than you would if you merely said you wanted to pay down debt, but failed to set a timetable. Even the process of writing down some goals can help you to achieve them.

 As you achieve short-term goals, set new ones. The constant setting and achieving short-term goals will help you reach longer-term goals, such as having a solid nest egg when you retire.

5. Become Financially Literate

Making money is one thing, but saving it and making it grow is another. Financial management and investing are lifelong endeavors. Taking the time and effort to become knowledgeable in the areas of personal finance and investing will pay off throughout your life. Making sound financial and investment decisions is important for achieving your financial goals.

6. Save What You Can for Retirement

When you're in your 20s, retirement likely seems a lifetime away, and planning for it may be the last thing on your mind. If you can take a few steps now to start saving, compounding will work in your favor. Even a small amount saved early in your life can make a big difference in your future. Building a retirement nest egg becomes more difficult the longer you wait.

Try setting up automatic monthly contributions to a retirement plan, such as an employer-sponsored 401(k) if you have access to one, or an IRA if you don't. You can increase your contributions when your income rises or when you've achieved more of your short-term goals.

 If you implement the pay yourself first ideal, you won't have to worry about how much you're contributing. The most important thing is to develop the habit of saving.

7. Don't Leave Money on the Table

If you work for a company that offers a 401(k), make sure to contribute at least up to the maximum of what your employer will match, otherwise you are leaving money on the table. In addition, you can deduct your contributions in the year you make them, which lowers your taxable income for the year.

If you don't work for a company that offers a 401(k), contributing to a traditional IRA will result in tax savings too because you can also deduct contributions.

8. Take Calculated Risks

Taking calculated risks when you are young can be a prudent decision in the long run. You might make mistakes along the way, but when you are young, you have more time to recover from them.

Examples of calculated risks include:

Moving to a new city with more job opportunities

Going back to school for additional training

Taking a new job at a different company for less pay but more upside potential

Investing in high risk/high return stocks

As people get older, some may assume more responsibilities such as paying down a mortgage or saving for a child's education. It's easier to take risks when you have fewer responsibilities.

9. Invest in Yourself

Look at yourself as a financial asset. Investing in yourself will pay off in the future. Your skills, knowledge, and experience are the biggest assets you have. Increase your value by continually upgrading your skills and knowledge and by making smart career choices.

Though this investment often starts with going to college or a trade school, keeping skills up to date and learning new ones that are in high demand can help make you a more attractive and higher-paid part of the workforce. Investing in yourself should continue over the course of your lifetime.

10. Find the Right Balance

Striking a proper balance between your life today and the future is also important. Financially, we can't live as if today is our last day. We have to decide between what we spend today versus what we spend in the future. For example, set a short-term goal to save for a trip to a destination you've always wanted to see instead of using a credit card to finance it. Finding the correct balance is an important step toward achieving financial security. 

9 Strategies to Build Wealth Fast

 

If you want to build wealth fast – like really fast – then investing in a vehicle such as a Roth IRA will not get you there.

If you’re younger and your income limits allow, open up a Roth IRA. Invest in mutual funds and ETFs. Make sure you have enough cash in your emergency fund. Starting your financial life with those good habits will bleed over into your success in building wealth.

Okay, so how do you build wealth fast? Let’s take a look.

Drop Your Living Expenses Like Crazy

I know, this isn’t very exciting, but this is the definition of wealth. As Todd Tresidder of FinancialMentor.com says, “Great wealth builders focus on both saving money and earning more.”

What Todd is pointing to here is the gap between your expenses and your income. Expenses should always be lower than your income. The larger that gap, the more wealth you can accumulate.

Let’s face it, you can’t invest unless you have money to invest. If you’re currently living beyond your means and have no additional money to put to work for you, you’ll never build wealth.

1. Save on Vehicles

I was very fortunate that I learned this lesson when I was still in college. This led to me driving a 1998 Chevy Lumina that was completely paid for because I inherited it from my deceased grandmother.

 

Not having a car payment allowed me to invest in myself, my Roth IRA, and my 401(k).

According to Jason Fogelson for Forbes: “The biggest mistake a car buyer can make, especially in the age of the Internet, is to buy a car without doing research first. Some buyers are so eager to get through the car-buying process that they don’t take the time to find out everything they can about vehicle reliability, pricing, and financing.”

I agree. But let’s focus on the financing part for a minute. Car loans come with ridiculous interest rates that nobody should have to pay for to obtain transportation. Car loans can easily be one of the highest-cost debts of many American households.

Too many people view the car payment as “normal.” Sure, it’s normal, but “normal” won’t help you produce wealth, my friend. Instead, consider doing what I did and drive a car that you own outright. It’ll be easier on your pocketbook over the long-term – I promise.

2. Save on Shelter

In addition to that, my wife and I rented a house for the first year that we were together. Not having the mortgage payment allowed us to build up our emergency fund and also save for our retirement.

But what if renting seems to be more expensive than having a mortgage payment? According to Beth Braverman for Forbes: “Rentals offer far more flexibility. Buying a home typically means committing to a 30-year mortgage. Most people don’t stay in a home for anywhere near that amount of time, but it’s much harder to pick up and move from a home you own than it is to leave a rental.”

And what happens when you can’t sell your home when you need to move due to a job change or another reason? You pay a whole lot of money not only for the house you can’t sell but also for the house you move into.

If you need flexibility, consider renting like we did – even if the rent payment is higher than a comparable home with a mortgage payment.

3. Don’t Buy Crap

Lastly, we didn’t buy crap we didn’t need.

Ask yourself what you really need and really don’t need. Do you really need that million-inch flat screen TV? No, you don’t!

4. Save a Percentage of Your Income

Savers like my wife and I are definitely in the minority. Very few people save a substantial amount for the future, but if you think we’re in the minority, then check out Pete from MrMoneyMustache.com who advocates that you should be saving between 30 to 50% of your income. While that’s definitely on the extreme side of things, Pete is just another example of how it can be done.

Granted, the more you make the larger a percentage you can save. The point here is to make some steep sacrifices so that you can put more of your wealth toward investments that are right for you.

Earn Much, Much More

As the old saying goes: “You have to have money to make money.” I know what you’re thinking though:

“Well Jeff, I don’t have any money, so how can I make money if I ain’t got no money?”

First, let’s address something. When you say that you don’t have any money and believe that, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. You have to change your mindset and believe that you can find a way to make more money.

5. Work Hard Now

When I think back to how I was able to advance my career, I remember when I was an unpaid intern at the brokerage firm that ended up hiring me. As an intern, I was working 12 to 15 hours a week, showing up when I was told to show up, dressed, and ready to impress. The majority of my duties were shredding important documents, filing, and other basic administrative duties.

Even though the work was boring, I did everything that was asked of me and above. My work ethic and drive spoke for itself. After that summer internship, I was offered a full-time position.

If you have a job, even though you might not like that job, give it everything that you’ve got. Treat the company that you work for as if you own it.

Imagine then that you’re the CEO.

How would you approach your daily duties differently if more was on the line?

It’s really difficult to find great opportunities. It’s possible, but it isn’t easy. For now, I recommend that you focus on working hard. People around you will start to take notice.

Just like I was offered a full-time position because I worked hard as an intern, you will find doors of opportunity opening for you when you give your work all you have.

6. Invest in Your Education

Another way that you might be able to make more is to invest in your education. This could be getting your degree, getting an MBA, or getting a specialized designation. For me, getting my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification has yielded thousands of dollars of revenues over the years.

When I first passed the exam for my certification, many people asked me, “Congratulations, does this mean that you get a raise?” There was no immediate financial benefit for me.

It was a year out of my life where I studied my butt off, but I knew having that designation would give me the education and also the credentials to set myself apart from the competition.

 

While I didn’t see any immediate financial benefit, I can attribute several new clients as well as several media opportunities to the fact that I’m Jeff Rose, CFP®. You can get your certification too!

7. Invest in Yourself and Your Marketing

Over and above that, I have invested in myself. When I was first starting off, I didn’t have a lot of money, but I knew I needed to look the part so I bought fresh shirts, ties, suits – anything I could to make myself look more like a professional. I also invested in personalized brochures, seminars, and other marketing materials to put myself out there.

Another way I invest in myself is by paying $7,900 per year for Strategic Coach – a coaching program with workshops, program advisors, and like-minded entrepreneurs.

Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach has created a program I’ve found hugely beneficial to my business – my business has grown as a result of his work. Many of his quotes like this one pack a punch:

For a company to grow 10x, it doesn’t need you managing – it needs self-managing.

I always made sure that I didn’t overextend myself to where I was spending more than I could afford. A lot of the money that I earned wasn’t going toward frivolous things such as big-screen TVs or going out to eat at high-end restaurants.

Instead, the money went toward investing in myself and my business.

8. Venture into Entrepreneurship

I highly recommend you start building wealth by venturing into entrepreneurship.

When I became an entrepreneur, my wealth-building journey really took off. Several years prior, I had read the book Rich Dad Poor Dad. In that book, author Robert Kiyosaki introduces the concept of the cash flow quadrant.

He looks at four different entities: the employee, the self-employed, the business owner, and the investor. When I read that book I fell under the employee quadrant, but I knew that if I ever wanted to make serious money, I had to get into the right type of quadrant – either the business owner or the investor quadrant (the investor quadrant is actually the best).

When I first started as a financial advisor, I was still an employee. I had the ability to make my own hours and to grow my business as much as I could, but I also had a lot of restrictions.

My first step was crossing over into being self-employed. Just by making that shift, I saw a 30% increase in income in my first year. Since then, I’ve become a business owner – and now I consider myself also to be an investor. As a business owner, I own my wealth management firm. I own my blog, GoodFinancialCents.com, and I also own a few other online properties that all yield my income.

Yes, blogging can be very lucrative – I’ve made over $1,097,757 from blogging. In fact, I could almost consider my blog as an investment; while blogs do require some upkeep, they certainly do not require nearly the upkeep needed for my financial planning practice.

I’m certainly not the only person who has made a lot of money online. Steve Chou’s wife replaced her $100,000 income with an online store so she could be a stay-at-home mom. It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.

Whether you are thinking about starting an online business or growing your brick and mortar business, it all goes back to working hard now. But you know what? You have to work hard at the right things or you’ll just be spinning your wheels.

My current businesses are the result of several business ventures that didn’t work out. I tried multilevel marketing on a few occasions. I tried real estate.

I tried a solo 401(k) business. None of these worked out for me. In some, I lost a lot of money. In others, it was just a waste of time. But in all those experiences, I learned one thing . . . it is important that you adopt the mantra: “Win or learn, never lose.”

9. Try Real Estate

Speaking of real estate, although it didn’t work out for me and it’s not right for everyone, it has certainly worked out for others. I asked Brandon Turner from BiggerPockets.com just how quickly real estate investing can help individuals build wealth. Here’s what he had to say:

Real estate investing may not make you wealthy overnight, but it can add zeros to your net worth in a shorter timeframe than many other traditional investments. For example, purchasing a fixer-upper house, rehabbing the property, and selling it for more can net you a significant windfall if you do it correctly. Just be sure to buy low, rehab smart, and sell fast. House flipping, as this process is called, is largely a math game, and significant profits can be made by those willing to take on the challenge.

Another strategy that can help you add wealth quickly through real estate is by purchasing multifamily properties that produce significant monthly cash flow. This cash flow can be saved and reinvested into more deals, creating a domino effect that will allow you to exponentially grow your real estate portfolio.

For more information, read The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing from BiggerPockets.com.

Concluding Thoughts

To build wealth really fast, you’re not going to get there by investing $50 to $100 per month into a Roth IRA. While yes, it’s great as a long-term strategy, it’s not going to make a difference in the short-term.

A lot of financial advisers I talked to don’t want to encourage you to take that risk now. Heck, I was one of those financial advisors several years ago.

While not letting you know about all the wealth-building options isn’t financial malpractice, it’s certainly better if your financial advisor gives you a variety of options based on your financial goals – even when it doesn’t help his pocketbook.

It’s always a good idea to talk to several professional investors to see what has worked for them. The best question you can ask any financial professional is how they are investing their money – it will speak volumes.

Let’s step back for a moment. You might be thinking: “How in the world can I learn and do all this stuff? Is it even possible?”

Don’t think that you have to do everything. Instead, focus on a few things and do them well. It all starts by investing in yourself. Listen to podcasts, read books, take millionaires out for lunch (yes, you buy).

You can start by subscribing an excellent podcast by Lewis Howes: The School of Greatness Podcast. There, you will become equipped to think differently about yourself and your wealth. It’s fantastic.

As you make it a habit to find ways to better yourself, you’ll also find new potential ways to build wealth faster than ever. Everyone does it differently, and nobody will do it exactly like you.

You’re unique and you’ll find a way. Just give yourself a chance! I’m so glad I gave myself a chance to succeed. You will be too.

This post originally appeared on Forbes.com.

How To Make $1,000+ Monthly: Everything You Need To Know

 

How can you earn more money?

You’d think a question this simple would have a simple answer.

Yet experts’ attempts to explain the nuances of earning — whether disguised as personal finance, business management, or the importance of education — could fill a file server.

You could read all the articles, watch all the how-to videos, listen to all the podcasts, and even attend the right business school, but still not know the best ways to make money.

Why is it all so complicated?

I have an idea: It’s because only you are qualified to answer the question of how you can make more money.

Think about it:

Just like our relationships, our time, our food preferences, and even our financial choices are personal.

What works for me may not work for you.

Likewise, I might not survive a day doing something you’d excel at.

And while education, knowledge, and experience matter a lot, they are only the ingredients.

You have to get into the kitchen to cook up your own recipe for financial success and independence:

Are you a people person? Then you should flavor your recipe with face-to-face interactions.

Are you an introvert? Maybe you need a dash of stay-at-home independence.

Are you short on time? Find a recipe with a short prep-time but an abundant yield.

Do you need a flexible schedule? Sprinkle in some freelance work — something like real estate or ad hoc computer programming, for example.

Whatever the case, your recipe must reflect the reality of your personal preferences, your daily challenges, and the way you live.

You can find ideas (and hopefully some valuable advice) in posts like the one you’re reading right now, but you’re the expert on you.

Also, take a look at the end of this article to learn more about our official guide to making money.

With that in mind, let’s get cooking (especially if you can make money doing it!).

Different Paths, But One Common Goal: Earning More Money!

As you know, finding your own path is essential, but let’s also make sure your path leads where we all want to go: a more profitable and financially secure future.

To do that, get to know more about your local economy (or the broader national or international economy) so you’ll know what skills or products are in demand right now and into the future.

In a dynamic economy like ours, any list of ways to earn money comes with an expiration date.

And, I could spend days listing all the possibilities for earning more money and still not include the one thing you’re looking for.

For those of you even vaguely familiar with stock options, you’re probably aware of how you can essentially turn a small sum of money into a sizable payoff if things go the right way for you.

As an example, if you bought out of the money call options on Apple a few years ago, the return would have been over 1000%.

What if you could apply this concept to your career and earning power?

You can!

Still, we need some kind of order for organizing possible paths to earning power.

I like the following three categories:

Entrepreneurship

Education-related

Side hustles

Let’s explore these categories as you determine where to begin or continue your journey toward making more money.

Earning Through Entrepreneurship

To earn your living by owning your own company is part of the American Dream. If watching Shark Tank doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, perhaps consider just re-assessing your skill sets and how you might build a business around it.

And we’ve all heard the legendary success stories about people such as:

Sam Walton, whose family barely survived the Great Depression. He opened his own tiny grocery store after World War II with financial help from his father-in-law. The store, of course, grew into Walmart (along with Sam’s Club and a few other variations).

Oprah Winfrey, who was raised in poverty and became one of the most successful TV stars of all time while also offering reading advice to millions.

Andrew Carnegie, who, as a child, worked as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill (before child labor laws prohibited it). He earned billions in steel and helped transform our economy for the industrial age.

Steve Jobs, a college dropout who likely invented the phone or the computer you’re holding right now.

You may be thinking: But these people are the exceptions.

Nobody ever mentions the thousands of inventors, industrialists, retailers, and entertainers who fell flat on their faces.

You’d be right, of course.

More importantly, though, I also didn’t mention the thousands of people who have enjoyed success on a more moderate scale — all the people who went from living paycheck-to-paycheck at a job they hated to supporting their families by owning a business.

This list is longer than you may think, and it’s full of people like you and me — ordinary people who had a vision for a better future and worked hard to make it happen.

I’ll spare you the motivational speech about how you can’t succeed without the possibility of failure, and about how even today’s billionaires can tell you about their ever-growing lists of failures.

Instead, let’s look at some possible paths to entrepreneurial success, all of which allow you to be your own boss and, in most cases, to make your own rules:

Franchising

Let’s say you love Five Guys Burgers & Fries, an East Coast hamburger place, but the chain doesn’t have a location near you.

As you drive along looking for someplace to eat, you may tell your significant other: “You know, somebody really ought to open a Five Guys on this side of town. They’d make a killing.”

Well, that “somebody” may be you.

You could look into franchising requirements for Five Guys (or whatever your favorite store or restaurant actually is) and open your very own location.

Most stores require some personal investment, and they may have some other requirements, too. You also wouldn’t have total freedom over every decision you make since the corporation you’re partnering with will have its own set of standards.

But, if you have a flair for business management but not necessarily a niche product that’s all your own, this could be your path.

Selling Stuff Online

If you need a lower bar for admission into entrepreneurship than opening a franchise, online sales may be your thing. It’s not all knitted scarves or unneeded football tickets these days.

People shop all the time on Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, and countless other sites for used and new products.

To succeed, you need to be an expert on a product so you can make a profit by connecting others with exactly what they’re looking for.

If you’re an expert on guitars, for example, you could spend your weekends shopping garage sales, estate sales, and auctions. You’d see a lot of junk.

But, since you know your product line, you’d also recognize the vintage Gibson J-200 someone is selling for a song, and you’ll know how easy it will be to find a premium buyer online.

Along with expertise in your product lines, you’ll need great customer service chops and some patience as you get your business rolling.

Selling Your Advice

It’s not all about tangible products.

You can also sell your expertise, whether you are an expert in business, the arts, engineering, industry, retail, etc.

Thanks to Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts and similar services, you can even offer advice online, whether you’re teaching painting lessons or showing someone how to integrate a drone into their wedding videography business.

Just look at YouTube.

Whether you’re fixing a washing machine or changing your spark plugs, chances are you can find a video of someone else doing the same thing.

What do you know an awful lot about?

Whatever it is, someone else may need your advice. Whether you charge for one-on-one sessions or cast a wider net with more general videos, you can turn your smarts into a source of income.  

Offering a Service

Do you cut your own grass?

Shop for your own groceries?

Pick up your own dry-cleaning?

More and more people are turning to services to do these sorts of things, which means there may be a growing market in your community for someone to perform these services.

By developing a steady clientele and setting some reasonable limits (no 2 a.m. runs to Taco Bell, perhaps?) you can have your own courier service.

Start by placing an ad in your community’s newspapers or free weeklies, and mix in some patience, some flexibility, and a pricing plan that’s fair to you and your customers.

Other Entrepreneurial Ideas

We’ve hit some high points, but this is by no means an all-inclusive list. If you have a business idea, you’ve already caught the entrepreneurial spirit.

Maybe it’s time to start looking into financing, business partners, or marketing strategies. 

If you’re in the type of role at work where you have the ability to affect change or have some latitude in your responsibilities, you could morph an idea or concept into an entirely new business unit.

Sometimes you can parlay being in the right place at the right time into a leadership role of an entire organization or act as an “agent” to fill a need and collect a premium for doing so.

Not everyone is destined for business ownership, though.

Keep reading to learn about other routes to financial success.

Using Education to Unlock Earnings

For several generations it was almost a given: A college degree would open doors for the rest of your career.

Federal labor statistics showed (and still show) higher earning power for people with a four-year degree. So college became a rite of passage across the country.

But what happens if you’re not in a position to pursue higher education?

What if you already have a family and a full-time job?

Or, what if taking a bunch of English and philosophy courses just isn’t your thing?

There’s good news for you, too.

You can still unlock higher earnings through education without going the traditional college route.

Let’s take a look at some traditional and alternative educational paths to show what I mean:

Certificate Programs

College can teach critical thinking skills, helping you succeed in a variety of professions.

However, a four-year degree may not teach specific trade skills.

In many professions, employers value specific, hands-on skills over more general thinking skills.

I think it’s best to have both, but to provide employers with skilled employees, many community and technical colleges offer certificate programs for professions such as:

Welding

Dental assistants

HVAC

Web design

Nursing assistants

Plumbing

Electrical work

Auto technicians

Information technology

Cosmetology

Manufacturing

Certificate programs usually cost a lot less than traditional college courses, and they may require less of your time.

It’s also possible the community college in your area offers night classes and other ways to accommodate classes to your work schedule.

In many professions, getting “certified” unlocks higher wages.

Traditional College Degrees

Of course, skilled trades aren’t for everybody.

Some of us need more time to figure out a suitable profession.

One of the neat things about traditional, four-year college programs is the opportunity to learn a little bit about a lot of things, which means you may come across the right fit when you least expect it.

I remember a friend who started college with no firm plans for the future. She signed up for classes, got her parking pass, and all that.

Then, on the first day of classes, she became enamored with the whole concept of chemistry. She declared chemistry her major, graduated with a degree, and started a successful (and high-paying) career as an industrial chemist.

Most of us will need more than one day of college to find our calling. For some people, it takes two years to decide on a major. Others may go all four years without finding the answer.

For those folks, graduate school for advanced degrees may be on the horizon.

Advanced Degrees

Physicians, high-level business executives, researchers, college professors, and most lawyers have one thing in common, and it’s not necessarily their tax bracket: They hold advanced degrees in their fields of study.

Advanced degrees offer a level of specialization (and earning power) beyond what a four-year diploma or a certificate can give you.

People who research the effects of school nutrition on academic performance or who diagnose medical conditions using a microscope most likely have advanced degrees.

Usually, you need a bachelor’s degree before starting on an advanced degree and expect to spend upwards of $100,000 in tuition for some advanced degrees.

It could all be worth it, financially, when you land your first degree-specific job.

Little or No Post-Secondary Education

What happens if education beyond high school just hasn’t worked out for you?

All is not lost. Recent data shows 72 percent of people with only high school degrees had jobs in 2017.

You could start your own business, as I discussed above, or you could apply for more general labor jobs which don’t necessarily require a certificate or a diploma — jobs in traditionally labor-heavy fields such as:

Restaurant work

Assisting in construction sites

General manufacturing

Custodial work

Retail sales

Expect to start out in the lowest level at a company and with a lower pay rate. With hard work and by becoming a reliable employee, you may be able to start climbing the wage ladder.

But statistics tell a discouraging tale. Recent Pew Research data says people with a college education will earn, on average, $1 million more over the course of their careers than people with only a high school education.

What’s worse is that automation in manufacturing and the transition to online retail has made competition for these kinds of jobs more fierce.

Simply put, the economy is growing less friendly toward workers with little or no training.

Side Hustling Your Way to Greater Success

Let’s say you have a job, or you own your own business, and you’re pretty happy with what you earn.

However, you just can’t seem to stay ahead of the curve financially. In August, when the kids need school supplies, your whole budget gets knocked out of whack.

And at year’s end you have to decide whether to contribute to your IRA or buy your wife a Christmas present.

Maybe it’s time for a side hustle.

One side-hustle that has proven very lucrative for many people is running Facebook Ads for local businesses.

What is a Side Hustle?

When you start marshaling your free time toward making extra money, you’re working your side hustle.

My favorite side hustle ideas make the best use of your existing habits so you don’t have to think about work all the time.

For example, let’s say you work at a bank downtown and you paint houses as a side hustle. City Hall is near your bank branch.

So on your lunch break, you stop by City Hall to see who has taken out building permits for remodeling their homes. Someone who is remodeling, you think, may need to hire a painter.

In other words, you’d be able to generate job leads for your side hustle without going out of your way or making special trips.

That level of scheduling elegance isn’t a necessity, though. It matters more to be good at the services you’re offering, whatever they may be:

Real estate

Multi-level marketing

Contracting

Consulting

Freelance writing or editing

At-home manufacturing

At-home data entry or billing

Interior decorating

Video editing

This list could go on for days, but you get the general idea: Find something you like to do and find a way to fit it into your schedule.

Here are some other tips to remember:

Create business cards, which you can do easily online. You never know when you’ll come across someone who needs (or knows someone who needs) a service you provide.

Set boundaries to preserve your work-life balance. When things get rolling, it can be hard to tell a potential client “no.” But if you say “yes” to everybody, you may find yourself working around the clock.

Be upfront with your steady gig. Make sure your full-time employer or your business partners know about your side hustle to avoid misunderstandings. Avoid treating your co-workers like a built-in customer base, and don’t use your company’s copying machines or other office equipment to support your side hustle unless you’ve made prior arrangements.

Be transparent with your side hustle customers, too. Let them know you have a full-time job and are not necessarily available 24/7.

Keep up with your expenses and your earnings via receipts, invoices, or 1099 forms so you can report your figures properly at tax time. Ask a tax professional for advice before you start spending your earnings.

I also recommend setting some earnings goals.

How much you’d like to earn should influence the kind of job and the ferocity level of your side hustling.

For example…

If You’d Like to Earn an Extra $100 a Week

You could probably earn an extra $100 a week through Multi-Level Marketing (I’m not a huge fan, but hey, maybe it’s your thing) or by selling a line of products to your friends (think candles, beauty products, or environmentally friendly weed spray).

This kind of work takes an outgoing personality. If that’s not you, keep looking.

Some sort of at-home clerical work or light home repair, maybe.

Be careful about up-front costs, though. A lot of these opportunities — especially at-home clerical work or Multi-Level Marketing — require an investment, and if things don’t go well, you won’t recoup those costs.

Before spending any of your own money, make sure you’ve talked to some other people who have given it a try. Online message boards can also give you some insight into the real cost of doing business.

Other ideas for earning about $100 a week:

Become a tutor: So you’re good at math or you’re a history buff? Put those interests to use by helping students in your neighborhood excel. Ask the staff at your local schools, put some cards out at the library, or put an ad on Craigslist or Facebook to get started.

Sell your stuff: Do you have boxes of books or DVDs you don’t really need? Find a used book store and sell your extra stuff. If you run out of stuff, go to some yard sales to get more or offer to help your neighbors go through and sell their extra stuff for a commission. You can also sell clothes, yard equipment, or children’s toys. The list goes on and on.

Clean someone’s house: Cleaning up isn’t much fun, but earning extra money is. If you can get a couple regular customers, you’ll likely earn $100 or so a week. Be sure to factor in the cost of cleaning supplies.

Become a mystery shopper: Do you have a keen sense for detail? Put it to use as a mystery shopper. Essentially, you’re sharing your experiences as a customer with retail store managers. 

If You’d Like to Earn $1,000 a Month

We’re getting more into part-time job territory here, but with side-hustling, you’re limited mainly by your time and determination.

You can take the $100-a-week ideas above and do them more aggressively — tutor more children, clean more houses, sell more stuff, etc.

Or, you could…

Start a blog about a topic you enjoy, be it cooking, yard work, interior design, reading, train travel, computer networking, music, appliance repair, electronics reviews, mountain climbing, parkour, gardening, water conservation — you get the idea! Develop an audience and monetize it. See my post about starting a blog here.

Be someone’s virtual assistant. Not all administrative support staff work on-site and take notes in-person at meetings. You can also help an executive from the comfort of your home by scheduling appointments, typing letters, ordering supplies, and preparing presentations. Zirtual may be able to connect you with someone who needs your help, though it may ask for a fee to get you started. You could also send some emails to companies near you offering your services.  

Become a substitute teacher. It’s a tough job, but if you like variety in your schedule and work locales, and you enjoy working with children and teens, check with your local school district; most districts have frequent openings. If you can find six or so hours a couple of times a week, it could be worth your time.

If You’d Like to Earn an Extra $10,000 a Month

There comes a point when a side hustle becomes your main hustle. If you’re shooting for $10,000 a month, maybe you’ve reached that point.

If you’re serious about it, though, here’s something to keep in mind: To earn this kind of money on the side, you may need more inspiration than perspiration.

Can you think of a new way to do something which will make an existing process more efficient?

If so, your new knowledge will be worthwhile to others:

Can you develop an app to make car shopping more seamless?

Can you find a chemical process to make composting easier and more efficient?

Can you add a new layer of automation to an existing manufacturing process?

Innovations like these — combined with good business sense and the right kind of marketing — can put you on the map as an earner/entrepreneur.

Sometimes, You Just Need More Money

For most of us, more money equals more freedom.

Some people can cut costs to come up with more flexibility in their monthly budgets. You can do things like:

Getting a basic phone to avoid cellular data charges.

Cutting the cable TV bill and getting a cheaper streaming service.

Putting off that new car to avoid a regular payment and higher auto insurance.

Keeping the AC set to 75 degrees to reduce energy bills.

Sometimes, though, you just need more money, plain and simple.

If your need is immediate, a side hustle may be the way to go.

Who knows? Your side hustle may turn into your full-time business.

If you’re planning the next 10 years and have some career goals, consider mixing in some education. Getting the right certification, diploma, or advanced degree should open some doors.

And, of course, if you’ve caught that entrepreneurial spirit, you may already have the skills you need.

Maybe it’s just a matter of getting the right financing to start your business growing.

Whatever your case, make sure you’re making a plan to meet your specific needs — financially, personally, and professionally.

I’ve heard it said, and I’ve found it to be true: Once you find your true calling, you no longer feel like you’re working.

Instead, you’re just turning what you enjoy doing into a steady flow of earned income.

18 Easy Ways to Make Free Money Fast

 

Treasure hunters would revel at the idea of getting free money. But is it really a thing? I mean, are there seriously companies out there that will just give money away because they are nice? Yes, and no. Companies often pay out sign up bonuses when you use a new service. Some of the best (and easiest) ways to get free money are to switch services that you use every day anyway, such as bank accounts or credit cards.

Other companies will pay smaller bonuses for you to try their app. Take a look at this list of ways to get some free money fast, and choose the best options for you.

Attention student loan holders: Now is a great time to refinance your private student loans to get a better rate and save on your overall monthly payments.  Best of all, this is totally free to do! However, if you have federal loans, we recommend you not refinance them at this time as you may lose forbearance and other protections.

We all need our savings accounts to be much larger than they are. But with bills, credit card debt, and our careers, it sometimes feels almost impossible to increase our savings.

If you don’t think it’s possible to boost your savings, then you might be surprised to find out how easy it is to score a few extra bucks each month. And thanks to the internet, all it usually requires is filling out some paid surveys, playing around on the web, or signing up for a few specific offers.

Doing just a few of these things can easily add up to thousands of dollars in cash each year, so what are you waiting for?.

Want some free money of your own? Are you a college student looking for ways to make money while in school?

While you might not get rich quickly with the items on the list, you’ll be getting free money with very little effort.

Check out these 18+ companies that offer free money when you complete simple tasks in your spare time:

1. Refinance Student Loans

Chances are good you have student loans. Have you considered refinancing them?

Refinancing means a lender pays off your existing loans and creates a new, single loan to be paid back at (ideally) a lower interest rate. This is appealing to borrowers because it consolidates monthly loan payments and saves you money!

The *extra* good news is that many refinancing companies will pay you cold, hard cash to refinance with their company.

Check out our review of the best student loan refinance companies

2. Give your opinions for money.

Online survey sites have become a top way for people to cash in doing something pretty mindless in their spare time. While there are a ton out there to choose from, Survey Junkie has one of the longest histories and a consistent record of paying its users.

Just sign up for any one of these free accounts and you’ll be on your way to scoring free money for your musings on everything from new products to advertising campaigns. Some, like Pinecone Research, for example, will even ship you products so you can try answering questions on them.

3. Lower your mortgage payment.

Today’s historically low rates are spurring a refinance boom. By refinancing your mortgage, you not only can lower your interest rate and free up cash flow in your budget, but you can quite possibly take equity out of your home, and put it in the bank.

While not everyone owns their home, refinancing at a lower rate is an easy way to get hundreds of dollars per month free by simply lowering your interest expense.

4. Consolidate your debt to find extra money.

Personal debt such as medical or credit card debt can be consolidated at a lower rate. In a similar way to refinancing a home, if you consolidate your debt, it should be at a lower average rate in order to free up money in your monthly payments. There are two great ways to consolidate your debt:

Personal Debt Consolidation Loan

Online lenders such as Upstart, will work with you on a variety of debts to get them into one low payment, freeing up cash.

Open a 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card

Another great option if you’re only working with credit card debt, is to use a 0% balance transfer card. Many cards have 0% interest options out to 18 months or more. Make sure you have a long-term plan to pay your card off, but this option will net you some short-term reprieve from bills.

5. Get rebates at local retailers.

Ever heard of MyPoints? Simply put, it’s a website that offers points for nearly anything you can do online – from shopping to online surveys.

With MyPoints, the “points” you can redeem are good for cashback and a variety of gift cards to stores like Amazon.com, Best Buy, Nike, and even GameStop.

A gift certificate to Applebee’s, for example, starts at just 790 points. Paypal cash, on the other hand, starts at just 3,970 points.

To get started with MyPoints, all you have to do is sign up for a free account and use the site to shop online, take surveys, watch videos, or participate in fun, daily polls. It’s as simple as that.

You do not have to limit yourself to MyPoints, there are many options available, here are some of our top picks:

IBOTTA

$10 Sign Up Bonus, $20 after redeeming 10 offers

MYPOINTS

Earn a $10 gift card when you spend $20

6. Earn a free $5 with Inbox Dollars.

Inbox Dollars is yet another website intent on paying you for living and breathing. In all seriousness, the tasks Inbox Dollars pays for are crazy-easy. Simply surf the internet, use the website to play games, complete surveys or questionnaires, or print grocery coupons to score free cash!

It’s fairly easy to earn an extra $20 – $30 per month for regular use, plus you can get a free $5 just for signing up.

If you like to get free money, it’s hard to beat this offer. Read more in our Inbox Dollars review.

7. Rack up some Swagbucks.

Swagbucks are ridiculously fun and easy to earn. Believe it or not, this website will pay you free money to shop online, watch videos (or space out and pretend you’re watching) surf the internet, or answer survey questions. Have you ever heard of a part-time job that will pay you just to hang out?

Once you start earning Swagbucks, you’ll learn all the fun ways you can redeem them as well. For example, you can cash in your Swagbucks for a wide range of gift cards. Don’t like that option? Turn in your points for PayPal cash instead.

Signing up is free and you literally have nothing to lose, either. If you’re going to be on the internet, why not get paid? You can learn a little more about Swagbucks in our full Swagbucks review.

8. Score an easy $10 with Rakuten.

Ebates (Rakuten) is a great place to earn money for all sorts of online tasks, but you’ll also get a $10 welcome bonus just for signing up and making a $25 purchase.

Simply open an account, spend $25 at an online store like Walmart.com, Kohls.com, Groupon.com, or Amazon.com, and the $10 bonus is yours for the taking.

And if you use Ebates for the long haul, you’ll earn even more. Just by clicking through the website when you shop online, you can earn up to 40 percent cash back at certain stores. Sounds pretty good, huh? 

9. Let Trim save you money automatically.

Trim is an app that tracks your spending and automates the day-to-day process of saving money for you, helping you cut out recurring charges for services you no longer need.

Trim markets itself as an assistant that saves you money, helping you tackle debt and strategically cut down on your spending. The app even checks competitors’ prices on products like your auto insurance to ensure you’re getting the best rates for the services you use.

10. Get refunds with Paribus.

Have you ever bought something only to find out the price dropped a few days later? With Paribus, you can get that money back with zero effort. All you do is shop online as usual and let Paribus monitor your confirmation emails from retailers. Whenever the price drops on what you buy, Paribus helps you get refunded.

You can use Paribus to save with popular retailers, like Target, Amazon, Walmart, Nordstrom, and more. Paribus also applies its services to hotel bookings through Expedia, Priceline, Booking.com, Marriott, and Hilton.

11. Collect Cash from Microinvesting Apps

You might think that the only way to make money by investing is through the…. Investments, right?

Nope! These investing platforms and microinvesting apps will pay you cash just for signing up!

STASH INVEST

$5 Welcome Bonus

ACORNS

$5 Sign-Up Bonus

12. Score a bank bonus.

All kinds of banks offer a bonus if you are willing to put a certain amount of cash on deposit or sign up for a direct deposit. From Chase to Huntington Bank and others, these bonuses can add up to some serious cash if you can meet their requirements!

My post on the best online checking accounts highlights some of the best deals in this space, but you can also check with local banks to see what they offer. Just make sure you read the fine print and watch out for any “gotchas” or requirements you don’t understand.

DISCOVER

$150 for a $15k deposit, $200 for a $20k deposit

CITIBANK

$400 for a $5k deposit

BANK OF AMERICA

$100 if you set up Direct Deposit

CHASE

$100 for all new customers

Another way to score bonuses from the bank is to simply have an interest-earning savings account. So after you get that checking account bonus, find a high yield savings account, too.

13. Invest money with Stockpile.

Stockpile makes investing easy and affordable, offering you thousands of stock and ETF options. You can buy fractional shares of companies like Apple and Netflix. Best of all, you get $5 to invest when you sign up. 

If you were thinking of joining an investment app already, you might as well earn $5, right? Join today for a free bonus, $0.99 trading fees, zero management fees, and no account minimums. You’ll be glad you did.

14. Get Paid to Budget

How good are you at managing and saving money? If you’re like most people, the answer is not that great.

But the procrastination to “finally get your financial order in life” is over, my friend! The following companies will actually pay you if you let them help you.

CLEO

$5 Welcome Bonus

DIGIT

$5 Welcome Bonus

15. Get Paid for Selfies

This is a funny one. Basically, a company called Pay Your Selfie will pay you to take pictures of yourself in various locations.

They use the information to help companies do marketing in different parts of the country based off of demographic data (age, gender, race, etc.)

The pictures are all very easy and your first $1 is just for taking a quick pic of yourself. There are always a good number of selfie tasks waiting and people are making a little side money just for taking a few pictures.

16. Sign up for a rewards credit card.

Rewards credit cards offer something for nothing if you are able to meet a small minimum spending requirement. This free cash usually comes in the form of a signup bonus, and can easily be worth hundreds.

Since a lot of rewards credit cards don’t even charge an annual fee, you can get this money for free provided you never pay interest on your purchases. Super cool, huh?

Below are a few cards I recommend from financial institutions I’ve worked with in one capacity or another over the years and trust:

Card Requirements Bonus

Capital One Quicksilver Spend $500 in first 3 mos $150

Wells Fargo Cash Wise Spend $500 in first 3 mos $150

Chase Freedom Spend $500 in first 3 mos $150

Bank of America Cash Rewards Spend $1k in first 3 mos $200

17. Earn a Guaranteed $1,000 with Lyft

I assume you’re familiar with Lyft, the ridesharing competitor to Uber. I actually find Lyft to be cheaper and have better experiences with the drivers.

Speaking of, how would you like to earn a guaranteed $1,000 to become a Lyft driver? Yup! That’s what the company is offering right now.

It’s part of a program called Earnings Guaranteed. According to the Lyft website, the promotion says drivers will earn a guaranteed amount within a certain time frame. If the driver does not make the guaranteed amount within the time frame, Lyft will cover the difference!

And right now the guaranteed amount is $1,000! Easy money.

18. Book reservations with Seated

Seated is an app that can earn you up to 30% back on your meals, and it’s practically effortless. Seated is incredibly easy to use. You just download the app and book your dinner reservations with one of Seated’s partner restaurants. 

Each time you book, you’ll get up to 30% back in the form of gift cards for companies like Amazon and Starbucks. The only drawback when it comes to Seated is location. Seated is currently only available in major cities, currently Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.

If you live in one of those cities, you can get free money as fast you can download the app and get to your favorite restaurant.

The Bottom Line

The internet offers a treasure trove of ways to get free money in a pinch. While many of these options won’t make you rich, they will hopefully meet your short-term needs. And most of the time, all you have to do to get started is sign up and complete mindless tasks like watching videos or answering survey questions.

The free money is out there for the taking; it’s up to you to get out there and seize it!

About the Author

Jeff Rose, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™, founder of Good Financial Cents, and author of the personal finance book Soldier of Finance. He was a financial planner for 16+ years having founded, Alliance Wealth Management, a SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm, before selling it to focus on his passion - educating the masses on the importance of financial freedom through this blog, his podcast, and YouTube channel.

Jeff holds a Bachelors in Science in Finance and minor in Accounting from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. In addition to his CFP® designation, he also earned the marks of AAMS® - Accredited Asset Management Specialist - and CRPC® - Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor. 

While a practicing financial advisor, Jeff was named to Investopedia's distinguished list of Top 100 advisors (as high as #6) multiple times and CNBC's Digital Advisory Council. 

Jeff is an Iraqi combat veteran and served 9 years in the Army National Guard. His work is regularly featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc.com and Entrepreneur.