So, you want to start making some extra cash but don't have much to invest (or any). Maybe your job is flexible enough that it doesn't require an expensive degree and/or training program, so you're looking for something more passive than full-time work. Or maybe you just want to see if working on the web will be right for you before sinking hundreds into school tuition.
Whatever your reason may be, here's how you can get started earning money online without putting down any actual dollars. Some options involve little bit of initial effort while others call for no setup whatsoever -- check out these sites when you've got time to kill.
1. Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon offers its own MTurk platform where you can sign up as a worker and complete small tasks like data entry, answering surveys, proofreading documents, etc., for various companies. The pay varies depending on what type of task you choose to do, whether hourly or per completed item. This site also has a marketplace section where people sell their services to other users. Workers who perform well might eventually become eligible for higher paying "premium" jobs. You should know that there are many scams associated with this service so read the fine print carefully. For example, workers must agree not only to all terms stated by the company they belong to, but also those listed by Amazon itself. If you decide to use this method, make sure you understand the fees first. Also note that most employers expect you to provide personal information such as address and phone number.
2. Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the oldest marketplaces around. It was founded way back in 2010 and since then has grown exponentially. In addition to offering gigs ranging from graphic design and translation to writing and programming, the website allows sellers to create ads that appear alongside search results on Google. Sellers set their prices according to the skill level of each individual gig and buyers can contact them directly through messages. All payments go straight into PayPal accounts after successful transactions. What makes Fiverr stand apart from other platforms is the fact that buyers aren't charged anything until they actually receive their items. Once you accept a bid, however, you won't be able to cancel it unless both parties mutually agree otherwise. So keep that in mind if you plan to buy multiple goods over several weeks.
3. ODesk
If you prefer freelancing rather than microjobs, consider joining ODesk. Founded in 2008, the website focuses exclusively on finding freelance employees for specific projects. Users post project descriptions along with relevant skillsets and potential candidates apply accordingly. Since everything takes place via messaging apps, communication is easy and direct, which means misunderstandings and delays are unlikely. Payments are made weekly via bank transfer once milestones have been reached or upon completion. Like Fiverr, ODesk charges nothing for listings until accepted bids come in. However, unlike its competitor, ODesk pays twice as fast. As long as you stay active on the platform, you'll never need to wait longer than two months between checks.
4. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit lets you find odd jobs and volunteer opportunities nearby using GPS technology. When interested individuals submit bids on posted requests, the system matches them up with local tutors, car wash attendants, dog walkers, grocery store assistants, house cleaners, lawn mowers, and even handymen willing to help you out. Payouts vary based on location, duration, complexity, etc. To qualify for certain jobs, applicants must pass a background check. After completing the required tasks, you simply send photos of your final product to the employer. Payment goes straight to your account every week. While it may seem tempting to take advantage of low-paying jobs, remember that most volunteers work part-time and thus tend to charge less for their services than professionals would.
5. Elance
Elance was launched in 2000 under the name eLance and became popular among creative types searching for short-term contracts. Today, the website boasts thousands of different markets covering almost all areas of expertise including software development, web design, SEO, social media marketing, and content creation, just to name a few. Bids offered on Elance are usually paid monthly via PayPal. According to the FAQs, a minimum payout threshold applies for new memberships and ranges from $100-$200. Producers retain 100% ownership of the products they deliver. There are no refunds in case of unsuccessful deliveries. Unlike ODesk, Elance does charge listing fees. They range anywhere from $10-$20 annually.
6. Freelancer
Freelancer is another option worth considering. Though it doesn't focus solely on finding remote workers, this website provides a convenient interface for posting jobs and connecting with customers worldwide. On top of that, clients can request proposals from anyone regardless of experience. Clients can also specify preferences regarding language fluency, delivery deadlines, etc. Potential hires can then respond with price estimates, samples, references, and portfolios. Depending on the kind of offer you're pursuing, you may be expected to upload additional materials such as videos or audio clips. Once chosen, producers gain access to tools designed specifically to streamline daily operations. Check out our guide detailing common questions asked during client interviews to learn more about the process. Payments are processed manually by hand so there could be occasional errors. Be prepared to deal with unexpected changes and cancellations.
7. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour specializes in helping businesses hire skilled contractors for hourly wages. Using the same model as traditional outsourcing firms, the website connects buyers with experienced experts in fields ranging from coding to copywriting. Buyers can browse available profiles and filter results by rating, availability, and pricing. Most advertised positions include details pertaining to hours worked, desired salary, years of professional experience, qualifications, rates, and reference letters. The application process involves filling out a simple questionnaire, uploading portfolio pictures, and submitting examples of previous work. A hiring manager will review your profile within 24 business days. Although the average wage received depends entirely on the role applied for, feedback ratings assigned to individual providers range from 2.8/5 to 4.9/5. Unfortunately, we couldn't locate any information related to cancellation policies.
8. Guru
Guru is a crowdsourcing platform dedicated to helping creators build better products. Instead of focusing strictly on buying and selling services, buyers can purchase digital assets created by artists. Artists can either promote their wares themselves or allow third parties to do so on their behalf. Either way, buyers contribute funds to cover production costs. Those who opt to self-promote typically receive 70%-90% commissions off list price. Artists keep the remaining amount. Guru currently partners with dozens of talented illustrators, photographers, designers, developers, writers, musicians, and videographers. Its reputation speaks for itself. Feedback left by buyers is highly positive due to the app's strict vetting policy. Before accepting a bid, buyers must verify credentials and past performance records. Finally, please note that artists are responsible for providing detailed instructions prior to delivering finished products. Cancellation rights depend on the nature of the sale, i.e. preorders versus orders placed after sales went live.
9. Scriptlance
Scriptlance calls itself the world's largest script library. It claims to host close to 200,000 scripts submitted by coders, engineers, IT specialists, programmers, marketers, financial analysts, lawyers, journalists, screenwriters, and translators eager to hone their craft. Each piece of text appears accompanied by a brief description outlining the plot, character roles, length, purpose, genre, budget requirements, and deadline. Visitors can filter results by title, category, languages, status, and size. Clicking the Show More link reveals further specifications such as script file format, script length, preferred payment methods, etc. By default, Scriptlance shows scripts matching your current geographic region. If none meets your needs, try changing the country code to view scripts written for your area instead. Note that some categories contain a limited number of entries. For example, Scriptlance lists fewer than 500 television series. Similarly, there are only 150 movies. Keep that in mind if you intend to pursue film careers. The best thing about Scriptlance is that users have the option to download scripts for free. Unregistered visitors can obtain a PDF version after logging in. Paid subscribers enjoy unlimited downloads.
10. Freelancer Academy [No Longer Available]
This resource aims to teach budding entrepreneurs how to succeed as independent contractors. It features tons of tips, tricks, advice, and inspiration aimed at building profitable side hustles. Topics covered include negotiating, branding yourself, creating winning pitches, networking, handling rejection, etc. The lessons are broken down into five sections: Fundamentals, Getting Started, Growing Your Business, Marketing & Sales, and Closing Deals. Free registration gives you access to all resources except the latest ones released onto the site. Upgrading to premium membership allows you to skip waiting periods and unlock new material as soon as it becomes available.
11. Reddit Jobs
I'm working with an entrepreneur who wants to start making money online, but he doesn't want to invest his time and effort into building out websites, creating content, writing emails, etc., because it's too much work for little return. He'd rather be able to spend more time on other things like growing his business, spending quality time with family, or just relaxing after long days at work.
This is why we're going to focus on how to earn some extra cash each day by using tools that require no skills, knowledge, or experience from you whatsoever. You'll learn about a few different methods that will let you set up systems where you don't have to do much beyond create your account, check your email once every couple weeks if you want (or not), and watch as money starts pouring in automatically. No need to worry about hosting fees, domain registration, web design, traffic generation strategies, technical problems, customer service issues, refunds, support tickets, product launches, updates...the list goes on! And all this while continuing to enjoy life and take care of yourself and those around you.
If you've never heard of these types of services before, then keep reading so you know exactly what they are and how you can use them right away. After all, when you first sign up for one of these sites, there really isn't anything worth waiting for, is there?!
1. Make Money With Surveys -- This site offers surveys to people across the globe. It pays approximately 50 cents per survey completed, which adds up quickly over time. The best part is that you only get paid for completing surveys, which means you won't waste your time filling out forms and answering questions about products and services you might already own and may even love. Plus, you can choose between taking simple polls or longer surveys.
2. Get Paid To Shop Online -- If shopping online has always been something you enjoyed, then consider signing up for apps such as Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars, Zappos Rewards, Amazon Vinehouse, Ebates, and Google Opinion Rewards. These companies pay you simply for being their "shopping" customers. As you shop online through these sites, you accumulate points called "Bucks." Then, you redeem these Bucks for gift cards and merchandise. Some give you points for searching the Web, others for watching videos, playing games, referring friends, or buying items. There are also special promotions offered occasionally. Just remember that you must stay logged into your accounts 24/7 otherwise you lose access to these rewards programs. They run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and most of these sites offer great incentives to refer new memberships.
3. Earn Cash From Home By Taking Part In Focus Studies -- Are you interested in learning more about consumer behavior, retail trends, health issues, current events, travel destinations, entertainment options, nutrition facts, technology innovations, vehicle purchases, financial information, local businesses, hobbies & interests, sports teams, parenting styles, pet preferences, environmental concerns, career transitions, or dating habits? Whether you live near campus, across town, or across the country, chances are good you could find studies related to topics you would qualify for. All you need to do is fill out short questionnaires, participate in interviews, listen to presentations, review materials, or complete tasks via phone and mail. For example, many universities conduct research experiments involving human subjects, and they often compensate students for participating in these projects.
4. Do Simple Data Entry Jobs -- While data entry jobs aren't necessarily exciting, they can easily provide extra cash during tight times. If you're retired, college students, or recently unemployed, you probably think twice before applying to positions requiring typing, proofreading, bookkeeping, medical transcription, legal transcribing, copying documents, scanning photos and images, etc. However, millions of Americans routinely perform these low-paid, menial tasks daily, including housewives, retirees, small business owners, nurses, physicians, teachers, military personnel, truck drivers, grocery store employees, police officers, firefighters, postal workers, doctors' offices, dentists, veterinarians, retailers, insurance agents, photographers, journalists, designers, lawyers, managers, engineers, architects, consultants, writers, editors, computer programmers, graphic artists, marketing professionals, social media influencers, bloggers, public relations specialists, nonprofit organizations, marketers, salespeople, event planners, coaches, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, parents, children, grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, bosses, colleagues, clients, associates, team leaders, supervisors, and yes, even professional athletes and celebrities.
You want to start making some extra income, but not sure where to begin. The good news is that there are plenty of options for people who don't have much money to invest.
But before we dig into them, let's talk about why it might be hard to find an opportunity that doesn't require major financial stakes. For example, buying and selling domain names on Flippa requires $1,000+ per transaction (though they do offer discounts if you buy more than one). Buying and running ads on Google AdSense could take months before seeing your first dollar. And building websites out of WordPress themes means learning how to code -- something many people aren't interested in doing.
Even though these methods may seem like too big of a commitment, they're actually great places to start when you've got very little money, as long as you have time to learn enough to run each method successfully. Here are five such opportunities to consider.
The key here isn't necessarily the amount of profit you'll see right away. It's whether you'll still enjoy this side project after you've built up momentum. If you end up loving what you're doing, then keep going! But if it becomes work rather than play, try another way to generate passive income.
Investments are risky business no matter which asset class you choose. However, starting off small by using index funds makes sense because you won't lose all your savings overnight. With stocks, you should know exactly how much risk you're taking on so you can decide if it's worth the reward.
If you're just getting started, check out our beginner's guide to investing. Once you feel comfortable, you can use apps like Stockpile or Acorns to automatically save money in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which represent a basket of different companies' shares. By choosing low-cost ETFs like Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX) or Fidelity Spartan 500 Index Investment Trust (FIGIEX), you can pick up solid returns while minimizing losses. Then, reinvest those dividends back into additional VTSMX shares every few years.
This strategy will help you build wealth over time instead of putting everything on the line whenever you hit a rough patch. You can also check out these other ways to fund retirement early.
Of course, if you prefer not to put anything at stake, you can always turn to mutual funds. Like ETFs, they consist of multiple stocks. While you won't receive regular payouts, their steady growth provides better odds of success compared to individual companies. Mutual funds trade less frequently, so you probably wouldn't notice huge swings either. Plus, fees tend to be lower since investors share the cost among themselves.
When searching for a company to invest in, focus on ones with high ratings from respected publications like Forbes, Morningstar, and S&P Capital IQ. These rankings measure a firm's potential based on factors including profitability, return on equity, total shareholder return, etc.
Here's how to research mutual funds yourself.
Another option is cryptocurrencies, which have exploded in popularity recently thanks to Bitcoin and Ethereum. Since most crypto coins lack fundamentals like earnings, revenue, assets, or liabilities, you shouldn't rely solely on price data alone to determine value. Instead, read up on technical analysis, fundamental analysis, and the concept of supply & demand to understand the true underlying value of a coin.
Once you've done that, you'd need to set aside serious capital to purchase tokens through cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase. In order to avoid losing your entire life's worth of savings, only invest amounts equivalent to several month's rent or salary.
Then again, you can also explore initial coin offerings (ICOs), which allow anyone to participate in fundraising events. This type of financing has its own risks, however, as unscrupulous actors often scam unsuspecting users. Be wary of projects that promise unrealistic returns or aim to replace traditional currencies. Also note that unlike stocks, ICO prices generally fluctuate dramatically during their lifetime, meaning you might miss out on profits even after holding onto your token for a year or two.
To protect yourself against fraud, you should follow security guidelines laid out by reputable organizations like CoinDesk and ICObench. To ensure transparency, check out blockchain analytics platform Bloxy. Aside from scams, the main downside of ICOs is that you usually aren't able to sell your digital currency quickly once you acquire it. So unless you plan on keeping it forever, stick to trading cryptos on decentralized markets like Binance.
While it sounds impossible, earning money online without spending any money at all is possible. DonateOne allows individuals to donate their unused gift cards and vouchers directly to nonprofits around the world. Simply sign up to donateOne via PayPal, enter the code you received upon checkout, and select the organization you wish to support. Every donation earns you points called "Donations," which you can redeem for gift cards ranging between $5 and $500 depending on your number of donations.
There's also Charity Miles, which lets you walk or drive anywhere within proximity of participating businesses (like CVS or Starbucks) and gets paid for every mile completed. Just download the app, register your vehicle details, and join various charity drives. Each mile logged counts toward your goal, which you can reach by adding specific charities to your favorites list.
Both services are completely free to use, and although you won't become hugely wealthy, donating a little bit of money to worthy causes every now and then can go a long way.
Also, if you already volunteer somewhere, ask management if you can write down hours spent working alongside clients or customers. Many employers welcome volunteers to document their experience and include it on resumes. Some firms even provide reimbursement for volunteering expenses.
It's important to remember that not everyone wants to spend their spare time helping others, especially if they don't live nearby. Fortunately, both sites below allow you to connect with local non-profits on your behalf, so you can give back without ever setting foot outside your house.
First, visit VolunteerMatch, which offers searchable databases of nonprofit organizations across the country. Enter your location and desired skill sets to view job openings near you. Alternatively, you can browse profiles posted by groups looking for assistance. Next, head over to Causes, which connects you with hundreds of active charitable campaigns. Finally, check out Impact Your World, whose mission is to match social impact seekers with vetted professional service providers.
Yes, absolutely. There are countless ways to generate passive income, and one of the best involves creating blogs. Whether you intend to monetize yours by showing affiliate links or promoting products and services, hosting a website comes with minimal costs. All you really need to launch your blog is a web host, which typically ranges between $3-$10/month.
Blogging platforms like Medium charge subscription fees ranging from $0-$20 per month. Blogger does not charge a fee, but you must link back to Amazon Ads, Google Ads, or your personal site if you want to show product recommendations or sponsor posts.
As far as actual content goes, you can post whatever you want, provided it remains relevant to your audience. As long as you maintain quality, readership will naturally increase overtime. Of course, you can also promote sponsored stories similar to advertisements.
Lastly, if you don't mind writing occasionally, freelance writer jobs abound on UpWork, Freelancer, ProBlogger, Textbroker, Elance, Scriptlance, PeoplePerHour, TopResume, LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and WageScale. Depending on your expertise, you can make upwards of $50/hour, plus benefits.
Alternatively, you can also create YouTube videos. Uploading short clips with simple scripts takes minimal equipment and editing skills. After uploading, viewers simply click the Play button to watch.
Since advertisers bid for placement next to certain keywords and descriptions, video views depend largely on marketing efforts. Therefore, you can easily gain traction by posting informative yet catchy titles and descriptions.
Finally, if you're passionate about photography, you can license your photos on stock photo libraries like Unsplash or Pixabay. Photos taken by amateurs can fetch decent rates if properly edited. A quick WebMD search reveals dozens of creative uses for medical images, so you can upload your own scans and negotiate fees with photographers willing to shoot them.
In theory, yes. Investing in stocks carries significant risks, particularly if you're new to the game. According to Bloomberg Markets Magazine, novice traders should never exceed 10% of invested capital. That said, if you're diligent and patient, you can potentially become a millionaire through a handful of tried-and-true strategies.
For starters, you can utilize breakout pricing patterns to identify undervalued stocks. Similarly, swing trades involve betting on stocks moving 1%-2% above or below a predetermined target. Lastly, day trading refers to placing bets on fast-moving trends and turning positions over and over until profitable.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.