You're grinding side hustles to earn money. Now put that money to work so it earns more money on its own. Dividend stocks, REITs, high-yield savings, and crypto staking � start with as little as $100 and build real wealth over time.
Here's how it works: you earn money from sweepstakes, freelancing, selling online, or whatever hustle you're running. Then instead of spending all of it, you put a portion into investments that generate passive income on their own. Over time, your investments grow and start paying you � dividends, interest, staking rewards � without you lifting a finger.
Take 20�30% of your side hustle earnings and invest it. If you're making $1,000/month from side hustles, put $200�$300 into investments every month. In 2 years, you'll have a portfolio generating $50�$100/month in passive income on top of everything else. That's money making money.
This page is for educational purposes. I'm not a financial advisor. All investments carry risk � you can lose money. Do your own research before putting money into anything. This is what works for me and the community, but your situation might be different.
Ranked from lowest risk to highest risk. Start with the safer options and work your way up as you get comfortable.
Park your cash in a savings account paying 4.5�5%+ APY instead of the 0.01% your regular bank gives you. Your money is FDIC insured (zero risk up to $250K), completely liquid, and earning 50x more interest. This is the no-brainer first step � move your emergency fund here today.
FDIC INSURED 4.5�5%+ APY ZERO RISKWealthfront Cash Account (currently ~5% APY), Marcus by Goldman Sachs (~4.5% APY), and SoFi Checking & Savings (~4.5% APY with direct deposit). All FDIC insured, all free, all let you withdraw anytime. If your savings account isn't earning at least 4%, you're leaving free money on the table.
FREE TO OPEN NO MINIMUMThe community favorite. SCHD holds 100+ quality dividend-paying stocks and yields about 3.5�4%. It also grows in value over time � so you get dividend income AND capital appreciation. $100/month invested in SCHD for 10 years could grow to $18,000+ with dividends reinvested.
COMMUNITY FAVORITE 3.5�4% YIELD GROWTH + INCOMEHigher yield than SCHD at ~7�8% but with less growth potential. Uses a covered call strategy to generate monthly income. Popular for people who want cash flow now rather than growth later. Pays dividends monthly instead of quarterly.
7�8% YIELD MONTHLY DIVIDENDSA REIT that pays dividends monthly (they literally call themselves "The Monthly Dividend Company"). Owns commercial real estate � think 7-Eleven locations, Walgreens, Dollar General. Current yield around 5�6%. Has raised its dividend for 25+ consecutive years.
5�6% YIELD MONTHLY PAYOUTS 25+ YEAR STREAKAnother solid dividend ETF with ~3% yield and strong diversification across 400+ stocks. Lower yield than SCHD but more diversified and slightly less volatile. A good "set it and forget it" option for long-term dividend income.
WELL DIVERSIFIED 400+ STOCKSREITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) own real estate � apartments, offices, data centers, hospitals, malls � and are required by law to pay out 90% of income as dividends. You buy shares on the stock market just like regular stocks. No tenants, no maintenance, no down payments. Just dividend income from real estate.
NO PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 4�8% YIELDSO (Realty Income) � Monthly dividends, 5�6% yield. VNQ (Vanguard Real Estate ETF) � Diversified REIT index fund, ~4% yield. STAG Industrial � Monthly paying industrial REIT, ~4% yield. Start with VNQ for diversification, then add individual REITs as you learn more.
DIVERSIFIED OPTIONS MONTHLY INCOMEAutomated investing that builds and manages a diversified portfolio for you. Tell it your risk tolerance and goals, deposit money, and it handles everything � rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, dividend reinvestment. Fees are 0.25% per year. Best option if you want to invest without thinking about it.
FULLY AUTOMATED 0.25% FEE TAX OPTIMIZATIONSimilar to Wealthfront � automated portfolio management with tax-loss harvesting. Has some nice features like goal-based investing (retirement, emergency fund, house down payment). 0.25% fee on the basic plan. Good for people who want to set investing goals and let the AI handle the rest.
GOAL-BASED 0.25% FEELock up your ETH to help secure the Ethereum network and earn ~3�5% APY in ETH rewards. You can stake through Coinbase, Lido, or Rocket Pool. The rewards are paid in ETH, so if ETH price goes up, your staking rewards are worth more too. Minimum varies by platform � some accept any amount.
3�5% APY PAID IN ETH CRYPTO VOLATILITYStake SOL for ~6�8% APY. Solana has lower fees and faster transactions than Ethereum. Stake through Phantom wallet, Marinade Finance, or directly on exchanges. Higher yield than ETH staking but Solana is more volatile. Only use money you're comfortable potentially losing 50%+.
6�8% APY FAST NETWORK HIGHER VOLATILITYCrypto staking yields look attractive, but remember � the underlying asset can drop 30�60% in a bear market. A 5% yield means nothing if the token loses half its value. Only stake crypto you were going to hold anyway, and never put in money you can't afford to lose.
Here's how you might allocate $1,000 as a beginner. Adjust based on your risk tolerance.
$50/year from $1,000 doesn't sound exciting. But add $200/month from your side hustles for 3 years: you'll have ~$8,500+ invested, earning $400�$700/year passively. In 10 years at that rate? $25,000+ generating $1,500+/year. The earlier you start, the more dramatic the compounding becomes.
Best for buying individual stocks, ETFs (SCHD, VYM, VNQ), and REITs. No commission fees, no account minimums, excellent mobile apps. Fidelity also offers fractional shares so you can buy $10 of any stock. Open a brokerage account in 10 minutes.
NO FEES NO MINIMUMSBest for hands-off automated investing. Deposit money and forget about it � the robo-advisor handles portfolio allocation, rebalancing, and tax optimization. Start with as little as $1 on Betterment or $500 on Wealthfront.
AUTOMATED HANDS-OFFBest for crypto staking. Both offer ETH and SOL staking directly through the platform. Coinbase is more beginner-friendly; Kraken has lower fees. Only use these if you're comfortable with crypto volatility.
CRYPTO STAKING BEGINNER FRIENDLYJoin our Discord community where members share portfolio strategies, dividend picks, HYSA rate updates, and staking tips. We also share when new sign-up bonuses are available for brokerage accounts.
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