Investing

Investing might sound scary or intimidating, but really it’s about one simple idea:

How to make your money work for you.

You earned it once, now how can you multiply it in a way that aligns with your risk tolerance?

It’s weird, but I sit on both ends of the spectrum on this, at once having made big bets on my own business and experimenting with “alternative” investment platforms, and on the other hand being paralyzed into sitting on the sidelines by fear the market might go down.

In this section of the site, you’ll find information on real estate investing, trading stocks, and even buying businesses.

Before You Get Started

Know your net worth.

Your net worth is the sum of all your assets (cash, savings, mutual funds, equity in your home, etc.) minus your liabilities (student loans, credit card debt, mortgages, etc.).

One tool I like to help calculate your net worth is Personal Capital. It’s free!

Know your objective.

What’s the goal of your investment? A goal of accumulating wealth to retire in 30 years is very different than a goal of earning $1000 a month in passive cash flow.

Get tailored recommendations.

If you’re evaluating all your different investment options, it can be a little overwhelming. This cool quiz from my friends at Money Made can help narrow down your choices and point you in the right* direction.

Discover investing opportunities on MoneyMade.io

*Nothing on this site should be considered financial advice.

Passive Real Estate Investing: Build Cash Flow and Equity—without the Sweat!

November 9, 2023January 17, 2022

Real estate investing is perhaps one of the oldest side hustles in existence.

Buy a house, rent it out, and build wealth. It’s a tried and true formula, and certainly a way to stop trading time for money.

This idea was popularized by books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, explaining (often with real estate as an example) how you can “escape the rat race” when income from assets you control exceeds your monthly expenses.

But real estate investing comes in many different “flavors” — and some take more time and money than others to get started with.

How to Make Money with NFTs: Opportunities for Side Hustlers and Creators

December 30, 2021

Selling JPEGs and other digital collectibles – do NFTs present some of the hottest investment opportunities right now?

You could hardly open your laptop or unlock your phone this year without reading about NFTs or non-fungible tokens.

When you start to see jpegs selling for tens of thousands of dollars, you can’t help but ask, wait, what’s going on here?

Turo Review: How Renting Out Our Cars Turned Into a Free Tesla

September 29, 2023October 14, 2021

Have you heard of Turo? Think Airbnb but for cars.

This is my review of the Turo peer-to-peer car rental platform, from the owner’s perspective.

Over the last 4 months, my husband and I have managed to leverage underutilized cars in our driveway and the Turo platform to get a free Tesla Model S for our day-to-day driving.

Side Hustle Showdown: Buying a Business vs. Investing in Real Estate

October 9, 2022September 2, 2021

If you’re looking to add some time-leveraged cash flow to your bottom line, two of the best options are investing in rental real estate and buying small businesses.

Both are viable options, and to help you figure out if either or both of these investment options are right for you, it’s time for another Side Hustle Showdown.

The Side Hustle Snowball: How to “Erase” Your Expenses with Extra Income Streams

April 17, 2023July 29, 2021

Here’s how The Side Hustle Snowball works:

You itemize out your expenses and then aim to come up with side hustle income to cover them, starting with the smallest and working your way up.

Once you reach the bottom of your list, you don’t need your job anymore!

Mobile Home Investing: $10k a Month in Positive Cash Flow

July 5, 2023April 15, 2021

Cash-flowing $10k a month from a portfolio of mobile homes.

Sounds like a great side hustle, doesn’t it?

It is.

When most people think of real estate investing, mobile homes probably don’t come to mind. In fact, technically speaking, mobile homes are personal property – not real estate.

Domain Flipping: $70k+/yr Investing in Domain Names Part-Time

August 28, 2023March 25, 2021

Can you still make money in domain flipping?

Last year, Mark Levine flipped 70 domain names, for around $160k in gross profit.

Of that, he spent a little over half on renewal fees for his domain name portfolio and acquiring new domains to add to it, netting $70-80k for the year.

Not bad for a part-time hobby!

10 Reasons to Buy a Laundromat Business as Your Next Side Hustle

February 25, 2021

Are laundromats “the ultimate side hustle,” like my guest Jordan Berry described?

These simple, local, cash-flowing businesses have been around forever, but surprisingly this is the first time discussing them in detail on the show.

Selling Tradelines: The $1000 an Hour Side Hustle?

May 15, 2023February 10, 2021

Could selling tradelines be a new income stream for you?

I’d heard whispers of this lucrative, relatively low time-investment side hustle, but never met anyone actually doing it.

That is, until I ran into Paul at FinCon. He said he started out skeptical, but had turned it into a $1000 a month income stream with very little work.

10 Unconventional Money Rules to Live a Richer Life

January 10, 2023September 10, 2020

A little bit of a different format this week.

We’re looking at 10 unconventional money rules – at least, in my mind they’re unconventional – to help you save more, earn more, and improve your financial situation.

To help me go back and forth on these points I’m joined by Rich Jones. He’s the host of the award-winning PaychecksandBalances podcast – helping you navigate your finances and career.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social