In this article, we discuss the 27 passive income ideas to make money and build wealth. To skip our detailed analysis of passive income and its benefits in today’s world go directly to the 7 Passive Income Ideas to Make Money & Build Wealth in 2024.

Passive income can be defined as a side income that comes from a minimal amount of work as compared to your active income. In the current economic conditions, many people are finding it hard to keep up with inflation with a single paycheck. While the US Federal Reserve’s policies have managed to tone down inflation and the bank is expected to cut interest rates, some Wall Street analysts still paint a bleak picture of the US economy in the near future. 

According to a survey by Self, 45% of working Americans have a side gig. Out of the people surveyed, nearly 35% said that they need their side hustle source to pay their bills and other expenses, while over 32% of people use it as disposable income. Around 30% of the respondents put their side gig money toward savings and investments. The survey suggests that these side gigs generate an approximate average of $688 per month. We previously reported that  73% of Americans with side hustles are thinking of leaving their primary jobs. 

Passive Income Ideas with Stocks

Some of our passive income ideas to make wealth revolve around investing in the financial markets. The US stock market is one of the places that have made many people rich. For example, value investors such as Warren Buffett and Seth Klarman have made billions from buying stocks and keeping them for the long term. Their style of investing is known as value investing. It is important to note that these two investors have spent a lot of time and money on their investments, but at the moment we are looking for passive income ideas to make wealth. In that case, you can follow their strategy on a smaller scale by buying quality stocks and letting them grow over a few years.

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Nevertheless, a value investing strategy works best if you have a lot of capital. For example, Warren Buffett has owned 151.61 million shares of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) since the third quarter of 2013, when its stock price averaged at $75.23. By the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, the company shares were trading at an average price of $160.97. It means that American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) stock made around $17 billion for Buffett’s firm during this time, and that is without counting the dividend income. As of March 7, the company’s stock was trading at $221. Some other value stocks from Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio include The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) and Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC).

Use of AI to Generate Passive Income

A survey by GOBankingRates reveals that 45% of the respondents are in favor of using AI to generate passive income, and 8% are already using it to do so. Open AI’s ChatGPT has been responsible for the surge in 2023’s AI revolution. The platform also offers a passive income source with its Bug Bounty Program. The program invites people to find bugs or security flaws and get paid. The rewards start from $200 and go up to $20,000.

Photo by nathan dumlao on Unsplash

Our Methodology

For this article, we carefully reviewed several sources, including Time Magazine, CNN, CNBC, and Reddit. Next, we chose the most common recommendations to make passive income across these sources and listed them according to the number of mentions each idea received. The more times a passive income idea was mentioned, the higher it was placed on our list.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that uses a consensus approach to identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The website tracks the movement of corporate insiders and hedge funds. Our top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 stock index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years (see the details here). So, if you are looking for the best stock picks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.

Passive Income Ideas to Make Money & Build Wealth in 2024

27. Domain Parking

Domain parking is a practice where any person or company registers domain names but does not use them for hosting a website or email service immediately. Instead, they place them “parked” with a domain parking service or a domain registrar.

Revenue is primarily generated through advertising. When visitors click on the ads displayed on the parked domain’s page, you, as the owner of the domain, will earn a small amount of money. To get the most out of domain parking, hone your monetization strategy to direct traffic to the domain. You can optimize the domains via a third party like Newsy, Bodis, and ParkingCrew.

Due to the risks like potential legal issues and low revenue potential, we gave it the lowest priority on our list of passive income ideas to make money and build wealth in 2024.

26. Crypto Staking

Crypto staking is a process used in blockchain networks to validate and secure transactions, similar to how mining works in some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. However, instead of using computational power to solve complex mathematical problems as used in mining, staking involves validators locking up a certain amount of cryptocurrency as collateral to support the network’s operations. Crypto staking is a good way to earn passive income. However, it also carries risks, such as the potential loss of staked funds in the event of validator misbehavior.

Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) is one of the companies that allows you to stake your tokens. The interest rate return on crypto staking varies between tokens. The estimated reward on Ethereum is 2.94% at the time of writing on March 7.

25. Annuity Set Up

An annuity is a financial product that provides a series of payments to an individual over a specified period. An annuity can be set up in various ways, depending on the terms of the annuity contract and the preferences of the individual purchasing it. 

Annuities are usually bought through insurance companies. However, they are also provided by financial services businesses like brokerage firms and banks. Fixed Index Annuity is a type of annuity that is tied to broader market indexes such as the S&P 500. It pays you a fixed interest rate along with a variable income, depending on the performance of the market.

There are several other ways to set up annuities, and it is better to consult a financial expert or insurance provider to make more informed decisions before moving forward.

24. Renting Out Things in Your Home That You Don’t Use

Renting out household items has become increasingly popular with the rise of online platforms that facilitate peer-to-peer rentals. While renting out your household items can carry risks, it is a great passive income idea to make money and build wealth in 2024. You can be on your way to building wealth with this idea if you rent out high-value items that people need for only a short duration and/or infrequently. 

Other than keeping your items in good condition to retain and invite new customers, it is important to come up with competitive rental rates and provide clear rental terms and conditions. A few noteworthy sites/apps for peer-to-peer rentals are Rannsak, Fat Lllama, and Yoodlize. Some marketplaces provide insurance to cover damages, loss, or theft. For example, Rannsak offers The Rannsak Reimbursement Program in the U.S., and the insurance is up to $1,000.

23. Royalties From Intellectual Properties

Royalties from intellectual property refer to payments made to the creator of intellectual property in exchange for the use of the said asset. According to a report by the World Intellectual Property Organization, there were 3.5 million patents filed in 2022. 67% of the total patent filings were made by Asian countries.

If you plan on earning royalties from intellectual properties, you must protect them legally, and that can be done through copyrighting, trademarking, licensing, patenting, and more.

A way to create passive income from royalties would be entering into a licensing agreement with a third party to allow them the use of your intellectual property and receive financial benefits in return. The amount of money you make from these royalties depends on the terms of the licensing agreement. For example, agreeing to a percentage of revenue generated by the sales of the product. Laws regarding patenting in the United States can be found on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.

22. Peer-to-peer Lending

Peer-to-peer lending is a method of debt financing through which individuals borrow and lend money directly, and there is no involvement from traditional financial institutions. It is one of the best passive income ideas to make money as it serves as a source of funding for individuals and businesses while offering competitive interest rates and flexible terms with a streamlined loan process. The above-mentioned factors are not available to most individuals and businesses when it comes to taking loans from traditional banking institutions.

If it is your first time getting into peer-to-peer lending, you can sign up on established websites like Prosper Marketplace’s Prosper.com through which you can invest in consumer loans, and the website will connect you with borrowers.

21. Set Up an ATM or Vending Machine

An individual can set up an ATM or a vending machine to make a profit from them. However, these two things will generate income based on the number of people that use your machines, so it is essential to set them up somewhere with a lot of foot traffic. If you decide to go the vending machine route, there are a few costs that you should keep in mind, including the cost of the machine (secondhand machines cost between $1,500 – $5,000), location fee, replenishment cost, and maintenance. A few Reddit users recommend delegating tasks like re-stocking and maintenance to cut down on work hours.

For ATMs, setting them near cash businesses like casinos or barber shops where people prefer to tip in cash is ideal. To get started, you will need to open a limited liability company, purchase an ATM, find a location for it and draw up a contract with the owner of the location, and install the machine. 

20. App Development

Creating an app can be your way of building wealth because if successful, it will generate revenue for you over a long time. There are many ways you can monetize your app, including paid downloads, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and more. App development is one of the best passive income ideas to make money.

Mobile apps have the most promise, as 56.1% of all global website traffic was attributed to mobile usage as of December 2023, according to Oberlo. While your income will vary depending on a multitude of factors, including but not limited to which app store you choose, the niche your app belongs to, and the monetization pathway you opt for, mobile apps have more potential to generate passive income.

19. Sell Stock Photos

Selling pictures online that you have captured is a great passive income idea. You will need to start by capturing high-quality pictures. You can then search for different reputable stock photography websites or agencies, like Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE:SSTK), which hires photographers. According to data collected by Matic Broz for Photutorial, on average, a stock photographer can earn around $0.02 per image per month on average. Moreover, Stocksy United pays the highest, i.e., $200 per standard royalty-free sale and $8,100 per extended license.

18. Video Content Creation

Video content creation can not only generate passive income for you but also be highly engaging. You can create video content for different purposes, like stock footage, subscription platforms, and more. Creating videos for sponsored content is a great way to make a little money on the side. For that, you will need to find brands that will sponsor you to advertise their product or services.

Choosing the right platform for your video content is the most important step, and you can look at Google’s YouTube, TikTok, and Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s Instagram. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, on average, a channel on YouTube gets $0.018 per view or $18 per 1,000 views.

17. Advertising on Your Car

Advertising on your car to earn money is a legitimate way to make some extra cash. This practice, often referred to as car wrapping, involves having advertisements or promotional graphics on your car in exchange for payment. To earn passively through car advertising, you would need to sign up with specialized agencies that hire people for this purpose. 

According to some Reddit users, they have been paid between $100 to $700 a month for getting their cars wrapped. However, some of them have cautioned people to beware of scams. It is essential to remember to do thorough research on the agency you plan on conducting your business with.

16. Design Custom Products

Earning through custom-designed products can be a lucrative venture, especially with the rise of e-commerce platforms like Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) and print-on-demand services. You would start by identifying the material you wish to work with and your niche and create your designs. From there, you can choose a platform and hire a print-on-demand service. Once you set up your store, you will need to do effective marketing to solidify your customer base. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s Merch on Demand allows people to share their designs for their products. Some Reddit users even claim to make $2k to $3k a month from that platform.

15. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the best passive income ideas to make money and build wealth in 2024. According to AuthorityHacker, before consumers make a purchase, 74% of internet consumers in the U.S. go to multiple affiliate websites. Moreover, affiliate marketing contributes to 16% of all internet orders in the U.S.

With affiliate marketing, you can promote products or services through various marketing channels, such as websites, blogs, social media, email newsletters, or online advertisements, and earn a commission for each successful referral or conversion from a business or advertiser. 

The Amazon Affiliate program, or Amazon Associate program by Amazon, is an easy way to get into affiliate marketing.

14. Rent Storage Places

Buying and renting out self-storage space can indeed be a viable way to earn money. Other than that, you will need to be careful to set profitable and reasonable rental terms and conditions and screen the potential renters. According to one source, storage units can generate an annual income between $365,000 to $800,000, depending on size and location.

13. Rent Out Parking Space

If you have a parking space that you are not utilizing, you can rent it out, as it is a lucrative way to make extra money. It can become profitable for you if the parking space is near a venue that sees a lot of traffic, e.g., a shopping mall. Moreover, you can rent it out during specific times, like when a concert is being held somewhere nearby. The money generated from these parking lots mostly depends on your location. Make sure to check your local laws before investing in such ventures.

Moreover, you can also list your private parking space on platforms like Neighbor, which can generate between $50-$300 per month.

12. Real Estate Investing 

Real estate investing by renting out a spare room is one of the best ideas to earn passive income and build wealth. It involves renting out the room to tenants in exchange for regular rental payments. The amount of rental income you can earn depends on various factors such as location, property type, market demand, and rental rates.

Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) is one of the best online marketplaces for short and long-term homestays.

11. Create an Ebook

Writing an ebook can be lucrative for you as it falls under a digital product. You can get passive income through sales revenue by selling your ebook to an online ebook publishing platform, including but not limited to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books, and Google Play Books.

10. Buy a Successful Blog

Buying a successful blog means getting a website that already has lots of people visiting it and making money from it. When you buy it, you get possession of all the work that’s already been done, like writing articles and getting ads on the site. Buying a successful blog is a good passive income idea to make money and build wealth, especially if you know how to grow and improve it. Many Reddit users recommend buying blogs off of Flippa or Empire Flipper. According to them, it is important to remember that the initial investment will be considerable, and they recommend researching blog websites thoroughly.

9. Create an Online Course

Our eighth passive income idea to create wealth is creating an online course. Online courses have become a popular way for people to share their knowledge and expertise with others while also monetizing their skills. You can generate revenue through many strategies, including course sales, offering continuing education credits, etc. You would benefit from looking up e-learning platforms like Udemy, Inc. (NASDAQ:UDMY), as such platforms will provide you with tools for course creation, marketing, and sales.

8. High-Yield Savings Account

A high-yield savings account is a type of savings account offered by banks or financial institutions, and it typically offers a higher interest rate compared to traditional savings accounts. To take full advantage of high-yield savings accounts, you should leverage compound interest. It can help you grow your savings steadily over time and help you reach your financial goals more quickly.

In 2024, several high-yield savings accounts offer returns of 4% or more in some cases as compared to the 0.46% national average return on traditional savings accounts.

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Disclosure. None. 27 Passive Income Ideas to Make Money & Build Wealth in 2024 is originally published on Insider Monkey.