It's natural to want to know the secret to financial success, but there is no singular "best real money maker". The best way to earn a supplemental income depends upon your personal talents as well as your financial goals.
Legitimate Ways to Make Money
What is the best way to make money? If you want to make money in a hurry, you should look for a position as a work-at-home employee to guarantee a steady paycheck. If you are interested in longterm profits, however, it's better to look for an opportunity to build your own business.
Some of the more common ways to make money online include:
- Selling collectibles on eBay
- Selling crafts on Etsy
- Writing web content
- Work-at-home telemarketing
- Virtual tutoring
- Affiliate marketing
- Direct sales
Some ways to make money online can be approached from multiple angles. For example, you could be a virtual tutor for a large company such as Brainfuse.com and work as an employee. Or, you could set up a website and provide one-on-one consultations to clients that you have recruited on your own.
Signs of a Scam
If you're interested in ways to earn a supplemental income, you're going to come across many people hoping to take advantage of your enthusiasm. To avoid being victimized, you'll want to keep in mind the signs of a scam.
- High Pressure Sales Tactics: No business opportunity is perfect; there are advantages and disadvantages to every business model. It is smart to want to take the time to compare all of your options before making a decision. If a representative from the company is pressuring you to take immediate action, this is a strong indication that the company is not legitimate.
- Unrealistic Earnings: If you see an ad that promises you can easily earn $500 or more per week, it's probably a scam. A legitimate business understands that profits will vary depending upon a variety of factors and will only provide rough estimates of what you might expect to earn.
- No Education Needed: Ads that promise you don't need any specific education or experience in order to do a particular job are almost always scams. If you could easily make a ton of money with no training, everyone in the world would already be rich.
- Required Upfront Payments: It's fine to purchase a kit with products to start a direct selling business with a company such as Avon or Pampered Chef. However, you shouldn't be paying for a list of addresses or a vague promise that a company will find you a job.
It's a good idea to check on a company's history with the Better Business Bureau whenever you suspect an online scam. You can also run a Google search for the company's name and "scam" or "fraud" to see if complaints about the business have been posted in forums and blogs.
If you believe you've already been victimized by a company, you can file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
The Dangers of Gambling
When you're desperate for quick cash, websites offering money for online gambling can seem like very tempting. However, you should be aware that it's very easy to get in over your head with online gambling. When you're in the comfort of your own home and using credit cards instead of cash to place your bets, it's easy to lose track of what's at stake.
To learn more about the dangers of online gambling, please review the Internet Gambling Addiction article on LoveToKnow Recovery.
Final Thoughts
Having a source of supplemental income can be an excellent way to give your family a sense of financial security, but it's important to remember that nobody can make you rich overnight. There are many different ways to earn money online, but they all require patience and persistence before you'll see an improvement in your bank account balance.
