Making extra money, whether you’re retired or just thinking about retirement, is something that most of us think about a lot. We’ve all seen ads that say ‘We thought we’d planned carefully for our retirement, but quickly discovered we needed a way to supplement our retirement income’.
That’s a situation most of us will face and the current economy can make the idea of running out of money or working in retirement even scarier.
One of the most important keys to having a successful and happy life is having enough money. The other most important key is having good health. We might need extra money to maintain a lifestyle or pay the bills. We might want to make money to keep busy with life or just to have something to do.
How we get that extra money is an individual choice. Most of the retirees I know, including me, sells their labor or knowledge to make extra retirement money. There’s nothing wrong with that and it is easier than some of the other methods I mention in this post. But, I’ve also made some money online and I know it can be done if you’re willing to work at it.
More than 100 years ago, in 1910, Wallace D. Wattles said in his book “The Science of Getting Rich”:
“No man can rise to his greatest possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money”.
Considering that we live by using things and it takes money to get the things we need or want, that statement is just as true today as it was when he wrote it a century ago.
Click Here and get a free, no obligation copy of Wallace Wattles book, “The Science Of Getting Rich” .
Having enough money is second only to good health on our list of retirement wants. Most of us will continue to look for ways to make extra money or supplement our income after we retire.
With the cost of everything going up, a lot of people have lost so much that postponing retirement or continuing to work in retirement is a fact of life. If you’re already retired, inflation is eating a bigger chunk of your income.
There’s a ton of information available on retirement and supplementing your income from sources that are free or low cost from from government websites, your local bookstore or amazon. But like a lot of things, getting and applying the information are two different things. It’s easy to get distracted by all the information available and actually do nothing except get the information.
There are lots of ways to earn more money and a home based business certainly has a lot of attractions. You can make money by doing online marketing, starting your own home based or online business or by getting a job on-line. But, one of the keys to having any business is knowing what you want to do and how to start.
Online Marketing
I’ve learned that there are a lot of ways to make money on the internet. But, you can waste precious time and a ton of money doing research (or searching) to find some direction. There are a lot of people selling programs that work, but if you don’t know what you want to do, you can jump from project to project without making any headway.
A program I liked to use to find products to promote was Micro Niche Finder by James J. Jones. Unfortunately, this software is no longer available so it’s a little harder to find micro niches markets that may be profitable.
Do a search for “niche markets” or “find niche markets”. You can also do a search for any product you like and add “affiliate program” to the keyword. I’ve used google trends to find products affiliate marketing.
There are a lot of experts out there willing to sell advice. Unfortunately, there are tons of scams and get rich schemes out there and it’s hard to sift through all the hype to find the real thing. And “experts”, have a way of coming and going.
The good news is that a lot of their methods work, but do your research and a find system you like. Article marketing, affiliate marketing, selling e-books and pay per click ads are some of the ways that can be successful. Some methods like pay per click are not free and can easily get out of control. You can use ebay, craigslist, etsy and other auction sites to sell stuff or become a wholesaler to sell things online.
The key to success then, is to find a business model or method you like, stay focused on your goal, dedicate the time and necessary resources and above all, DON’T GIVE UP…
Most of the real experts have been working the internet for years and have learned how to do things easily. All of them, whether they know it or not, are following Wallace Wattles advice of “doing a certain thing” in his book, “The Science Of Getting Rich“.
Find a system you like. Follow the expert advice and the programs will help you make more money! There’s usually a small fee to to get the information, but all have a money back guarantee.
Online Jobs.
Probably 97% of online job opportunities are scams (that’s my guess). Most of them promise the world, but fall far short of making money for anyone.
Having said that, there are some legitimate and useful sites that promote real jobs that can be done from home. Do your research and read all the reviews you can find before you put out any money or commit yourself to anything.
I suggest using a job board such as monster.com or indeed.com to look for online jobs first. Do a search for any job you want and add part-time or remote to the keyword. You’ll be able to look at the job descriptions and any special requirements but if you want to apply, you’ll probably need an account, which is usually free.
Home Based Business
A home based on-line business seems like it would give a retiree the best opportunity to supplement income, keep busy and stay active. A home based business usually requires a small investment to get started but it is possible to start one and spend little or no money out of pocket.
This is just like any other business, you have to put in enough resources (time and money) to make it work. Regardless of what you see on television and the internet, if you just put six or eight hours a week, you’ll have a hobby not a business.
If you put in enough time to learn how to make a system work , you might have a successful business. A home based business is just like any other business, you have to put in enough resources (time and money) to make it work.
Final Thoughts
I’ve looked at a lot of programs and even started a variety of them to make money online. Over the years, I’ve made extra money with affiliate marketing, pay per click ads, sold e-books and by selling physical items on ebay. Along the way, I learned that everything takes time and effort and none of it is as easy as it sounds.
Just like with any physical business, you have to find something you like and learn how to use it. Stay focused, don’t give up and your chances of success are much greater. Remember though, there are never any guarantees. and just like with other businesses, the failure rate is high.
Contact me with any questions or comments at admin@marshallcrum.com. Your questions and comments are always welcome.
This isn’t a subscription. You’ll never get anything from me other than a reply. And, don’t worry, your personal information is taken seriously. Your email address will never be sold or given away for any reason.