Make Money Online (Without Spending a Dime)

Even with no product and no Web site, you can get paid for what and who you know

Making money online used to pretty much require you to have your own Web site, products to sell and some marketing savvy. But a new generation of dot-coms have arisen that will pay you for what you know and who you know without you having to be a web designer or a marketing genius.

But it's hard to tell hype from the real deal. I did a search on "make money online" and "making money online", and much of the information out there is just promoting various infoproducts, mostly about Internet marketing. I see why people sometimes ask, "Is anyone making money online besides Internet marketing experts?"

So I put together a list of business opportunities with legitimate companies that:

• Pay cash, not just points towards rewards or a chance to win money
• Don't require you to have your own Web domain or your own products
• Don't involve any hard-selling
• Aren't just promoting more Internet marketing
• Give a good return on your time investment

In the interest of objectivity, none of the links below are affiliate links, and none of them have paid or provided any other consideration for their presence here.

These are legitimate companies with business models that allow you to get paid for a wide range of activities.

High-risk investments

How to make money from penny shares

Most define a penny share by its upper price limit. In the UK, some specialist brokers require a share price of less than £1.00, while others set the ceiling at £3.00.

Whichever way, penny shares are the fun side of investing but, also, unfortunately, its crooked side. Other things being equal, the younger the company in which you invest, the greater the risk.

The investment risks and the rewards are enhanced, not least because penny shares have a thin market. A stock priced at 10p may rise 50% on good news, whereas an old economy blue chip stock will not. Conversely, the penny share can fall more sharply in percentage terms than its larger cousin. Its price at any given time may bear no relation to the stock's underlying value.

A penny stock may prove very profitable if predators are showing an interest. The share price can soar on speculation that there may be a contested takeover bid at a considerably higher value than the current share price.

For such reasons, you will not always buy penny shares on value grounds. You need to be ready to nip in and out of stocks, keeping a sharp eye on share price changes. In addition, you will find some penny shares in which it is worth investing for the longer term.

The choice of markets is large, making a difference to the company's profile, its liquidity, and its expenses. A company may be quoted on the London Stock Exchange's main market or on its Alternative Investment Market. Alternatively, it may be PLUS-quoted. Stocks quoted abroad may be simultaneously trading on the London Stock Exchange

7-Ways to Make Money On Investment Properties

The market has cooled in various cities across the country and fair weather investors are starting to worry about how they'll be able to make money now that their houses aren't escalating at astronomical rates.

I just have to say to these folks -- breathe. If all you want to do in real estate is make money on the basis of appreciation (asset growth), then you need a primer on how to make really good money in real estate.

The authors of Investing In Real Estate, Andrew McLean and Gary Eldred (2006, John Wiley & Sons Inc.), have provided that primer, listing eight ways to grow your wealth in investment real estate.

The key to building true wealth in real estate is through buying and holding. A good tenant can create wealth for you by paying for the mortgage, insurance, taxes and monthly fees through their rental payment to you. In addition, consider this: you have just taken over an asset leveraged by a fraction of the value. In other words, let's say you purchased a condo at $150,000 for $15,000 down payment. If it grows at 5 percent per year ($7,500 first year, etc.) you're making more than 50 percent on your money that you actually invested -- can't get that kind of power behind mutual funds.

Real estate investing allows investors several ways to make and/or save money that other investment tools will never allow or have the ability to provide. As Mr. McLean and Mr. Eldred point out, no one can predict short-term price increases -- but that's why the savvy investor doesn't look to just appreciation to make money.