How to create passive income from scratch without investments. Passive income in Russia: myth or reality? How to create capital and provide passive income

Each of us dreams of financial independence. However, for the most part, we are forced to actively work from paycheck to paycheck, feeling the eternal fear of losing our job as our main source of income.

Meanwhile, there are options for so-called passive income, for example, we described in detail. Such earnings do not depend on current activities; funds are credited to the account thanks to thoughtful investments made earlier. You can lie on the beach and earn passive income as the only source of funds, or you can work peacefully in the office, simultaneously receiving a pleasant increase in income and not worrying about possible job loss.

Today's selection presents the best sources of passive income. Of course, most of the ideas from the top 10 require some starting capital, but there are also ways that allow you to lay the foundation for future income without investment.

10. Credit unions and trusts

Unlike bank deposits, such investments bring higher income. However, the risks here will be much higher. Credit unions and trust funds do reallocate capital, allowing the money to work and generate income, but only if the fund's management invests it wisely.

Investments in securities can bring a stable income if the investment is made by a specialist. Therefore, such investments require at least minimal knowledge of the state, trends and laws of the securities market. Otherwise, it is better to entrust the funds to professionals, paying attention to mutual funds, which will be discussed below.

8. Passive income on the Internet

– an investment project created according to the principles of a financial pyramid, operating on the Internet. The income of investors consists of funds from newly attracted investors. Investing in HYIP will not allow you to relax - in order not to lose everything, you need to regularly monitor the status of the project.

7. High-yield investing

If an investor is not attracted to independently purchasing shares or playing on the currency exchange, then the funds can be invested in the most or transferred to an experienced trader. Naturally, for their services, the owner of a PAMM account will retain a commission on income, but professionals have a better understanding of the market and know the most profitable ways of investing.

6. Play on FOREX

To play FOREX, you need to undergo minimal training to master the principles of trading. In addition, participation in trading requires constant attention, which makes income no longer completely passive. However, when financial literacy is combined with a certain amount of intuition and luck, fortunes can be earned on FOREX.

An excellent option for receiving passive income, however, it requires significant investments at the initial stage. After all, not everyone has real estate to rent out. If there is an object, then it can provide a stable income from several tens to several hundred thousand rubles per month.

4. Creating your own business

If at the starting stage a new business requires full dedication of effort and time, then over time a successful business can work like a well-oiled machine that does not require the constant presence of the owner. we presented earlier.

Websites allow their owners to earn money by advertising. However, in order for an Internet page to become a source of passive income, it must be filled with interesting and useful content, promoted online, and then maintained in this state.

Unlike a bank deposit, mutual funds offer higher income. True, the risks here are higher, however, you can entrust funds to professionals, as well as determine an investment strategy. As a rule, large companies offer several options for mutual funds - from the most reliable with lower income to high-risk, but more profitable.

1. Bank deposit (Deposit)

The list of sources of passive income is headed by the simplest and most understandable way of investing. Currently, deposit insurance covers funds in the amount of up to 1,400 thousand rubles. If you plan to invest more money, then it is better to distribute it among the most.

Alexey Zenkov

When someone is looking for an opportunity to earn extra income, most often they are advised to find a temporary part-time job. But what if you don't have the time or energy for this? In this case, you need to find ways to generate passive income - earning money with a small investment of time and effort on your part.

1. Try index funds

Index funds allow you to earn income from investing in the stock market completely passively. For example, if you invest in a fund based on the S&P 500 index, your money will be invested in the overall market, and you won't have to worry about how to manage your money or whether to sell or buy shares of certain companies. All these points will be managed by the fund, which forms its investment portfolio depending on the state of a particular index.

You can also choose a fund that covers any index. There are funds involved in various business sectors - energy, precious metals, banking, emerging markets and others. All you have to do is decide for yourself that this is what you want to do, then invest the money and relax. From now on, your stock portfolio will run on autopilot.

1. Make videos for YouTube

This area is developing very quickly. You can make videos of absolutely any category - music, educational, comedy, movie reviews - anything... and then post it on YouTube. Then you can connect Google AdSense to these videos, and automatic advertising will appear in them. When viewers click on these ads, you will earn money from Google AdSense.

Your main task is to create decent videos, promote them on social networks and maintain a sufficient number of them to provide yourself with income from several clips. Shooting and editing a video is not that easy, but once done, you will have a source of completely passive income that can last for a very long time.

Not sure you'll succeed on YouTube? Michelle Phan combined her love of cosmetics and drawing with making videos, gained more than 8 million subscribers, and now launched her own company with a capitalization of $800 million.

1. Try Affiliate Marketing and Start Selling

This is a passive income technique that is more suitable for owners of blogs and active Internet sites. You can start promoting any products on your website and receive a fixed fee or a percentage of sales.

Making money this way is not as difficult as you might think because many companies are interested in selling their products in as many places as possible.

You can find partnership offers either by contacting manufacturers directly or on specialized websites. It is best if the advertised product or service is interesting to you or matches the theme of the site.

1. Make your photos profitable online

Do you like photography? If so, you may be able to turn this into a source of passive income. Photo banks, such as and, can provide you with a platform for selling photos. You will receive a percentage or flat rate for each photo sold to a website client.

In this case, each photo represents a separate source of income that can work over and over again. All you need to do is create a portfolio, upload it to one or more platforms, and that's where your active work will end. All technical issues of photo sales are resolved using the web platform.

1. Buy high-yield stocks

By creating a portfolio of high-yield stocks, you will receive a source of regular passive income with an annual interest rate that is much higher than the interest on bank deposits.

Don't forget that high-yielding stocks are still stocks, so there's always the possibility of capital overvaluation. In this case, you will receive profit from two sources - from dividends and return on invested capital. To purchase these shares and complete the appropriate forms, you will need to create a brokerage account.

1. Write an e-book

Of course, this can be quite a labor-intensive process, but once you write a book and publish it on marketplaces, it can provide you with income for years. You can sell the book on your own website or enter into a partnership agreement with other websites that are similar in theme to the book.

1. Write a real book and get royalties

Just like writing an e-book, there's a lot of work involved at first. But when the work is completed and the book goes on sale, it will become a completely passive source of income.

This is especially true if you manage to sell your book to a publisher who will pay you a royalty on the sales. You will receive a percentage of each copy sold, and if the book is popular, these percentages can add up to significant amounts. Moreover, these payments can last for years.

Mike Piper of ObviousInvestor.com recently did just that. He wrote a book, Investing Plain, which was sold only on Amazon. The first book became so profitable that he created a whole series. These books total .

1. Get cashback on credit card transactions

Many credit cards offer cash back ranging from 1% to 5% of the purchase price. You still go shopping and spend money, right?

Such bonuses allow you to provide yourself with a kind of passive “income” (in the form of reduced spending) from actions that you perform anyway.

1. Sell ​​your own products online

The possibilities in this area are endless: you can sell almost any product or service. It could be something you created and made yourself, or it could be a digital product (software, DVDs, or instructional videos)

For trading, you can use a specialized resource, if suddenly you do not have your own website or blog. In addition, you can enter into a partnership agreement by offering goods to sites on relevant topics or using platforms like (American marketplace for selling digital information products - editor's note).

You can learn how to sell products online and earn quite a lot from it. This may not be completely passive income, but it is certainly more passive than a regular job that you have to go to every morning.

1. Invest in real estate

This method falls more into the category of semi-passive income, since investing in real estate involves at least a small level of activity. However, if you have a property that you're already renting out, it's mostly just a matter of maintaining it.

Additionally, there are professional property managers who can manage your property for a commission of approximately 10% of the rent. Such professional managers help make the process of receiving profits from such investments more passive, but they will take part of it.

Another way to invest in real estate is to pay off a loan. If you take out a loan to buy a property that you will rent out, your tenants will pay off that debt a little each month. When the full amount is paid, your profits will increase dramatically, and your relatively small investment will turn into a full-fledged program for quitting your day job.

1. Buy a blog

Thousands of blogs are created every year, and many of them end up abandoned after some time. If you can acquire a blog with enough visitors—and therefore enough cash flow—it can be a great source of passive income.

Most blogs use Google AdSense, which pays once a month for advertising placed on the site. To provide additional income, you can also enter into partnership agreements. Both of these income streams will be yours if you own a blog.

From a financial perspective, blogs typically sell for 24 times the monthly income the blog can generate. That is, if a site can earn $250 per month, most likely you can buy it for $3,000. This means that by investing $3,000, you can receive $1,500 annually.

You may be able to buy the site for less money if the owner really wants to get rid of this asset. Some sites contain “eternal” materials that will not lose relevance and will generate income years after publication.

Bonus tip: If you buy such a site and then fill it with fresh content, you will be able to increase your monthly income, and you will be able to sell the site again after some time for a significantly higher price than you paid when buying it.

Finally, instead of purchasing a blog, you can create your own. This is also a good way to earn money.

1. Create a website that sells

If there is a product that you know a lot about, you can start selling it on a specialized website. The technique is the same as when selling a product of your own making, except that you do not have to deal with the production itself.

After some time, you may find that you can add similar products. If this happens, the site will begin to generate significant profits.

If you can find a way to ship products directly from the manufacturer to the buyer, you won't even have to get your hands dirty. This may not be 100% passive income, but it’s very close to it.

1. Invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs)

Let's say you decide to invest in real estate, but you don't want to devote any attention or time to it. Investment trusts can help you with this. They are something like a fund that owns various real estate projects. The funds are managed by professionals, so you don't have to interfere with their work at all.

One of the main advantages of investing in REITs is that they typically pay higher dividends than stocks, bonds and bank deposits. You can also sell your interest in the trust at any time, making such assets more liquid than owning real estate on your own.

1. Become a passive business partner

Do you know a successful company that needs capital to expand its business? If so, you can become something of a short-term angel and provide that capital. But instead of giving a loan to the owner of the company, ask for a share of the shares. In this case, the owner of the company will manage the work of the company, while you will be a passive partner, also taking part in the business.

Every small business needs a source of referrals to support sales. Make a list of entrepreneurs whose services you use regularly and whom you can recommend for cooperation. Contact them and find out if they have a system for paying for referrals.

The list could include acquaintances: accountants, landscape designers, electricians, plumbers, carpet cleaners—anyone. Be prepared to recommend the services of these people to your friends, relatives and colleagues. You can earn a commission on every referral just by talking to people.

Don’t underestimate referral programs in the professional sphere either. If the company you work for offers bonuses for referring new employees or new clients, take advantage of it. This is very easy money.

1. Rent out your unused property on Airbnb

The concept appeared only a few years ago, but very quickly spread throughout the world. Airbnb allows people to travel the world and pay much less to stay than in regular hotels. By participating in Airbnb, you can use your home to host guests and earn extra money just from renting.

The amount of income will depend on the size and condition of your home and its location. Naturally, if your home is located in an expensive city or near a popular resort, the income will be much higher. This is a way to make money from free spaces in your home that would otherwise be empty.

1. Write an application

Apps can be an incredibly lucrative source of income. Think about how many people have smartphones today. Yes, almost everything! People are downloading apps like crazy—and for good reason.

Apps make people's lives easier. Whether it's helping you post pretty pictures or keeping track of tasks, there's always an app that's useful to someone.

You might ask: If there are so many apps out there, why would you try to create another one? Is there too much competition? This is all true, but fresh, creative ideas can benefit. If you can come up with something unique, you can make money from it.

Don't know how to program? No problem, you can learn. There are a lot of different courses on the Internet, including free ones. Alternatively, you can hire a developer to create an app based on your idea.

The end result is an application that will potentially generate relatively passive income.

1. Create online courses

Every person is an expert in something. Why not create an online course about your passion?

There are several ways to create and deliver your own online courses. One of the easiest ways is to use sites like

Passive income is such income that does not depend on a person’s regular activities. The simplest example would be a deposit in a bank: it consistently brings interest to its owner. Regardless of the depositor’s age, illness or desire to go to work, interest will be accrued to him.

Active income depends entirely on human actions. To receive it, you need to engage in some kind of activity: produce goods, sell them, provide services, extract minerals and much more.

When expanding the concept of stable passive income, one should not forget about the risks. Using a deposit as an example, we can highlight the following risks for depositors:

• currency depreciation;
• bank bankruptcy;
• force majeure circumstances.

There are also a number of inconveniences: interest is accrued after a certain period of time (for example, once a month), and the invested money cannot be used until the end of the deposit period.

Therefore, before creating a passive source of income, it is necessary to take into account all possible risks of the activity.

Proven Ways to Create Passive Income

Before you create passive income from scratch, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with existing methods of such passive income. This will help you see all the advantages and disadvantages of the main options for passive sources of income. The article will discuss effective and proven sources of passive income. They can be used as a basis for building your business.

It is necessary to take into account that, having a certain amount of funds, it is somewhat easier to build a source of stable passive income. Without money, you will have to spend your own time and effort to realize your dream.

Registration of business and delegation of powers

This is the most effective way to earn passive income. It has a minimum of disadvantages if the business is properly organized. To create it you will need the following:

• organization of the enterprise;
• business development;
• reaching a stable level of income;
• selection of a candidate for the position of manager;
• making a profit with minimal time spent on monitoring key documentation and making important decisions.

Of course, there are risks here. Among them, the main one stands out: the responsibility and integrity of the manager. The further success of the company or organization will depend on his daily decisions. To select a suitable candidate, they most often resort to proven personnel who have worked at the enterprise for a long time.

It's not easy to create and grow a business. This requires a lot of time, money and skills. However, there are many situations when a skillfully chosen niche for running a business allows you to quickly develop it.

What you need to start your own business:

• business plan;
• starting capital (in most cases);
• official registration;
• rental of premises;
• hiring employees (if required).

Any enterprise carries risks for the entrepreneur. No one can be sure that the activity will generally generate income and not losses. Therefore, you need to weigh everything correctly before creating your own business. If everything is done correctly, the entrepreneur will have success and the opportunity to receive passive income.

Selling your intellectual property

This activity option is suitable for those who have knowledge and skills in certain sciences or specialties. How to create passive income from scratch, having the opportunity to create popular information products? They need to be implemented.

What can be considered intellectual property:

• artistic, literary and scientific works;
• created unique industrial designs;
• developed software;
• invented objects or technologies in all sectors of life.

As can be seen from the list, intellectual property can be in any field of human activity. Passive income can come from either a written book or a unique invention that helps increase equipment productivity, for example. In order for property to be individual, it must be documented. For this purpose, patents are issued and copyrights are assigned. By owning them you can make a profit from the sale of your goods/services.

The simplest example for considering the option of making a profit would be a written book. The author of the book will sell copies of the books himself or by entering into an agreement with a publishing company. The owner of the rights will receive a profit from each book sold. If it is in demand, it brings profit. If it is in demand for a long time, it brings profit for a long time.

This doesn't just apply to books. Increasingly, people are resorting to creating various programs on PCs or mobile devices. One completed project can generate passive income until another, cheaper or more useful one comes on the market.

Accordingly, to create such a source of income, a person needs:

• come up with/create something unique and in demand for society;
• confirm your rights to the invention;
• realize the product of your activities.

Disadvantages: it takes a lot of work to create unique works/techniques/technologies; the property may be unclaimed and will not bring significant profit.

Building your own retail network

Such a network can provide its owner with constant passive income. All actions will be performed by network participants, and its creator will receive ever-increasing profits. To do this you need the following:

• create your own unique products (services are provided less often);
• formalize a production and sales enterprise or cooperate with a manufacturer;
• to interest those wishing to become members of the network;
• sell them to other network participants;
• form the price of the product in such a way that part of the profit goes to the owner of the network, and part to the seller of the product.

Anyone who wants to make money in such a network must sell these goods. The more he sells, the more he earns. The main key to success is high-quality and in-demand products at competitive prices. This could be anything from cosmetics to food, medical products or unique services.

The main difference from most network marketing companies should be the following:

• providing guarantees to all network participants;
• using only safe products;
• availability of contacts for communication with management and all comprehensive information about the activities of the organization.

These factors will increase sales and employee engagement.