Side hustles and investments: A crash course on creating other sources of income

Have you thought of turning to side hustles in the past year? As businesses took a hit during the pandemic, job security for employees has become unpredictable, and sometimes having a full-time job isn’t enough to keep you financially secure to cover all your needs. Thus, having different sources of income is one way to keep you from being buried in debt.

In the final episode of Metrobank and The Philippine STAR’s #SurvivingWithMissy, Missy is looking for ways to make more money besides her regular job. Her friend Luis suggests trying out different side hustles like online selling, but it takes a lot more work than expected. Having a second job isn’t easy to hold down because there’s a risk of that getting in the way of your first job. You might get too tired or burned-out toiling away between two or more jobs, but it actually doesn’t have to end up that way.

Making money without the work

There are two types of income: active, which is the regular payment you get from your nine-to-five, including salary, tips, professional fees from sidelines, and work allowances; and passive, wherein you make money work for you. With passive income, you create a stream where you earn without being directly involved in the process. It comes in the form of buying assets like real estate, purchasing bonds from the government, and investing in the stock market. These methods don’t require you to put in anymore elbow grease like second jobs. All you’ll need to do is to be smart with every step you make.

In the episode, Missy learns all about investment and how people can continuously earn from it that their money will eventually grow in the long term. Aside from full-time jobs, dividends from stocks can be a viable source of income, but you shouldn’t expect cash to flow in an instant. Although investing might seem effortless, you still have to do your research and analysis on what you’re going to put money in. Investing is like planting—it takes a lot of patience since you’re not going to be seeing results instantly. It usually happens over three to five years, depending on the type of investment.

Investing 101

Active and passive income are interconnected, especially if you’re just starting with your passive one. As your active income becomes more steady flowing, you have more extra funds to invest and earn more with passive income. A word of advice: you have to be extra careful when investing because there’s no absolute certainty when it comes to this, thus the research and analysis. It’s best if you learn this on your own. Don’t just take advice from one person, gather as much info as you can from many people who’ve also invested before.

But you don’t have to fret if you’re a first-time investor! Metrobank has this nifty website called Earnest, which serves as a guide for anyone who wants to get started on their investment journey. There you can get tips and other basics on investments to help you reach your financial goals.

Reaping the benefits

As your passive income grows and becomes a steadier source, you’re going to be able to take more risks with your career. You can take on more lucrative roles or start pursuing a career path more aligned to your passions and interests even though it might be lesser-paying. In addition, since you have a diversified source of income, you won’t be stressing over where you’ll get money from.

You can do so much with your money if you know how to spend and save wisely. So, every now and then, take a step back and ask yourself: do you really need the latest gaming console? Or should you use that dough for something smarter like saving it or putting it into investment?

To watch the complete episodes of #SurvivingWithMissy, go to The Philippine STAR’s Facebook page. 

Find out more tips on how you can reach your financial goals through investing and saving by visiting https://earnest.ph/ and https://metrobank.com.ph/learn.

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Editor’s Note: BrandedUp is designed to provide you with insightful, inspiring and educational content created by PhilSTAR L!fe in collaboration with brands like Metrobank.