Categories
Jargons

What are the Best Ways to Make Money From the Stock Market?

The stock market is where shares of public companies are bought and sold. A share represents ownership in a company, and shareholders are entitled to a portion of the company’s profits. People have different perspectives on the stock market. Some consider it a great method to generate wealth, while others perceive it as a risky financial gamble. We firmly believe that the stock market can serve as an incredible opportunity for wealth generation and passive income. You need to gain a deep understanding of how it works to make money from the stock market.

Making money from the stock market is not a walk in the park. While the potential for making money is high, it also has an equally high risk of making losses. In this article, we will take a closer look at a few of the ways by which one can make money from the stock market.

1. Investing in Index Funds or Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

An index fund is a type of mutual fund that tries to replicate the returns made by a stock market index such as Nifty 50 by investing in the constituent stocks of that index. These funds are passively managed. This means that the fund manager invests your money in the same securities that constitute the index and in the same proportion. The portfolio composition will remain unchanged.

An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is a type of fund that tracks the performance of a certain basket of assets such as an index and can be traded on the stock exchange. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs have low transaction costs, can easily be traded through any broker, and requires very low minimum investment.

2. Investing in Blue-Chip Stocks or Dividend-Paying Stocks

Blue-chip stocks are stocks of large well-established companies with an impeccable reputation and track record of stable earnings and performance. They are fundamentally strong companies with very high market capitalisations. Investing in these stocks is an easy and low-risk way to make money from the stock market. 

Companies that make a profit may choose to share a portion of those profits with shareholders as dividends. As a shareholder, you will receive dividends based on the number of shares you own. Dividend payments can be quarterly, annually, or semi-annually. Investing in dividend-paying stocks can be a way to earn money from the stock market, as dividends provide returns in the form of cash to your bank account.

3. Investing in International Stocks or Emerging Market Funds

International funds are mutual funds that invest in the stocks of global multinational companies. Meanwhile, an emerging market fund is a fund that provides investors access to countries and regions that are undergoing economic transition. One can invest in such funds like any other mutual fund.

4. Investing in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)

An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a method by which a company raises equity capital from the public. Equity represents the ownership of a company. Once a company’s IPO is completed, its shares get listed in a stock exchange, i.e. BSE & NSE. You can invest in IPOs of fundamentally strong companies after thorough research. If the public response is positive, you also stand a chance to make money through listing gains. 

5. Trading in Options & Futures Contracts

Futures and options are derivative contracts that derive their value from an underlying asset. These underlying assets can be indices, equities, currencies, commodities, etc. Although derivative contracts were originally invented to hedge risk, it is popularly used as a speculative instrument these days. With the right knowledge and skill, it can be a great way to make money from the stock market. However, derivatives trading is considerably hard and requires practice and learning. This makes it unappealing for beginners.

6. Day Trading or Swing Trading

Day trading or intraday trading refers to the buying and selling of equities or derivatives in a day. For example, if you buy a stock at 10 AM after the market opens and sell the stock at 2 PM before the market closes, it is intraday trading. The trader exploits the small price movements in the stock to make a profit. Features such as short-selling and leverage help to enhance returns and make profits even in falling markets.

Swing trading is a style of trading in which the trader buys and holds the stock for two or more days to capture the short to medium-term price movements in the stock. The trader takes delivery of the stocks and no leverage will be available. Short selling is also not possible in equity swing trading.

7. Investing in Value Stocks or Growth Stocks Based on Market Trends

Value stocks and growth stocks represent different investment philosophies: value investing and growth investing. In value investing, the focus is on finding stocks with intrinsic values higher than their current market value. In growth investing, the emphasis is on companies with strong growth prospects, regardless of their current valuation. Value investors like Warren Buffet and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala are known for their approach to buying undervalued stocks. Growth investors prioritise companies with good fundamentals and growth potential even if their current market value is higher than their anticipated or calculated value.

8. Investing in Socially Responsible Stocks or Funds that Align with Your Value

Investing in socially responsible stocks or funds that align with your value is a way to make money from the stock market. Here, you support companies that are committed to social, environmental, and governance (ESG) principles, while seeking returns. You can start by defining your values and researching funds or stocks that align with those values. Then you can move to invest in these funds or stocks.

Powerful Investment Hacks:

1. Approach a Financial Advisor to Manage Your Portfolio

Seeking professional advice can be beneficial, especially if you’re new to investing or prefer a hands-off approach. A financial advisor can provide personalized guidance based on your risk tolerance, financial goals, and investment horizon. These professionals can help construct and manage a well-diversified portfolio while ensuring it aligns with your individual circumstances.

2. Avoid Common Mistakes Such as Emotional Investing, Overtrading

Always have a solid investment plan, diversify your portfolio, avoid overtrading and chasing hot stocks, manage your emotions, regularly review and evaluate your portfolio, and seek professional advice if needed. Discipline and mindfulness can increase your chances of achieving long-term investment success.

3. Learn Technical Analysis to Make Trading Decisions

Technical analysis is a technique that uses historical price and volume data to form analysis and forecast the direction of prices that can be used for decision-making. Technical analysis can be applied to securities in any freely traded market around the globe. Utilising technical analysis and charting can be a helpful tool for making trading decisions, especially for short-term traders who rely on technical indicators and price patterns.

4. Start SIPs

Systematic Investment Plans or SIPs are a smart and hassle-free way to invest in stocks. It. involves investing a fixed amount of money at regular intervals (monthly or quarterly) regardless of market conditions. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned investor, SIPs provide discipline, convenience, and the potential for long-term wealth creation. 

5. Analyse Financial Statements to Pick Stocks

Analysing financial statements and earnings is fundamental to stock picking. Consider reviewing financial health and performance, assessing profitability and growth prospects, and comparing with peers. Thorough research, considering economic and industry factors, and risk awareness are crucial. Fundamental analysis equips you with the right knowledge for analysing financial statements and company earnings.

In conclusion, making money from the stock market requires thorough research, planning, and risk management. Align your investments with your financial goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon, and regularly review and adjust your strategy. Start with small investments and gradually increase over time, staying informed about the market. A financial advisor can be valuable for beginners to avoid mistakes and make informed decisions.

Disclaimer: This article is only for educational purposes. Please do your own research before investing or trading in the stock market!

Categories
Jargons

How to Make Side Income From Home?

With rising inflation (essential items getting expensive), having an extra income can make your life easier. Although a full-time job can provide a stable income, it may not always be sufficient to meet your bills. The pandemic has proved how important, useful, and reliable the internet is to make additional money. Many people have started earning a side income online in addition to their primary income. Here are some great ways to earn a side income from home:

1. Investing in Stocks and Real Estate

One can easily make a side income by investing in stocks and other securities. You can buy and hold stocks, bonds, commodities, mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for extended periods to grow your wealth. High-quality stocks that pay consistent dividends can be a source of passive income. When a company makes a profit, it may choose to distribute a portion of those profits to its shareholders in the form of dividends. As a shareholder, you will receive a portion of those dividends based on the number of shares you own.

Meanwhile, you can invest in real estate through Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). A REIT owns, operates, or finances income-generating real estate and pays out the cashflows as dividends. You can invest in stocks and REITs through any broker.

2. Creating a YouTube channel

YouTube channels that meet the eligibility criteria can monetize their videos through Google Adsense. Advertisements will be displayed before, during, or after the video, and you earn a percentage of the revenue those ads generate. Channels with huge viewerships can attract sponsors who’ll pay considerable sums of money to promote their products or services. The amount of revenue you can earn from youtube depends on various factors such as the number of views, engagement levels, and the type of content.

3. Renting Out a Property

Renting out unoccupied properties or homes can generate a decent passive income. You can either rent out properties privately or through platforms like Airbnb. The rental income depends on the type, location, size, and demand of the property. On Airbnb, you can rent out your whole property or just a few rooms. Maintaining the property periodically can generate maximum revenue. Leasing out your property is also a great way to make a side income.

4. Selling Products in Online Marketplaces

E-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart are great places to sell your products. You can list products on these platforms and sell them by paying a small commission to the e-commerce operator. This is highly economical compared to traditional commerce as the infrastructure needs are minimal.

5. Online Tutoring or Teaching

  • Chegg is an education technology company that helps with homework, digital & physical textbook rentals, textbooks, online tutoring, and other student services. As a Chegg expert, you can solve various questions in Mathematics, Healthcare, Earth science, Business, Engineering, and Science. You can earn up to ₹1 lakh side income from home every month.
  • Course Hero is also a platform like Chegg, but with more subjects like arts, humanities, languages, engineering and technology, Business, maths, science, and social science. You can make up to $1500+ per month.

6. Online Surveys and Microtasks

  • Amazon Mechanical Turk is a crowdsourcing platform for businesses to hire remotely located workers to perform discrete on-demand tasks that computers are currently unable to do. It is owned by Amazon and operates under Amazon Web Services. Employers post jobs known as Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) such as identifying specific content in an image or video, writing product descriptions, or answering survey questions. You can browse among existing jobs and complete them in exchange for a fee set by the employer. The payment will be in cash or Amazon gift cards.
  • Swagbucks is a platform that pays you for giving your opinion in various surveys. You can select from thousands of surveys. You can choose the length and reward amount of the survey from the available surveys. The surveys can be of any type such as reviewing upcoming super bowl ads, sharing your political beliefs, testing new products, being a mystery shopper, or helping a company decide on a new slogan. The payment will be in SB points, and you can redeem these points for cash or gift cards.

7. Affiliate Marketing

Amazon Associates Program helps content creators, publishers and bloggers monetize their traffic. With millions of products and programs available on Amazon, associates use easy link-building tools to direct their audience to their recommendations and earn from qualifying purchases and programs. Advertising fees for qualifying purchases differ based on the product category.

8. Freelancing

  • Upwork is a marketplace for freelancers in fields like writing, translation, graphic design, web development, finance, and accounting. The platform helps freelancers find projects, communicate with clients, and get paid. To start, create a profile, search for jobs, submit a proposal, make a contract, and complete the work. This way you can easily make a side income from the comfort of your home.
  • Fiverr is also a platform aimed at freelancers. You get paid to design websites, logos, and much more. You can offer any service you wish as long as it’s legal and complies with Fiverr’s terms.

9. Creating and Selling Digital Products

If you have good subject knowledge in any topic, you can plan a curriculum and record classes that can then be sold online on platforms like Udemy from the comfort of your home. You can add assignments, quizzes, and exercises to the course for creating a more rich learning environment. The payout depends on the number of courses sold and learner engagement.

10. Renting Out Your Belongings

Renting out your personal belongings can be a great source of side income. You can rent out your car on days that you do not use it for a daily minimum charge and an additional charge per extra kilometre.

Electronic items such as cameras, projectors, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, etc, can be easily rented out. 

Renting out personal belongings can be a convenient way to generate extra income, but it’s important to ensure that your belongings are protected and that you have the appropriate insurance coverage in case of damage or theft.

11. Online Transcription Services

Transcribeme is a platform that provides transcription services through machine learning technology and human transcriptionists. It involves the conversion of audio and video clips into texts. To join, you only need a computer and a stable internet connection. Headphones or earphones will enhance the transcription process.

In conclusion, earning a side income from home is always beneficial as it increases your purchasing power. Income diversification, financial security, increased savings, and debt reduction are a few benefits of having a side income. Before you commit your money and resources to such income sources, always perform a proper analysis to understand the risks involved!