22 Best Income-Producing Assets That Build Wealth Fast

Looking for ways to boost your income beyond your day job? Income-producing assets might be the solution. These are resources that generate money over time, such as rental properties, dividend stocks, or even online businesses. They offer a great way to build wealth and create financial stability without relying solely on a paycheck.

Before diving in, it’s important to know what you’re getting into. Each asset type comes with its own risks and rewards, so doing your research is key. This article breaks down 22 of the best income-producing assets to help you get started and find the right fit for your financial goals.

What Are Income Producing Assets?

Income-producing assets are defined as any type of investment that is expected to generate recurring profit. So, with that, it’s easy to visualize what belongs in this category, like leasing or renting out spaces. It’s basically all passive income you get on a recurring basis, whether monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Profiting repeatedly from a one-time investment is a fantastic deal. Just remember that there is always some risk that needs to be taken into account. 

Many micro-investments grew exponentially because of proper management, so many have big potential. 

22 Of The Best Income-Producing Assets For 2022

So here is a list of income-producing assets that may be interesting to you.

1. Websites

Starting a blog or setting up just a simple website filled with things that you find interesting can be a spark of something profitable. There are 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide; it’s more than possible to have at least a few thousand people who have the same interests as yours. 

If you want to start blogging, try Bluehost for your hosting, or you may check out 3 easy steps to start a blog in just 15 minutes with the complete Bluehost guide.

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Unlike a physical store that can only rely on the people living nearby, websites are open to 65% of the world’s total population who use the internet frequently. But how do you start earning from websites?

From a beginner’s point of view, let’s use a blog as an example. 

Here are a few of the easiest that beginners can try:

Affiliate marketing uses your web space to promote and endorse products in exchange for a certain percentage of sales when people buy the product through the affiliate link posted on your website.

If you want to go deep into affiliate marketing, try Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and learn the step-by-step guide on how to make money using affiliate marketing. Check our full Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing review to learn more about how to earn money on affiliate marketing.

Learn Affiliate Marketing

Selling ad spaces on your website is another one you should consider. It simply means that instead of looking for affiliate ads to display on your website, you can sell your ad spaces to businesses or companies that need them. The rate usually goes as per thousand impressions or CPM. For example, if your site attracts 150,000 visits a month, and you agreed to $5 per CPM, this means you can set a price at $750 per ad space. 

This is where Ezoic comes in. If you have a minimum of 250 visitors per day, you can go ahead and apply for Ezoic. Signing up for this platform comes with a few requirements before being qualified for an account. Once approved, you can set up your website to sell ad spaces according to your specifications. Check out our entire Ezoic review for a complete analysis of how I increased my blog income by over 600% when I switched to Ezoic.

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Blogs and websites accepting sponsored content are another profitable venture to apply, especially if your site has a good amount of traffic and is placed among popular sites on the Alexa rankings. Companies promoting the same niche as you have on your site may approach you to feature their content. 

2. Digital Products And Royalties

Digital products or e-goods are products that you get digitally, like music, videos, applications, themes, e-books, and more. If you can produce original digital goods, you can either post them on different platforms like Shopify or sell them directly from your website.

For the best passive outcome possible, set creative ways to promote your products through different mediums like social media, blogs, vlog reviews, and more. 

3. Dividend

A dividend comes from a company’s profit that is distributed as an incentive to shareholders. Of course, this means you’ll have to find high-paying stocks and buy shares that pay dividends. 

The option to receive dividend payments in either cash or stock is usually offered. While some investors are satisfied to take their reward in cash, others prefer to reinvest it to buy more stocks – more stocks mean higher dividends. But understand that reinvesting dividends is still taxable, so take that into account before trying to automate your receivables.

You may also have heard that not all companies pay dividends. Many companies prefer to reinvest their profits and focus on improving the value of their stocks. Other companies simply cannot afford to distribute dividends either because they’re not making any profits yet. Either way, dividend investing is a great income-producing asset for you to try. 

4. Peer-To-Peer Lending

Peer-to-peer or person-to-person lending has been around for a long time. The system makes it easier for borrowers because they don’t have to go through financial institutions to apply for loans. The high ROI balances this convenience offered by P2P for lenders.

It doesn’t require much money to start with P2P lending; you’re good to go from $100. But before jumping in, understand that there are some risks you have to be aware of:

• P2P lending cannot be covered by insurance in case a borrower defaults on payment. So make sure you have documentation or signed records that state your collectibles from your borrowers.
• Consider a higher default probability. Some individuals are turning to P2P lending after being denied by banks due to bad credit scores. 
• Without the safety provided by insurance and the probability of borrowers defaulting payments, P2P lending investors may end up losing money. Only invest with money you can afford to lose.

So how can you avoid these risks or minimize them?

1. Set your terms and assess the details of each loan application you receive. 
2. Diversify your investments.
3. If you’re looking to invest through P2P platforms, check everything and read reviews.

There are several peer-to-peer platforms that I personally use and trust, these are:

5. Real Estate Crowdfunding

Real estate crowdfunding is an alternative way for business owners to raise money from a crowd of investors instead of asking one or two investors. It is an opportunity for small-time investors to profit from projects run by private companies, something that would have been impossible before

Now, existing platforms like Groundfloor and Fundrise have bridged the way for anyone who wants to try their luck in real estate. You can start investing in real estate from $10, with an average return of 10.5%. That’s not bad at all. It’s a great way to dip your toes in and see what you’re comfortable with. 

That way, you can slowly build up multiple income-producing assets.

6. REIT Or Real Estate Investment Trust

A REIT is a company that runs, owns, or finances income-producing properties. It allows a qualified person to join the pool of capital investors to profit from real-estate properties without the hassle of running it themselves. 

The profit comes from purchasing properties and then renting or leasing them out to tenants. REITs are required to return 90% of the profits to investors or shareholders, which is why this has a great potential to be an income-producing asset over time.

If you are thinking of working in the real estate industry, check out the best-paying jobs in REITs.

7. Stocks

A stock is also known as equity. Investing in stocks means owning a fraction of a corporation in return for shares. Shareholders have the liberty to sell these shares on the stock market or hold them and just profit from dividends. 

When investing in stocks, you should continually educate yourself about the risks because there are times when value goes down or even crashes entirely. Invest wisely and only what you can afford to lose.

8. Bonds

A bond is like an IOU note or proof that you loaned out money, issued by the government and corporations when they need funds. It becomes a tradable asset because of its monetary value, meaning that people can buy and sell the asset. 

Profiting from bonds is pretty straightforward; a holder can either sell them or wait until the debt matures and collect the payment along with interest. It may sound straightforward, but like any other investment, always consider the risks before investing in bonds.

9. Savings Account 

Saving in a bank is perhaps one of the first lessons we’ve been given as children. These savings accounts incur interest while the money is safely tucked away in a bank or a financial institution. 

However, the interest rate on savings accounts has significantly decreased in the last couple of years, making it less of an income-producing asset. 

You’re allowed to open more than one savings account, meaning that you can separate funds intended for different purposes, making it easier to monitor your savings and manage your spending a lot better.

10. Money Market Savings Accounts

A money market account is a deposit savings account at banks that pay a little higher interest than a savings account. 

The minimum amount required to open a money market savings account is $500 to $1,000. Many are attracted to apply because of its promise of better interest rates than a regular savings account. The account includes other conveniences like check writing and debit card privileges. Part of the things you have to note before opening a money market savings account is the rates.

Let’s put it this way: though these financial institutions allow you to open an account for as small as $500 or $1,000, higher deposits are qualified for more competitive interest-earning options and are usually exempt from fees. 

11. Retirement Savings

Planning your retirement requires decades of effort, but you have options. Plan so that you only have to keep it in the back of your mind and only revisit your strategy when you need updates and reach your goals. 

Setting up a retirement account should be done at the beginning of your career, you may not earn a lot just yet, but the time you have compensates for that. 

You’ll be able to wait and allow your investments to mature. You will want to gain as much interest from your assets as you can until the day you retire; time is required to make the most out of it. 

12. Certificate Of Deposit

What is a certificate of deposit, and how do you earn from it? The easiest way to explain this is by identifying it as a time deposit. A time deposit usually matures after 30 days but take note that you can’t expect to profit from leaving your money in the account for just a short period. Five years is noted to be the maximum duration for an account to earn interest continuously.

The downside is obvious; you can’t access the funds until the money spends the duration you’ve chosen to incur interest, so like in any investment, commit the amount you don’t need in the next couple of years. 

Investing And Leasing Rental Spaces

13. Commercial Spaces For Business Purposes

The first rule on making money is that you have to spend money first. A businessperson requires an ideal space to set up their establishment. There are many potential consumers, and putting up a signboard does at least half the trick to catch consumers’ attention. 

Believe it or not, the size of the place is not always the first thing a tenant looks at when hunting for commercial business spaces; the potential of a location tops the checklist of things to consider.

If you see a commercial property with great potential, you may want to rent it to a business owner and create your income-producing asset. A pro of renting to businesses is that rental contracts are often long-term, which means more stability.

14. Family Homes

Renting out family homes is more common than we think. When a situation presents itself, you may want to think about moving from the house you own and renting it out. It is an ideal alternative compared to simply selling the property off, especially if you can cover the expenses of having an additional property.

This is an option if the owner still wants to hold on to the property even after moving out; the rent will cover the expenses for occasional maintenance on the property and provide for a decent side income.

15. Apartments or Multi-Residential Spaces 

The difference between renting out family homes and multi-residential spaces is that the latter has more asset potential. 

Renting out a family home is an available option for a person who happens to own a house that no one lives in. 

Apartments and multi-residential spaces are more like business ventures; you plan, set up to invest, build and commercialize the spaces for the absolute purpose of profiting on the properties for a long time.

16. Renting Out Private Open Land For Different Purposes

You can do a lot with an open piece of land. You can hold a night market; it can become an open venue for events, a weekend open restaurant, grow plants and crops, and even raise poultry. These are options you can start yourself, especially the farming side, but if you’re busy and don’t have time for any of that, then you can always do a short-term lease on your open land. 

This rental setup suggests a high turnover. You don’t have to spend extra on anything to prepare the area before leasing it out. If you include in the agreement that the tenants have to clean up after themselves, it can be one of the most convenient and hassle-free earning options anyone can have. 

17. Self-Storage Facilities

Another investment that interests people who are in the real estate business is building and renting out storage facilities. Self-storage facilities are quite profitable and have an estimated annual ROI average of 17% from 2009 to 2018. Compared to real estate, the cost of materials for self-storage is much cheaper. 

Aside from the high demand for storage units, parking, garbage, and plumbing problems will never be an issue.

18. Invest In Selling Or Providing Necessities

So which businesses can be considered as income-producing assets? You can always start small but be sure that there is demand for whatever commodity you have in mind. A few good examples would be:

• Opening up a small store in a good location, selling necessities like food and household items.
• If you have a farm, consider becoming a local supplier of products that you have available.
• Skills are also defined as assets. You can start a company and hire other people who work in the same field and offer your services as a collective.
• Offering to teach short courses on special skills like cooking, baking, crafts, the basics of farming, etc. Especially if you have a certificate or license, people will be interested in learning livelihood skills.

When everyone has been limited to some extent, a lot of people stepped out of their comfort zones to make a living, and entrepreneurs successfully opened up small businesses revolving around the niche of necessity. 

19. Self-Service Businesses

First, you won’t need to spend on an army of staff to run the place; you can focus your resources on purchasing the best equipment you can afford and setting up the proper security system. 

Secondly, for example, laundromats. Many people can’t help but rely on laundry services for their clothes because they simply don’t have the time to do their laundry at home. Laundromats are usually open 24/7. This means that even the busiest person can just go and do their chores during the hours most convenient for them. It will be a service that’s always necessary, and you can run without much time from your side. 

20. Delivery And Transport Services

Convenience is a great commodity; it is the obvious selling point of delivery and transport services. It was just mail or food in the beginning, now you can have almost anything transported to your doorstep or any place you choose. 

Platforms like DoorDash and Uber allow anyone to apply as a driver or delivery courier; if you are of legal age, can drive or ride a bike, and present a permit, you’d already be halfway approved.

Even professionals like lawyers, teachers, and accountants work for platforms like DoorDash and Uber during their spare hours; it’s an excellent way to earn extra cash on the side.

You can check Postmates Vs. DoorDash – Best Side Hustles For Drivers and our DoorDash review for ideas.

Earn Money With DoorDash

Other Assets That Should Be Considered

21. Education And Human Capital

Learning is always beneficial. A person’s level of education and skills are essential factors in economic growth. Governments, companies, and corporations are willing to invest in human capital by offering affordable or free education with the understanding that everyone gains from it. We all have the potential, but many simply lack the resources to send themselves through school.

Education and experience are intangible assets that increase a person’s economic value; it simply means the more you understand the nature of your job and how to go about it, the better offers and opportunities will come your way. 

22. Settle Your Debts

It’s not only for your peace of mind, but it’s almost as beneficial as being qualified to work and earn in many fields. There will be times when we have to rely on loans from financial institutions or another person’s good grace to either get by in a crisis or start a life-changing business. 

If you are someone whose words are good as gold and can back it up with a shiny credit score, opportunities and a golden pass through sudden financial needs won’t be the only things you can expect, and the perks of getting the first pick on premium offers. 

Try Credit Sesame for your financial debt needs. Read more on our full Credit Sesame review and how it will help you track and monitor your finances.

Closing Thoughts – Income Producing Assets

Before investing in anything, it’s advisable to read about the different kinds of assets. The lack of knowledge is the first reason why investors experience loss. 

Educate yourself. Understand first if this investment is aligned with your current status and future goals in life. 

Investments are like tests; the more you study them, the more prepared and equipped you are to succeed.

Have control and confidence in your decisions, especially if financial freedom is your goal. If business experts had the time to sit every aspiring entrepreneur out there, one of the common pieces of advice they will give you is to stick to what you know. It will be easier for you to develop innovative ideas that could become your ticket to success.