8 Low-Effort Ways to Make Passive Income (You Can Start This Week)
By Luke Rodas
Earning passive income doesn’t need to be difficult. You can start this week.
Most of the time, if you want to earn money, you have to work for it. That’s kind of the whole arrangement we’ve all agreed upon. Unless, that is, we’re talking about passive income. It’s right there in the name — it’s passive. You can earn money while you’re sleeping, hanging out with your friends or just living your day-to-day life.
And it doesn’t have to be some difficult far-fetched scheme, either. These are some of the lowest-effort ways we’ve ever seen to earn passive income. You can start these as soon as this week:
1. Protect Your Portfolio With Precious Metals — And Get Up to $20K in Free Metals
If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that market disruptions can come out of nowhere and impact your retirement savings.
That’s why many people invest in precious metals to diversify and protect their wealth: Precious metals often rise in value during uncertain economic times.
One option is a precious metals IRA through a company called Thor Metals Group — right now, you can even get up to $20,000 in free metals on qualifying purchases.
Opening an account is easy, and you can roll over funds from existing retirement accounts or buy gold and silver directly from Thor Metals Group.
If you decide to sell your precious metals in the future, Thor Metals Group offers a no-fee buy-back program. Plus, they have an A rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Want to diversify and safeguard your investments? It’s easy to get started here and get your free report. Plus, you could get up to $20,000 in free metals on qualifying purchases — and, you’ll pay no account fees for 2026.
2. Teach Your Kids to Be Financially Savvy — And to Grow Their Money More Than 8x Faster Every Month
Now that you’ve built healthy savings of your own, you’ll want to make sure your children are headed down the same path. Teaching kids to manage money isn’t always simple — but Cash App Families makes it easier.
Plus, they’ll earn 3.25% interest* — that’s more than eight times faster than the average savings account (which pays just 0.40%1).
Cash App Families is a feature within Cash App that allows teens ages 13 to 17 to use the app with approval from an eligible parent or guardian.** Your teen gets access to a fast, secure way to send and receive money, and you get a detailed, real-time view of their transactions, balances, and spending habits.
Parents can also help teens build financial skills like investing*** — starting with as little as $1. You control investing permissions and Cash App Card spending, allowing you to set limits and help ensure responsible use.
Ready to help your teen explore spending, saving, and investing — all while earning 3.25% interest?* Download the app here to get started.
3. Grow Your Money More Than 10x Faster
If you’re keeping your money in a traditional savings account, you’re missing out on some serious growth. You need an account that lets you earn competitive interest on your everyday balance.
With a Langley High Yield Savings Account, you’ll earn 3.60% — that’s more than 10 times the national average interest on a savings account, which pays just 0.33% APY, according to the NCUA*.
The Langley High Yield Savings Account has no fees, no minimums, and your money is insured up to $250,000.
Want to start growing your money more than 10 times faster? It only takes a few minutes to open an account.
4. Earn Guaranteed Growth on Your Retirement Savings
This one’s almost too easy. If you’re keeping your savings in a traditional savings account, it’s probably not doing much for you. In fact, the latest numbers from the FDIC show that the average savings account only pays 0.39% APY.*
If you want to grow your money faster — 13 times faster* — one option you might consider is the Gainbridge® FastBreak™ annuity. You’ll earn up to APY** on this annuity, which comes with a self-managed platform and the ability to withdraw your money without a tax penalty before age 59 1/2.
An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company that promises you a future payout in regular installments, usually monthly and often for life. The Gainbridge® FastBreak™ annuity comes in three to 10 year terms, in premiums of $1,000 to $1 million, and you’re able to withdraw up to 10% of the account value each year.**
The FastBreak™ annuity is self-directed, easy to set up and comes with 30 days to cancel your contract if you change your mind.
Want to start growing your money 13 times faster than if you kept it in a savings account? Get started here to start earning up to APY**.
5. Your Savings Could Grow Up to 21x Faster
Most people have a savings account. But too many people keep their money in a traditional savings account, where they’re missing out on serious growth.
With an AlumniFi High-Yield Savings Account, your savings can earn up to 4.00% APY,* which is 21 times higher than the average credit union savings account (which pays just 0.15% APY*)‡.
Even better? AlumniFi keeps things simple. There is no minimum balance, no monthly maintenance or overdraft fees, and you’ll have access to more than 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs.
Your deposits are also federally insured to at least $250,000, and the account is backed by MSU Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the country.
If your current savings account isn’t earning much, switching to a high-yield option could help your money grow faster. Get started here and watch your money grow.
6. Get Up to $3,000 in Free Stock Just For Investing
Your savings are looking great. But don’t rest on your laurels just yet. Now that you’ve built up some cushion, it’s a great time to make sure you’re putting your money to work.
When you invest with SoFi Active Invest, you can earn up to $3,000 just for opening and funding an account. All you have to do is open and fund a new account within 45 days.
Once you open your account, you’ll get access to commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs, plus you can buy fractional shares of your favorite companies. Unlike other platforms, SoFi® has no account minimums and no hidden fees, so you’ll keep more of what you earn.
It takes just a few minutes to open an account. Get started here and fund your account within 45 days to earn up to $3,000.
7. Pocket an Extra $325 When You Open This Checking Account
Keeping your cash in the right place is one of the easiest ways to earn some passive income.
When you open a new Wells Fargo Everyday Checking account, you can earn a $325 bonus. All you have to do is make $1,000 or more in qualifying direct deposits within 90 days of opening the account. After the 90-day qualification period, Wells Fargo will deposit your bonus within 30 days, as long as you’ve met the requirements.
You’ll also get FDIC insurance, 24/7 fraud monitoring, and access to an app with a 4.9-star rating.
Want to add an extra $325 to your wallet? It takes just minutes to open an account.
8. Stop Wasting $1,100 on Your Car Insurance
Odds are, you’re probably paying way too much for your car insurance every month. And it can seriously add up — to the tune of $1,100 a year.
Fortunately, Insurify lets you compare all your car insurance options at once — and it can save you up to $1,100 a year.
Just enter some basic details about your car and background, you’ll get customized quotes you can review on your own time and from the comfort of home.
Ready to cut your car insurance bill? It’s easy to get started here and see how much you can save.
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Bottom Line
Earning passive income doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be as easy as making sure you’re using one of the best checking, savings and CD accounts of 2026.
Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See Terms & Conditions.
*Cash App will pass through a portion of the interest paid on your savings balance held in an account for the benefit of Cash App customers at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. To earn the highest interest rate on your Cash App savings balance, you need to (a) have a Cash App Card or sponsor one or more sponsored accounts and receive at least $300 in paycheck direct deposits each month; or (b) have a sponsored account with sponsor approval to earn interest. Exceptions may apply. Savings yield rate is subject to change.
1The national average savings account interest rate is 0.40% APY, according to the FDIC, as of Sept. 15, 2025.
**To view the eligibility requirements for sponsoring a teen, please visit the Sponsored Accounts section of the Cash App Terms of Service.
***Brokerage services provided by Cash App Investing LLC, member FINRA/SIPC, subsidiary of Block, Inc. Investing is a non-deposit, non-bank product that is not FDIC insured and involves risk, including monetary loss. Block, Inc. is not a member of FINRA or SIPC. For additional information, see the Cash App Investing disclosures. Fractional shares investing may involve additional risks such as non-transferability. For additional information regarding the unique risks and limitations of fractional shares, please see your Investing Customer Account Agreement.
*NCUA Credit Union and Bank Rates.
**The national average savings account interest rate is 0.39% APY, according to the FDIC, as of Jan. 20, 2026.
**Gainbridge®: Annuity rates are subject to change at any time, and the rate mentioned may no longer be current. Please visit Gainbridge.io for current rates, full product disclosures and disclaimer. Withdrawals above the 10% free withdrawal amount are subject to a withdrawal charge and market-value adjustment. FastBreak™ is issued by Gainbridge Life Insurance Company in Zionsville, Indiana. FastBreak™ is not a tax-deferred annuity; instead, it is taxed annually.
AlumniFi: *APY = Annual Percentage Yield. See full rates and terms at alumnifi.org/rates.
‡Competitor’s checking account with a 0.15% APY – $2,500 average based on the credit unions national average rate, as of 12/26/25, as reflected on NCUA Credit Union and Bank Rates.
*Wiser Advisor: Americans with a financial advisor expect to retire two years earlier according to Northwestern Mutual’s Planning & Progress Study
*SoFi: Probability of Member receiving $3,000 is a probability of 0.026%; If you don’t make a selection in 45 days, you’ll no longer qualify for the promo. Customer must fund their account with a minimum of $50.00 to qualify. Probability percentage is subject to decrease.
Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view SoFi’s fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees
There are limitations with fractional shares to consider before investing. During market hours fractional share orders are transmitted immediately in the order received. There may be system delays from receipt of your order until execution and market conditions may adversely impact execution prices. Outside of market hours orders are received on a not held basis and will be aggregated for each security then executed in the morning trade window of the next business day at market open. Share will be delivered at an average price received for executing the securities through a single batched order. Fractional shares may not be transferred to another firm. Fractional shares will be sold when a transfer or closure request is initiated. Please consider that selling securities is a taxable event.
INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE
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