Ever since the economic recession of 2012, banks have been more strict with who they lend money to. This has had the effect of boosting the peer-to-peer lending economy. To borrow on a P2P site, you still have to have a decent credit score. But it cuts out the middleman, so borrowers get better terms while lenders get better rates paid back.
If you’re looking to make investments under $25,000 dollars, Lending Club or Prosper are the sites you’ll want to check out. Other websites require you to be an accredited investor, which means your net worth is $1 million or above. They also have higher minimum investment requirements. You can get started with Prosper for as little as $25, while Lending Club requires you to invest $1000. We chose P2P lending for our Side Hustle Master List because if you have a little extra cash, you might as well have it do some work for you.
Concept | |
category | Financial |
Takeaways | Many online sites allow easy facilitation of this. |
complexity lowhigh | Capital Required lowhigh |
skill required lowhigh | time required lowhigh |
return potential lowhigh |
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What Can You Make?
Lending money is always risky. Some sites provide insured notes and will pay your money back if the borrower defaults on the loan, but not all of them. It’s important to do your research beforehand and make sure you know all the rules. With Lending Club, 99% of investors who put in $1000 in diversified got a positive return. The site has an average interest rate of 7% over 60 months. So if you invest $1000, you’ll be paid back in monthly installments over those 60 months and receive $1188 total in return. This kind of investing is a little more secure than short term stock market investing and obviously works better with more money. It’s a complex side hustle, so be sure to check out the links below for more information.