Let’s be honest—we all love finding new ways to bring in a little extra cash. There’s just something exciting about it. And while the idea of earning money without clocking in more hours is appealing, it’s not always easy to figure out how to make that happen—especially if you’re a mature woman with a full schedule and no time for trial and error. That’s why we put together 7 passive income ideas that actually work for busy women over 50 and are designed to fit in with your life—not add more to your plate.
To help with our roundup, we reached out to Bobbi Rebell, the founder and CEO of Financial Wellness Strategies and author of the Financial Grownup books. With her wealth of experience in personal finance—particularly when it comes to helping women build smarter money habits—Rebell offers practical, no-fluff advice and breaks down several passive income ideas for women over 50 who want to boost their earnings without taking on another full-time job.
Check out everything she suggests below. Then select one that you’re most drawn to and that will fit in best with your lifestyle to try it out yourself. You might be so happy with the outcome that you’ll end up taking on more than just one or even suggesting some to your friends so they can start making some cash on the side too.
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7 Best Passive Income Ideas for Women Over 50
1. Sell Your Photography Online
Whether you use photography as a hobby or were once a professional photographer, you can use that love of images to your advantage.
“One passive income option is to sell images to stock photography platforms,” Rebell reveals. “You can then license your photos to their clients for a fee. You get royalties when your images are purchased and downloaded—voila. By age 50 you no doubt have an endless stream of photos—maybe of trips you have taken and experiences you have had that can be uploaded and turned into an income stream.”
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2. Consider a Bond Ladder
You might be wondering what a bond ladder even is; if that’s you, this might not be the route to go. But for clarity, a bond ladder is a “combination of fixed income securities, such as bonds and notes, with varying maturity rates,” per a Charles Schwab YouTube video.
“The idea of a bond ladder is to spread out the risk by buying bonds with staggered maturity rates to create a steady stream of predictable income while smoothing out the risk,” Rebell explains.
Because this method is “predictable and reliable and manages interest rate risk.” it serves as a “great passive income option” for the right people (including busy women over 50).
“You aren’t locking up all your money at one rate. Because the bonds mature at different times if rates go up, you will soon have money freed up to invest at a higher rate,” she explains. “If rates go down, you will still have a good part of your money invested in bonds that were bought at higher rates. The flexibility and interest rate management are built in by the very nature of the investment strategy. Most of all, you know exactly what the return will be so this is not just passive income, but also predictable income.”
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3. Take Part in Peer-to-Peer Lending
Feeling generous and want to make some passive income? This might be right for you, then.
“Peer-to-peer lending is when people lend money directly to other individuals, usually using an online platform. The lender then earns interest on the money they lend,” Rebell tells Parade. “It can be a good passive income idea for busy women 50 and older because P2P lending can really upsize your returns because it pays more.”
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4. Invest in Dividend Stocks
“Dividend stocks distribute part of their profits to shareholders in the form of dividends that are paid quarterly or annually. This is a solid way to make passive income from a stock without having to sell it for a capital gain,” Rebell notes. “Dividends are a great way to create income for women over 50 because they create cash flow without having to sell their investments in the stock market as they get closer to retirement. You get to keep it all—and you get paid along the way!”
5. Have a High-Yield Savings Account
Another way to earn some passive income is by having a high-yield savings account (HYSA). A lot of popular banks, credit unions and credit card companies have great options for HYSAs, including Barclays, SoFi, Capital One and American Express, per NerdWallet. It’s basically just a savings account with a really high interest rate.
“Put simply, HYSA’s pay higher rates than traditional savings accounts, which many people are in just because they haven’t really thought about changing or moving their accounts,” Rebell says. “They offer safety and security because they are still FDIC-insured, and offer more liquidity than investments that pay similar returns like CD’s. They also help preserve purchasing power, are simple and easy to keep track of and manage, have small or no fees, and will help get women over 50 to their retirement goals faster than a traditional savings account, while keeping risk to a minimum.”
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6. License Music or Voice Overs
Have you ever been told you have a great radio voice or sould go into voice acting? This might be the option for you.
“There is a big market for music and voice overs and if you are creative and talented in this area, it can create a fantastic passive income stream,” Rebell states. “For women over 50 who already have a catalog of music and have experience and talent doing voice overs, or have a special skill or established reputation/personal brand this can be a lucrative way to create cash flow by uploading onto a platform that licenses this kind of content.”
7. Reinvest Dividend Stocks
According to TD, dividend stocks are “shares of companies that pay shareholders a portion of their profits in the form of dividends.”
“Another passive income idea for women over 50 can also be to choose to reinvest dividend stocks if you don’t need the cash immediately,” Rebell explains. “That way, you can accumulate even more stock and in turn get paid even more dividends in the future as your portfolio grows.”
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Source:
- Bobbi Rebell, the founder and CEO of Financial Wellness Strategies and author of the Financial Grownup books.
