Are you wondering how to turn 50k into $100k? Or do you even have more to invest like $75K, $80K, $85K, or $90K to make even more than six figures?
The basic concept of investing involves using money to grow your wealth. From there, it’s all about how you approach growing your profits.
Which investments do you choose and how much risk are you comfortable with? For some, increasing their income potential with timely small investments has led to historic dividends down the road.
If you’ve found a way to make $50,000 and now have a small nest egg or sum of savings and want to build your wealth, diversifying is one of the most common ways to boost your efforts. Our guide includes a number of investments you can make to turn your $50,000 into a yearly income you can depend on.
While many of them vary in terms of how much time you’ll need to invest, they all contribute to a higher income potential in the end.
Are you ready to make your money work for you, rather than the other way around? Let’s get started.
30 Different Ways to Turn $50K into $100K
We've gone over ways to double $10K quickly, but let's think bigger. With the right investments and a goal-oriented mindset, it’s possible to turn $50,000 into $100,000.
1. Invest in an Index Fund
An index fund is a type of mutual fund that is risk-adjusted. Index funds can act as a micro-investing venture, as many investors prefer them for their low trading fees.
There are a few ways to make money by investing in index funds:
- Capital gains: When the value of the index fund increases, you can sell your shares for a profit. This is the most common way to make money from index funds, and it is achieved by investing for the long term.
- Dividends: Many index funds track stock indexes, and these stocks often pay dividends to shareholders. Dividends are a regular income stream that you can receive from your investment.
- Reinvestment of dividends: When you reinvest your dividends, you are using them to buy more shares of the index fund. This can help you to grow your investment more quickly.
There are many online brokers who specialize in index funds, such as Acorns, and Robinhood.
2. Invest in Mutual Funds
Want to invest 50k? Mutual funds are a safe bet, in the long run. Mutual funds are a collection of stocks you purchase for a low fee, and are typically an investment you hold onto for years at a time. You can find mutual funds with the help of a financial advisor or an automated investment service. Many finance management apps can also help you put together a portfolio.
To learn more, check out our mutual funds guide.
3. Invest in ETFs
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, allow you to purchase several stocks at once through a single investment. ETFs are typically easy to invest in, as they incur low fees and trade at prices close to or under fair market values.
4. Invest in Dividend Stocks
The average return on a dividend stock can vary from 0.5% to 12%. Dividend stocks allow you to share in the profits of a particular company each quarter or annually. You can use a dividend tracker to manage your dividend stocks.
5. Invest in an IPO
IPOs are classified as the “initial public offering” of a stock. This occurs when a company first offers shares to the public, and is not as common as it used to be. Many investors consider IPOs to be risky, but there is potential for large profits.
You can find IPOs through automated investment services, finance management apps, and/or brokerage websites.
6. Open a High-Yield Savings Account
Passive income is one of the best ways to turn your $50,000 investment into $100,000. A high-yield savings account allows you to passively earn a high rate of interest on your savings, meaning as long as you keep your account funded, you earn money.
CIT Bank has some of the best high-yield savings accounts available.
For example, CIT Bank's Platinum Savings Account is a high-yield savings account with a 4.70% annual percentage yield (APY) on balances of at least $5,000. Balances under $5,000 earn only 0.25% APY.
The account has no account opening or maintenance fees, and the minimum initial deposit is only $100. It also offers daily compounding interest, meaning interest is earned on both the principal and any interest accrued.
Other features of the Platinum Savings account include:
- Unlimited transfers and withdrawals each month
- FDIC insured deposits
- Remote deposit checks
- Transfers with the CIT Bank mobile app
To qualify for the highest APY, you'll need to maintain a minimum balance of $5,000. Balances under $5,000 earn only 0.25% APY.
Elevate your savings with CIT Bank's Platinum Savings account, featuring an exceptional 4.70% APY on balances of $5,000 or more—one of the highest rates available. Start with just $100 and enjoy the flexibility of unlimited transfers and withdrawals each month, all without any maintenance fees. Plus, with FDIC insurance and a convenient mobile app, your funds are both secure and easily manageable. Dive into smarter saving today!
7. Participate in Peer-to-Peer Lending
Loaning money to individual borrowers helps them to pay off high-interest debt and/or consolidate debt. This concept of peer-to-peer lending allows you to choose from many types of loans and there’s not necessarily a limit to how much you can make.
8. Invest in Your Future
Educating yourself and adding to your skill set is one of the best investments you can make. Continue your education with training, certifications, and apprenticeships. Consider attending college or taking online courses for free.
Udemy and Skillshare all offer free and paid courses you can take to increase your income potential.
9. Contribute to Retirement Investment Accounts
There’s nothing super exciting about contributing to your 401(k), unless you consider the tax benefits you’ll receive for maxing out your contributions each year. Plus, it’s money you’ll be thankful for when retirement comes.
10. Invest in Real Estate
Here’s another passive income opportunity for you: investing in real estate. There are many ways to invest in real estate, including renovating and selling the properties you purchase. You can also invest in crowdfunding, syndication, wholesaling, and REITs, to name a few.
Besides fixing and flipping homes, you can also invest in real estate with the help of a variety of apps.
These include Fundrise, Arrived, and Ark7.
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11. Take a Cash-Out Refinance
Refinancing your home and taking advantage of the equity you’ve built up can be a great way to obtain collateral for another loan. Many lenders offer different types of loans and corresponding terms. Cash-out refinances are preferred because you can pay them off anytime without incurring a penalty.
12. Purchase a Rental Property
Buying a rental property does require a bit of money upfront. With that said, you can set your own monthly rental rate and choose your tenants, which minimizes risk if you do your homework. Rental properties are also a preferred type of real estate investment because they’re not as affected by the real estate market if it were to drop out. Renters will still need a place to live.
13. Start Your Own Business
Starting your own business has become more common in the past few years than it was previously. This opportunity is great for turning side hustles into your main source of income, though a business plan typically helps. Everyone’s business ideas vary, but you can start while you’re still in college to get the ball rolling for after graduation.
14. Buy an Established Business
Starting a business from scratch can be intimidating, but buying one that’s already set up makes the process a lot easier. Most established businesses have space, employees, and leases already set up so you can manage them properly for the highest returns.
15. Start a Blog
Blogs are one of the best free ways to start earning money. You can create the website how you want it with platforms such as WordPress and Wix, and you can write about whatever makes you happy.
One of the best ways to earn money from a blog is from advertising, hosting fees, paid blog posts, affiliate links, and consulting opportunities. Share your expertise and charge for your time to make money with a blog.
16. Launch a Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to talk about what you’re passionate about. You can dive into a number of topics and the best part is that you’re the ultimate boss, so whatever you choose to do with your podcast is up to you.
Guests help increase the draw of a podcast, so speaking to a lot of different people can help this type of passive income grow.
It’s hard to find anyone these days who isn’t on social media. This makes it the perfect investment opportunity for investors who want to promote products, share their expertise, entertain their audiences, and more.
Most people on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook participate in affiliate marketing to earn extra money. Brands will pay big bucks to get their name in front of a large social media audience, no matter the topic.
18. Develop a Coaching Program
Udemy, Facebook Groups, and YouTube are common ways you can offer your expertise to the world. No matter what subject you teach others about, consider this as a way to earn passive income.
19. Invest in Bonds
Bonds offer fixed-rate interest payments and gain value over time. They are generally considered a safe investment, as the money doesn’t go away if market conditions change. At the same time, you shouldn’t expect the highest rate of return on bonds when compared to other investments.
20. Invest in Money Market Accounts
Money market accounts work similarly to savings accounts, and you can open one up at most banks. However, the best rates can be found at online banks.
A money market account may be an excellent location to store your cash, your emergency fund, a portion of your down payment for a house, or any other significant amount of money.
The best money market accounts strong rates and low fees to help you grow your bank balance.
So what are the best money market accounts to get?
21. Invest in Certificate of Deposits (CDs)
Today's money world is always changing, and it's tough to find investments that are both safe and make good money.
A lot of people like using Certificates of Deposit, or CDs, for this. CDs are popular because they have set high interest rates currently with banks like Quontic and are safer than the up-and-down stock market.
I mean, imagine earning up to 5.30% APY on your savings — this is what a Quontic CD can offer you. It starts with a minimum deposit of just $500, making it accessible for various budgets.
Remember, like most CDs, withdrawing funds before the maturity date can lead to penalties, so it's important to consider how long you can comfortably set aside your savings.
Quontic Bank offers a 12-month certificate of deposit (CD) with a 4.50% annual percentage yield (APY). The minimum deposit is $500, and interest is compounded daily and credited monthly. Quontic CDs are FDIC insured and don't have fees.
22. Flip Products
One man’s broken trash is another man’s source of income. Purchasing products online that you can then fix and flip can go a long way in building your wealth, especially considering the wide range of items to flip, such as household items, furniture, and collectibles.
23. Invest in Small Businesses
If you're interested in investing in small businesses but prefer to start with smaller amounts, crowdfunding platforms can be an excellent choice. You can use websites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo to support businesses by contributing to their startup campaigns in exchange for rewards, typically the product or service the business is launching.
For a more equity-focused investment, platforms like StartEngine allow you to invest money in exchange for a small share of equity in the business. This means you could potentially earn returns based on the company’s performance. These platforms usually provide detailed information about each business, including financials, business plans, and market analysis, helping you make informed decisions.
Remember, while these investments can offer the excitement of supporting a startup, they also carry the risk of loss, as new businesses can face numerous challenges.
24. Take Advantage of Retail Arbitrage
The concept of retail arbitrage is simple, but it does require a bit of research to know what you’re doing. People who partake in retail arbitrage purchase items on clearance at major retailers. They then resell the items on Amazon or eBay at the market price.
There’s no limit to what you can earn with retail arbitrage, depending on what products you find, what prices you find them at, and how much you sell them for.
25. Flip Websites
Websites are critical for ecommerce. Many investors purchase websites in order to grow the traffic and then sell them for profit. You can find websites to invest in through Flippa and EmpireFlippers.
26. Invest in Precious Metals
Investing in tangible assets like gold, silver, and platinum might not earn you pocket money in the short term, but they can be crucial to a solid long-term investment strategy.
27. Invest in Wine
The price of wine is determined by many factors, such as consumer trends, weather patterns, and harvest yields. Vint is a platform you can use to invest in wine, which offers annual returns of 5% to 8%.
28. Invest in Farmland
Buying the farm can have a positive meaning if you want to invest in farmland, which offers average annual returns of 11%. We reviewed AcreTrader, as well as FarmTogether, which are two of the most common platforms used to invest in farmland.
FarmTogether's crowdfunding platform is one of the few ways accredited investors can get exposure to farmland as an asset class. With decent returns and low fees, it is a compelling choice for those looking to diversify their portfolios. The minimum investment amount is $15,000.
29. Invest in Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate differs from residential real estate in a few key ways, but it’s still a solid investment opportunity for the right investor. You can invest in industrial commercial buildings as well as apartment buildings through platforms such as Streitwise.
Streitwise is a real estate investing company that enables investors of all wealth levels the ability to own a portion of commercial real estate through an equity REIT. Investors can now access a professionally-managed, tax-advantaged portfolio of real estate assets with over four years of 7%+ returns and earn passive income.
30. Invest in Art
If you’re not sure how to invest in art, check out our guide on investing in art as a beginner. You can typically expect a return of about 15% on average from investing in art.
YieldStreet offers potential art investors an intuitive platform that simplifies the process. Non-accredited investors can invest a minimum of $10,000 in Yieldstreet's Alternative Income Fund. Yieldstreet funds restrict early withdrawals, but they offer the potential for higher returns compared to traditional market investments.
Traditional investments that were reserved for the ultra-wealthy are now available to you. Wealth professionals recommend allocating 15-20% of your portfolio to alternatives. Diversify your portfolio and earn passive income with investments starting at $10,000.
What to Do Before Investing
Before you take your $50,000 and invest it, you’ll want to make sure you have your financial ducks in a row. Here’s how you can prepare:
- Pay down any debt you have: It’s more difficult to make money if you’re investing it as well as paying off interest. Focus your efforts in one area, in case your investments don’t pan out.
- Set up a budget for investing: Just because you have $50K at your disposal doesn’t mean you should spend it all at once. Come up with a budget that works for you, both in the short and long term.
- Create an emergency fund: Money you invest should only be extended if you’re prepared to lose it. However, you should also have an emergency fund to turn to if things go south.
- Resist the urge to borrow funds for investing: Creating (more) debt to potentially make a profit is not the best investment strategy. It goes hand-in-hand with the idea that you want to pay down your debt first because the fewer commitments you have, the less risk you’ll be taking on with the investments you make.
- Look into cash management accounts: Having both your banking and investing information at your fingertips can simplify the entire management process. Cash management accounts keep everything in one place, so you don’t have to log in across multiple platforms to manage your money.
Learning more about investments and various strategies can also be a great way to prepare. Continue your education by finding ways to increase your investment knowledge.
How Long Does it Take to Turn $50K into $100K
Increasing your initial investment of $50,000 by tenfold, unfortunately, isn’t something that happens overnight. Plan on spending at least a few years building up your wealth, depending of course on what investments you do make.
It’s true that the strategies above include both short- and long-term investments. However, most investments that you do make will be long-term, so plan for patience. There is the chance that you may come across a historic opportunity, but the chances are slimmer than they once were.
Rinse and Repeat: Turn $100K into More
The fact that you can turn $50K into $100K with the right investments makes the whole process pretty exciting. It’s likely that you’ll learn a lot as the months turn into years, but that knowledge you gain could be priceless.
Once you have $100,000, however, there’s nothing stopping you from turning around and repeating the process. You’ll just be starting with an extra zero on the end. Invest your $100K wisely and you could find yourself with more wealth than you ever thought possible.
