Stealth Mode: Unlock These 8 Money-Making Secrets

Do you know how to make money with your phone? Do you know how to get income from your driveway? Do you know how to slash your car insurance bill? Do you know how to kill off your credit card bills?

All around you, right now, there are ways to both make and save money that you probably didn’t know existed. Uncover them and you could end up thousands richer every year.

Following are a bunch of ways to make and save money you’ve never thought of before.

Not all these tips will apply to you, but some will, so read them all.

1. Diversify your wealth with gold

If a large part of your savings is in the stock market — as it should be — you’re well aware that what goes up can also go down. You can’t control the market, but you can hedge against uncertainty by having other forms of wealth.

One of the best ways to protect your savings is diversification. Keep money in different types of investments, ideally ones that go up when others are going down. For example, stocks tend to do poorly when inflation and interest rates are rising and there’s political turmoil brewing.

But there’s one investment that thrives in this scenario: gold.

Be careful who you deal with, though. Lots of companies in the gold business are pretty shady and won’t hesitate to sell you gold and silver at vastly inflated prices.

Goldco, on the other hand, has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, an AAA rating from Business Consumer Alliance, and 4.8 to 5 stars on Trustpilot, TrustLink, Google Reviews and ConsumerAffairs. They offer just about everything, from precious-metal IRAs to gold coins and gold bars.

You’ll even receive up to $10,000 in free silver on qualified purchases. If you’ve ever thought about investing in gold, why not take a look?

2. Grow your money with professional help

To properly manage your money, work with a professional – it’s totally worth it. If you’re not doing this, you could be missing out on some serious financial gains.

A Vanguard study found that, on average, a hypothetical $500,000 investment over 25 years would grow to $1.7 million if you manage it yourself, but more than $3.4 million if you work with a financial adviser. That’s twice as much!

If you’ve got at least $100,000 in investments, check out a free service called SmartAsset. You fill out a short questionnaire and instantly get matched with up to three vetted financial advisers in your area, all legally bound to work in your best interests.

Even if you don’t want help picking investments, an adviser can help lower your tax burden, create a comprehensive financial plan for you, maximize your Social Security, and serve as a second pair of eyes to make sure you’re on the right track.

Using SmartAsset only takes a few minutes, and in many cases you’ll be offered a free consultation.

Please carefully review the methodologies employed in the Vanguard white paper, “Putting a value on your value: Quantifying Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha.”

3. Have this company pay off your credit card debt

Worrying about debt is probably the worst way you can spend your time, and paying interest and late fees is the worst way you can spend your money.

If you’ve got a problem, the sooner you deal with it, the better.

National Debt Relief is one of the most respected providers of debt relief in the U.S.

They’ve helped more than 500,000 people, are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau and also are top-rated by Top Consumer Reviews, Top Ten Reviews, ConsumersAdvocate.org and ConsumerAffairs.

You simply fill out a form on the company website, then a debt coach will call you to learn more about your situation. If they can help you, they’ll set you up with an affordable plan that works for you — and give you an estimate of when you can expect to be debt-free. There’s no upfront fee and no obligation to get started.

National Debt Relief can help you with almost any unsecured debt, like credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, repossessions … even some student loan debt. Ready to start a new, happier chapter of your life?

4. Pay 25% interest on a credit card? Seriously?

The average credit card interest rate these days is approaching 25% — a record high. Sounds like what a loan shark would charge, doesn’t it?

Never borrow recklessly, but when it’s time, do it right. Take advantage of much lower rates by borrowing against your home. Use that loan — with rates as low as 6.75% — to fix up your house, to pay off high-interest debt or for any other purpose (besides financing a lifestyle you can’t afford).

That’s a fraction of what credit cards charge, and will literally save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

How do you shop for the best deal? Simple: Head to a loan shopping site like Rocket Mortgage. They’ve eliminated most of the hoops you had to jump through in the past, so it only takes a couple of minutes to see how much you could get.

5. Don’t pay retail, save 10%-30% on everything you buy

Let’s face it, shopping online is more convenient than going to a store. Plus, you’re more likely to find a deal, promotion, or coupon code and quickly cross-reference prices at several different retailers to save money.

Want to make that process even easier? Try Capital One Shopping. This handy-dandy tool alerts you when a deal on an item you’re buying is available. Talk about effortless. All you have to do is add it as a browser extension, and it’ll search the internet for coupon codes to apply during checkout.

That’s not all. It also compares prices across the internet and will notify you when the item you’re purchasing is cheaper elsewhere. It’s free, and you don’t need to be a Capital One customer to use it. It’s just a friendly tool trying to save you money online. Find better bargains now.

6. Make money on your phone

Whenever you’re killing time on your phone, you could be making money from these companies:

Blackout Bingo for iPhone puts a competitive spin on the classic game and pays real cash prizes. Put your concentration and strategy to the test in big tournaments and head-to-head matchups.

Branded Surveys has a user-friendly platform that allows you to complete surveys on any device. You’ll earn rewards for each survey completed, and these can be redeemed for gift cards, PayPal cash or sweepstakes entries.

Survey Junkie partners with market research companies to listen to your honest opinions and learn how you spend your time and money. You can earn as much as $40 monthly if you complete three surveys daily.

KashKick is a rewards website that will pay you for completing specific tasks like trying a new app or game, taking surveys, or watching videos. Surveys range from 15 cents to $2 each, so your earnings add up quickly.

7. Save up to $610 on car insurance

If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably paying too much for car insurance. But shopping around for a better deal is such a hassle.

Well, it used to be.

Now you can just check out Provide Insurance, the largest online marketplace for insurance in the U.S. Provide Insurance lets you compare quotes from more than 175 different carriers in minutes.

All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself and your driving history. Then Provide will show you the best options for your needs and budget.

You could save up to $610 a year on car insurance by using Provide Insurance. That’s money you could use for other things, like investing, saving or paying off debt.

Don’t let your current insurer overcharge you. Try Provide Insurance today and see how much you can save on car insurance.

8. Make money renting your driveway or extra space

Do you have room in your garage, driveway, basement or attic? Would you like to earn some extra cash? Then check out Neighbor. It’s like Airbnb, but instead of hosting people, you just store their stuff for them.

You can potentially earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars in passive income this way, and Neighbor makes it easy. It connects homeowners with people who need storage space for less than the rates that commercial storage places or parking garages charge. You set your own prices, although Neighbor suggests guidelines for you.

You review renters’ requests, and how much stuff you store is up to you. You can stash a few boxes in a closet, or keep someone’s belongings in a room or a shed.

You can think even bigger. If you have the space, you can make money storing vehicles, RVs or boats. Your earnings depend on where you’re located, but most driveways rent for $100 to $150 a month.

You’re allowed to inspect anything you store, and reject anything you don’t want on your property. Neighbor insures you for up to $1 million if your home gets damaged or someone gets hurt moving their stuff in.

Neighbor handles the payments and automatically deposits them into your account each month. They take a 5% cut, but listing your space or driveway is free.

Bonus: Get free, expert advice on everything money-related

What’s free and gives you tips to spend less, make more and avoid rip-offs? The Money Talks Newsletter. Every day we provide free tips and tricks that will make you richer. And it doesn’t cost a dime.

Our more than 1 million subscribers report saving an average of $941 with our simple, direct advice.

Click here to sign up. It only takes two seconds. And if you don’t like it, it only takes two seconds to unsubscribe. Don’t worry about spam: We never share your email address.

Try it. You’ll be glad you did!