April 2021 saw a fascinatingly creepy trend emerge into the mainstream. Sleep streaming - where influencers keep the cameras rolling all night long as they doze off.
In one month alone, the phenomenon racked up more than 2 million viewing hours on social media platform Twitch.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s making some sleepy streamers extremely wealthy. 26 year old ‘Asian Andy’, as he calls himself, reportedly generated $16,000 in a single snooze session. Another streamer, Ludwig, made an eye-watering $1.4 million over a month of non-stop day and night voyeuristic viewership.
So, how can you make money in your sleep? If surreal streaming or clinical sleep studies are not your cup of tea, we have an alternative (and much less intrusive) suggestion.
Put your money to work while you sleep
World-renowned investor Warren Buffet famously said, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you’ll be working until you die”. And that quote is really what inspired this article.
Ironically, billionaire Warren Buffet, better known as the Oracle of Omaha, is still working at the age of 90. But he could easily afford to retire. Worth an estimated $108 billion, his approach to investing made him extremely rich. This is one person who knows the value of putting your money to work while you sleep.
Because, as you switch off your nightlight and snuggle into sleep, somewhere else in the world another person like you is waking up for the day. While you drift into dreamland, bustling businesses are opening. Tills are clanging and pinging into life. Online shopping carts are clicked along to the checkouts by eager buyers.
From the vibrant smells and colours of a spice market in Mumbai, to the glittering and gleaming department store skyscrapers in New York, money is changing hands. Businesses are growing, and profits are being made.
Over $226 billion is traded on the global stock market every day, according to NASDAQ. By investing in the stock market, you can be a part of that. Best of all, you can benefit while you sleep.
How to make money with a passive investing approach
There are many ways to invest, and a myriad of different styles. Each approach can be as unique as the investor.
But if we’re going for the way which requires the minimum effort and energy, passive investing could be a great option for busy (or sleepy!) people.
Passive investors generally buy funds. These are collections of investments which have been bundled together by fund managers and then sold to investors. The most popular type are called Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), but some investors swear by Mutual Funds and other types instead, so have a good look around.
Funds are a good quick n’ easy solution, because you can get between 5 – 500 companies for the price of a single share. This gives you a lot of bang for your buck, plus it opens more opportunities for your savings to grow.
Funds are quite straightforward to find and buy. Just head over to a trading website, such as Vanguard or Hargreaves Lansdown and take a look at what’s available. You should be able to use filter options to find your ideal funds and check the companies (called “holdings”) before you buy.
Try to get a good mix of different asset classes, sectors and locations in your investment portfolio. This helps to spread the risk, while giving you more chance of catching a market uptick. You don’t want to be missing out on the next big trend because your portfolio was undiversified.
If you’re based in the UK, a Stocks and Shares ISA platform is probably the most tax-efficient option for you. Both Vanguard and Hargreaves Lansdown offer this.
(Want to know more? Check out our article on the 11 Do's and Don'ts of Investing)
How to become a passive investor in less than half an hour
Buying funds is great, but it does require some time and research. If you’re after something a little less hands-on, the simplest and most hassle-free way to become an investor is with a ready-made investment portfolio. You can easily create one online, or with an app. The whole thing usually takes less than half an hour.
There are many ready-made stocks and shares ISAs available.
Some of our favourites include:
Wealthify’s Ethical Stocks and Shares ISA
Hargreaves Lansdown ready-made portfolio
The process of setting up an account is usually super simple. The platform will prompt you to answer a few questions about what style of investing you’d prefer and your timeline. From there, it will match you with a ready-made portfolio. If you’re comfortable to go ahead, you simply transfer the money, and a qualified investment manager will take it from there. You’ll normally be able to keep an eye on your performance, withdraw money and make changes online.
The platform will take a small fee, which normally comes to less than the price of a latte each month, but it depends how much you want to invest.
If you’re keen to get started, but too busy to research your own investments, ready-made portfolios are usually the most efficient way forward. Before you go ahead however, do ensure that your investment platform is registered on the FCA website. This means it should also be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme too (FSCS).
And of course, do not invest a lot of money if you can’t afford it. You’re much more likely to get good results if you leave your investments for at least five years, so it’s much better to invest what you can afford over the long-term. As the adage goes, it’s “time in the market, not timing the market” that works.
Earn money and Zzzz….
Setting up a ready-made investment plan or creating your own passive investment portfolio doesn’t come without risks, but it is probably one of the best ways to make money in your sleep. At least, we much prefer it to creepy sleep streaming … Gahhh, does anyone else have the heebie-jeebies?
Switching the camera off and enjoying a blissful night’s slumber while your money works for you is definitely our preference.
Sweet dreams!
Disclaimer
AllBright cannot guarantee that all of the information provided in this video or article is accurate. Use the information provided on our website at your own risk. If you wish to make an investment you should seek independent financial advice before doing so, and ensure that you have carried out your own research on the product or company that you are investing in. Any advice provided is not tailored to anyone’s individual situation, as each individual is in a different situation. AllBright does not accept any liability whatsoever for any action taken or losses incurred as a result of the information provided on our site.