Get Paid to Grow Your Savings

Introduction

Wondering how you can save smarter in 2025? This guide reveals 10 simple strategies to grow your money and earn passive income with minimal risk.
In an era of market uncertainty, inflation worries, and AI-fueled side hustles, many people want to know:

What are the best low-risk ways to build savings while earning passive income?

The good news is, there are more options than ever before to grow your savings with minimal risk and little ongoing effort.

In this guide, we’ll break down 10 legitimate, low-risk strategies to help you build financial security, earn passive income, and make the most of your money in 2025 and beyond.

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Open a High-Yield Savings Account (HYSA)

Best for: Risk-free savings growth
Returns: ~4.00%–5.00% APY
FDIC-insured: Yes

High-yield savings accounts are the simplest, safest place to grow your money with zero risk. Online banks like SoFi, Ally, and Marcus by Goldman Sachs offer high interest rates—far better than traditional banks.

Benefits:

• Instant liquidity
• No market risk
• Great for emergency funds or short-term goals

SEO Tip: Use a “best high-yield savings account 2025” roundup to compare rates and promotions.

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Buy U.S. Treasury Bonds or Money Market Funds

Best for: Predictable returns with government backing
Returns: 4%–5% (as of 2025)
Where to buy: TreasuryDirect, Fidelity, Vanguard

Treasury securities (like Series I Bonds or T-bills) are ideal for conservative investors. They’re backed by the U.S. government and offer guaranteed returns, often outpacing inflation.

Money Market Funds:

• Offered by brokerages like Schwab or Vanguard
• Invest in short-term, low-risk securities
• Offer higher returns than checking accounts

Pro tip: Ladder multiple bonds or CDs for steady monthly income.

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Invest in Fractional Real Estate

Best for: Earning passive rental income
Returns: 4%–10% average annually
Risk level: Low to moderate (depends on property performance)

You don’t need to buy a house to invest in real estate. Platforms like:

• Fundrise (real estate portfolios)
• Arrived Homes (buy shares of individual rental properties)
• Groundfloor (short-term property loans)

…let you invest with as little as $10–$100 and get paid monthly or quarterly.

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Automated Index Fund Investing (Set-and-Forget Style)

Best for: Long-term, low-maintenance growth
Returns: 7%–10% historically
Risk level: Low to moderate (diversified)

Index funds like VTI, VOO, and VT give you instant exposure to hundreds or thousands of companies, reducing your overall risk.

Best platforms for auto-investing:

• Vanguard
• Fidelity
• SoFi Invest
• M1 Finance (great for automatic deposits + rebalancing)

Bonus: Enable DRIP (dividend reinvestment) for compounding returns.

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Use Passive Cashback Apps

Best for: Earning while you shop
Returns: 1%–10% on purchases
Risk: None

Passive savings apps help you earn on everyday expenses:

• Rakuten – Up to 10% cashback on online shopping
• Upside – Gas savings and restaurant cashback
• Fetch Rewards – Scan receipts for points and gift cards

Tip: Stack these with cashback credit cards for even more rewards.

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Create a Digital Product or Resource Once, Sell It Forever

Best for: Passive income after initial setup
Returns: Varies – $50–$1,000+/month
Risk level: Low (mainly time investment)

Write an ebook, design printables, or create a digital template and sell it on:

• Etsy
• Gumroad
• Amazon KDP
• Teachers Pay Teachers

Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Canva to help speed up content creation without sacrificing quality.

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Open a Certificate of Deposit (CD) Ladder

Best for: Saving with higher fixed interest
Returns: 4%–5% APY (as of 2025)
FDIC-insured: Yes

CDs offer guaranteed returns, but your money is locked in. By “laddering” them, you can spread your investment across different terms (e.g., 3 months, 6 months, 1 year) for flexibility.

Great for:

• Retirees
• Conservative savers
• Predictable short-term income

Use Case: Combine CD ladders with HYSAs for tiered savings strategies.

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Invest with a Robo-Advisor

Best for: Set-it-and-forget-it investing
Returns: Varies with portfolio
Platforms: Betterment, Wealthfront, SoFi

Robo-advisors build and manage a custom portfolio for you based on your risk level and goals.

Features:

• Automatic rebalancing
• Tax-loss harvesting
• Goal tracking

They’re ideal for people who want to invest but don’t want to spend hours researching the market.

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Refer and Earn with Bank and Fintech Promotions

Best for: Fast bonus money
Returns: $50–$500 per signup
Risk level: None

Many apps offer referral or sign-up bonuses when you open an account or refer a friend:

• Chime, SoFi, Robinhood, and PayPal frequently offer cash bonuses
• Stack multiple promotions for big one-time payouts
• Sites like BankBonus.com list up-to-date offers

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Automate All of It

The real key to building low-risk wealth? Automation.

Set and forget:

• Weekly savings transfers
• Monthly index fund investments
• Dividend reinvestment
• Robo-advisor contributions

This takes emotion and guesswork out of the equation—while letting your money grow on autopilot.

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Final Thoughts: Saving Doesn’t Have to Be Risky—or Hard

You don’t need to be a finance expert, take huge risks, or start a business to grow your money.

By stacking these low-risk passive income strategies—from HYSAs to index funds, cashback apps to fractional real estate—you can build serious savings over time with minimal stress.

Start small. Be consistent. Let time do the heavy lifting.