Is there a legitimate way to make a meaningful amount of money online that does not involve speaking?

[acepredator]

Recently, I suffered a significant financial setback. I’ve been retired for a number of years, but now I must try to start making money again. For eighteen years I was an English teacher in South Korea and here in Thailand, but at sixty-six years of age, no school would hire me as a teacher. In addition, I suffer from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), which makes speaking increasingly difficult. So even teaching online is not an option.

 

I wonder if any readers know of a legitimate way to make a meaningful amount of money online that does not involve speaking. My extensive research has revealed that there are two kinds of websites: those that appear to be legitimate but pay a miniscule amount of money (watching advertising videos for one cent each, for example), or those that promise thousands of dollars a month, like affiliate marketing (whatever that is). In exchange for such a large monthly income, however, one must pay thousands of dollars up front for training or software. After you’ve paid the money, the promised monthly income doesn’t materialize, and the money back guarantee is not honored. 

 

Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect a significant monthly income without some specialized skill or knowledge, but I’m wondering if something even as small as, for example, five dollars an hour might be possible without such skill or knowledge. Perhaps that’s even too much to ask for. 

 

So any information that anyone can provide pertaining to a legitimate way to make a meaningful amount of money online would be greatly appreciated, not only by me, but also by those readers who might find themselves in a similar unfortunate financial situation.
 

 

 

[timendres]

I have heard of people making money driving ChatGPT on an hourly or project basis.

As far as I know, you only need to type.

A quick Google search show show the possibilities.

[Ohyesuare]

If you've ever used reddit, try the subreddits /r/beermoney or /r/workonline

 

Plenty of ideas there but most are for people residing in US/UK/CA/AU. Any job that requires you to pay anything upfront is a scam so you're correct in being wary of those. Without any specialized skills and not being able to speak, even $5 an hour will be difficult as you will be competing with people who are willing to work for even less than that.

[gearbox]

Depends what skills you have. Look at upwork.com to see what kind of skills people are offering. If you are good in writing you can make reasonable amount of money but need to build a portfolio and reputation first, and that takes time.

[acepredator]

17 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Plenty of ideas there but most are for people residing in US/UK/CA/AU.

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I use a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which allows me to connect to the internet via one or more of the countries that you mentioned, so that's not a problem.

[FriendlyFarang]

31 minutes ago, acepredator said:

Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect a significant monthly income without some specialized skill or knowledge, but I’m wondering if something even as small as, for example, five dollars an hour might be possible without such skill or knowledge. Perhaps that’s even too much to ask for. 

If something doesn't require any skills you are competing for it with people from third world countries where 5$ a day is a good income, so your income would be lower than that.

[SuperSaiyan]

In short, yes, there is.

[acepredator]

6 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

If something doesn't require any skills you are competing for it with people from third world countries where 5$ a day is a good income, so your income would be lower than that.

Very true. I hadn't thought about that. These days, even people in the world's most impoverished countries have computers or at least smart phones. 5$ might be more than they could make doing hours of intense physical labor, so why not use the computer or phone instead? The problem is that the majority of websites are in English, and those impoverished people likely would not have the English language skills to utilize them.

[TheAppletons]

Do you have a rockin' bod?  ONLYFANS beckons.

[oxo1947]

Is there a legitimate way to make a meaningful amount of money online that does not involve speaking?

 

 

Only Fan's .........................

[Ohyesuare]

26 minutes ago, acepredator said:

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I use a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which allows me to connect to the internet via one or more of the countries that you mentioned, so that's not a problem.

It is a problem as VPNs can be easily detected and most money making sites will ban you for using one.

[acepredator]

4 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

Do you have a rockin' bod?  ONLYFANS beckons.

Sad to say, but no I don't have a bod these days that could even remotely be described as rockin'. Forty years ago I was an avid weightlifter and was advised to try male modeling. Those days are but a distant, albeit happy memory. Anything I do online is strictly with the webcam deactivated.

[Seppius]

29 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Depends what skills you have. Look at upwork.com to see what kind of skills people are offering. If you are good in writing you can make reasonable amount of money but need to build a portfolio and reputation first, and that takes time.

18 months ago I would have agreed, but AI has changed everything, it can even write film scripts or whole books these days

 

Same with affiliate marketing, think of a product or idea, it's now been done 1000 times before, starting from scratch even if you learn how to make a website to sell a product, getting it ranked now on Google, is almost impossible.

 

I don't know what the answer is to online income, but DO NOT sign up for a course because that is how they are making money in a kind of pyramid scheme, unless you know plenty of people that will buy the course of you.

 

This guy has some useful free tips, but again it's mostly doing it to promote his course, but he does help you get started

 

https://www.youtube.com/@affiliatemarketingdude

[acepredator]

3 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

It is a problem as VPNs can be easily detected and most money making sites will ban you for using one.

I've been using VPNs for about twenty years, and to my knowledge I've never been detected. I've used them for bank transfers and for selling investments and never had a problem. I don't use the free VPNs, which are completely useless. I pay a fair amount of money for good quality and reliability, which these days means the Avast VPN. 

[acepredator]

12 minutes ago, Seppius said:

18 months ago I would have agreed, but AI has changed everything, it can even write film scripts or whole books these days

 

Same with affiliate marketing, think of a product or idea, it's now been done 1000 times before, starting from scratch even if you learn how to make a website to sell a product, getting it ranked now on Google, is almost impossible.

 

I don't know what the answer is to online income, but DO NOT sign up for a course because that is how they are making money in a kind of pyramid scheme, unless you know plenty of people that will buy the course of you.

 

This guy has some useful free tips, but again it's mostly doing it to promote his course, but he does help you get started

 

https://www.youtube.com/@affiliatemarketingdude

Thanks for the helpful information. It was an interesting video, which I'll follow up on.

[SuperSaiyan]

18 minutes ago, acepredator said:

I've been using VPNs for about twenty years, and to my knowledge I've never been detected. I've used them for bank transfers and for selling investments and never had a problem. I don't use the free VPNs, which are completely useless. I pay a fair amount of money for good quality and reliability, which these days means the Avast VPN. 

 

Can and will be be detected but doesn't mean VPNs aren't allowed - well some merchants require you to turn off any VPNs. But, obviously it is possible to hide the VPN by using own setups.

[SuperSaiyan]

37 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

Do you have a rockin' bod?  ONLYFANS beckons.

 

Or just the length and a girl. Would be enough.

[acepredator]

9 minutes ago, SuperSaiyan said:

 

Or just the length and a girl. Would be enough.

I'm afraid the length is only average. Finding a woman of above average beauty, for a price, is easy enough in Thailand. At my age, however, any photogenic qualities I once had are long gone, so that no one would pay to see any part of my body. Thanks for the suggestion, but OnlyFans is not the answer. 

[advancebooking]

Sorry to hear about your financial situation. Disaster at your age. 

 

My 2 suggestions are a bit daft but here goes

1. Move to Issan - one of the big cities. Find an educated lady in her 40s and go for it. She will support you if you are genuine. Seen this a few times actually. There are load of desperate single ladies up there. 5 yrs ago I knew an aussie guy who kept all his assets back home but shacked up with a 40 something. Free rent etc. He only outlayed for a moped. Hes living in her house etc. The cheap life....

 

2. If you're hell bent on being single and battling it yourself then download CNBC app on your phone and read it daily. Scroll down to the 'Trending Now' topics. 5 everyday and one is always about ways to make money etc. I read one last week about making money online. Cant remember now of course as Im rolling in cash anyway and of no real interest to me. 

 

Good luck

[simon43]

Not sure what nationality you are, but at 66 surely you are drawing your state pension?  You can live quite healthily and happily on $1,000 a month in Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Philippines.

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, FriendlyFarang said:

If something doesn't require any skills you are competing for it with people from third world countries where 5$ a day is a good income, so your income would be lower than that.

Even if it requires skills the OP may get undercut by the competition from third world countries. I've hired graphic designers from Nepal online at very low rates. If the OP can offer good skills western companies would hire him, but it takes time to build reputation. Look at upwork.com,  for similar jobs money asked could be $10/hour or $100/hour,  the expensive freelancers are getting hired too, the customers have money and they want to get someone who delivers.

[acepredator]

8 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Not sure what nationality you are, but at 66 surely you are drawing your state pension?  You can live quite healthily and happily on $1,000 a month in Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Philippines.

I'm American and have been getting Social Security since I turned 62. Retiring at that age means I get 75% of what I would have gotten at full retirement. But for me, full retirement wouldn't be until 66 years and 6 months. Since I wasn't working and paying into the system, there was no reason to wait. Unfortunately, I didn't make enough money working in America, so that I'm only getting $575 a month this year. That's not enough to live on, even in Thailand. That's why I'm looking for some kind of supplemental income.

[KhunLA]

@acepredator

Market trading.

 

Can teach yourself, and mock trade till you got handle on it.   It's full time though, and depend what exchange you use, need to be active during their hours.

 

Been out of it for 15 year, so don't know what online brokers are available, and that was for USA anyway.

[Celsius]

1 hour ago, acepredator said:

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I use a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which allows me to connect to the internet via one or more of the countries that you mentioned, so that's not a problem.

 

Yes it is. They want you to be in these countries for tax residency purposes.

 

Anyway, your biggest issue is not taking care of GERD. As a reflux sufferer I know the issues you are facing, but all those online ideas will not materialize unless you have specific skills. Not most, but ALL online courses are a scam.

 

Your only choice would be selling online or teaching English. You say you are 66 years old no one will hire you, so that means you would still be open to teaching? Ask @simon43 about it.... I think he taught online.

[acepredator]

24 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Yes it is. They want you to be in these countries for tax residency purposes.

 

Anyway, your biggest issue is not taking care of GERD. As a reflux sufferer I know the issues you are facing, but all those online ideas will not materialize unless you have specific skills. Not most, but ALL online courses are a scam.

 

Your only choice would be selling online or teaching English. You say you are 66 years old no one will hire you, so that means you would still be open to teaching? Ask @simon43 about it.... I think he taught online.

Thanks for the information. I only looked into teaching again out of curiosity. I really don't have the energy these days, even for online classes, and I don't want to spend time talking due to the GERD I mentioned in my post. There are countless people much younger and more energetic than I am who are willing to teach for about $10 an hour. They are the ones who can get hired and work, not me. I'll keep looking for an alternative.

[acepredator]

1 hour ago, advancebooking said:

Sorry to hear about your financial situation. Disaster at your age. 

 

My 2 suggestions are a bit daft but here goes

1. Move to Issan - one of the big cities. Find an educated lady in her 40s and go for it. She will support you if you are genuine. Seen this a few times actually. There are load of desperate single ladies up there. 5 yrs ago I knew an aussie guy who kept all his assets back home but shacked up with a 40 something. Free rent etc. He only outlayed for a moped. Hes living in her house etc. The cheap life....

 

2. If you're hell bent on being single and battling it yourself then download CNBC app on your phone and read it daily. Scroll down to the 'Trending Now' topics. 5 everyday and one is always about ways to make money etc. I read one last week about making money online. Cant remember now of course as Im rolling in cash anyway and of no real interest to me. 

 

Good luck

Thanks for the suggestions. Moving to Isan would be a huge change. I'm settled in Chiang Mai with a companion I've had for 19 years. It would be extremely disruptive for her, her daughter, and her two grandchildren if I left. Regardless, I'm not prepared to stake my future on the remote possibility that a successful woman 20 years younger than I am would find me to be attractive enough to support. There's no doubt whatsoever that such a woman could find countless men far more desirable than I am if she were looking for a paramour. 

 

I'll check out the CNBC site, and thanks for wishing me good luck. 

 

 

[bignok]

7 minutes ago, acepredator said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Moving to Isan would be a huge change. I'm settled in Chiang Mai with a companion I've had for 19 years. It would be extremely disruptive for her, her daughter, and her two grandchildren if I left. Regardless, I'm not prepared to stake my future on the remote possibility that a successful woman 20 years younger than I am would find me to be attractive enough to support. There's no doubt whatsoever that such a woman could find countless men far more desirable than I am if she were looking for a paramour. 

 

I'll check out the CNBC site, and thanks for wishing me good luck. 

 

 

Most ideas online are scams

[bignok]

1 hour ago, advancebooking said:

Sorry to hear about your financial situation. Disaster at your age. 

 

My 2 suggestions are a bit daft but here goes

1. Move to Issan - one of the big cities. Find an educated lady in her 40s and go for it. She will support you if you are genuine. Seen this a few times actually. There are load of desperate single ladies up there. 5 yrs ago I knew an aussie guy who kept all his assets back home but shacked up with a 40 something. Free rent etc. He only outlayed for a moped. Hes living in her house etc. The cheap life....

 

2. If you're hell bent on being single and battling it yourself then download CNBC app on your phone and read it daily. Scroll down to the 'Trending Now' topics. 5 everyday and one is always about ways to make money etc. I read one last week about making money online. Cant remember now of course as Im rolling in cash anyway and of no real interest to me. 

 

Good luck

Load of crap. Most women in Isaan are poor.

[acepredator]

48 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

@acepredator

Market trading.

 

Can teach yourself, and mock trade till you got handle on it.   It's full time though, and depend what exchange you use, need to be active during their hours.

 

Been out of it for 15 year, so don't know what online brokers are available, and that was for USA anyway.

Sorry, but I don't know exactly what you mean by market trading. Trading in which market or markets? I've been invested in the stock market for the last 20 years, during which time I've made a lot of money, but not from trading. I have mutual funds my investment advisor put me in that I sell when I need money. I tried buying penny stocks on my own, but every one of them lost money, so I stopped doing that. If you mean day trading, from what I've read day traders always lose money in the long term. 

[Celsius]

3 minutes ago, acepredator said:

Sorry, but I don't know exactly what you mean by market trading. Trading in which market or markets? I've been invested in the stock market for the last 20 years, during which time I've made a lot of money, but not from trading. I have mutual funds my investment advisor put me in that I sell when I need money. I tried buying penny stocks on my own, but every one of them lost money, so I stopped doing that. If you mean day trading, from what I've read day traders always lose money in the long term. 

So what kind of financial setback are you experiencing then? Sell your investments, you won't live forever.