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Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
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Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#2I do freelance writing. It is good for a couple thousand a year.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#3We rent a corner of our lot to T-Mobile for a cell phone tower - it pays about $1200 a month.
So far it seems like a great deal to us - the maintenance people are super stealthy and never bother us, and the previous homeowner built a very nice-looking fence around the equipment that matches the house and makes it easy to just not notice that anything is there. The tower itself is on a telephone/power pole for lines that run alongside the property anyway, so that's also not an eyesore.
We bought the house with the tower & lease already in place, so unfortunately I've got no idea how they set this up; I'd definitely do it again in a future home if I could.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#4I do web/mobile development for marketing agencies who don't have the budget/workload for a full-time developer. I'm typically handed a set of Adobe Illustrator files and it's my job to use those to build working websites/apps.
My first project was for $800 in early 2013. The last three years have brought in an average of ~$55K per year. I have several subcontractors who can help out when the workload gets too much, but 80%+ of the work is done by one person (me).
A few years back I started offering "maintenance plans" on the websites (which basically entails updating the WordPress core/plugins and giving them a few hours per month for enhancement requests). These are remarkably "sticky" and most clients have continued maintenance for 3+ years.
The self-employment taxes are brutal, but it's still worth it.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#5Yes. I’m not extraordinary by any means and my income was relatively modest compared to a lot of my programming colleagues. Just a saver at heart and someone who likes investing.
- dividends from publicly traded companies ~$30k per year
- investment properties net of expenses ~40k per year
- software side projects ~ 70k per year
I still work full time as I feel financial wealth can be fleeting if not tended to properly and prudently.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#6I consult for blockchain / cryptocurrency firms as well as traditional firms that want to add services for this industry, such as auditors and tax professionals. The additional side income has been glorious, and has allowed me to buy a lot of toys without my wife strangling me.
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#7Yes. I’m not extraordinary by any means and my income was relatively modest compared to a lot of my programming colleagues. Just a saver at heart and someone who likes investing. - dividends from publicly traded companies ~$30k per year - investment properties net of expenses ~40k per year - software side projects ~ 70k per year I still work full time as I feel financial wealth can be fleeting if not tended to proper…
How to start? I have 401k funds that aren't performing as expected and would love some advice on how to mimic you. Thanks for your help (private or public).
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#8Yes. I’m not extraordinary by any means and my income was relatively modest compared to a lot of my programming colleagues. Just a saver at heart and someone who likes investing. - dividends from publicly traded companies ~$30k per year - investment properties net of expenses ~40k per year - software side projects ~ 70k per year I still work full time as I feel financial wealth can be fleeting if not tended to proper…
I'm curious about your approach to software side projects that's been so successful. I'd appreciate answers to any of the below that you feel comfortable sharing:
- How many have you built? (Either in net terms or per year/month). How many do you still maintain?
- Is that level of income based on 1 or 2 big wins, or is it dozens of smaller-netting projects that don't take much maintenance?
- What kinds of projects? Apps, websites, services?
- Are there any guides/websites that you found particularly helpful in discovering an exploitable niche, or learning the necessary marketing/etc?
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#9I don't but really want the security of multiple income streams. Any advice would be much appreciated .
Re: Ask HN: Do you have a second income?
#10I do freelance writing. It is good for a couple thousand a year.
If you don’t mind, what sort of writing?
How did you get into this?