How to Make Money Online, --consistently -- and Legally

You've heard all the stories about regular people like you and me pulling down six-figure incomes from the Internet. These people have no special business or marketing training, didn't start off with a large amount of capital, and don't spend 20 hours per day working on their enterprises. In fact, it seems that they're able to make money online without expending very much effort at all. Understandably, you want in on the action. What's their secret?

Well, there are actually lots of different ways to consistently -- and legally -- make money online. For example, if you have a product to sell, it would be very easy to get set up at a few different auction sites. Thousands of people make a full-time living just from running auctions. Even if you don't have a product to sell, you can still make money online. Many people get their start from putting up a simple website and filling it with affiliate links that generate a commission every time a visitor clicks on the links. Of course, you would have to have some kind of content on the website or it's not likely that visitors will keep coming back to it.

If you're a bit more adventurous, you can try to make money online from various investment programs. You can either hook up with a program that is already in place, or strike out on your own. Some of the existing programs out there consist of private investor's clubs and HYIPs. A private investor's club is a group of people who pool their capital together in order to invest it in various financial markets. Usually, one or more of the members is a licensed broker or seasoned analysts, so the investments are both savvy and mid- to low-risk. The major drawbacks to a private investor's club is that you have to be invited by a current member in order to join and you usually have to provide a significant investment up front.

HYIPs are another vehicle that regular people have used in order to make money online. A HYIP is a high-yield investment program, and is based on some of the same principles as private investor's clubs. With HYIPs, however, membership funds are used to invest in very risky prospects that can either go bust or pay off handsomely. Most HYIPs are open to any and all comers, so you don't need to know anyone in order to join.

In order to make money online from your own investment know-how, you can sign up with an e-trading firm and trade stocks, bonds, and futures all day long with just a few clicks of your mouse.

These are just a few of the innumerable ways to make money online. You can decide to pursue one of the avenues mentioned above, or turn your own original idea into a gold mine. Either way, you're sure to be able to find a niche that will allow you to generate a steady primary or secondary income stream.