Does your retirement plan involve winning the lottery?

By Glenn Stoner

Have you ever seriously wondered how you're going to afford to someday retire-  or have you just resigned yourself to the fact that unless you win the lottery, Social Security is all you have to look forward to? If you're like most of us and started to realize that it's just not going to happen that way- then you've probably thought about ways to earn more money. The idea of being in business for yourself has long carried a certain allure for a lot of families in search of financial freedom. Unfortunately, for most people, going into business for yourself presents so many complications and commitments that it becomes part of the problem instead of being a solution. There's not really enough hours in the day for moonlighting and starting your own business sounds kind of serious, so what's left to do?

If you're serious about ways to create an additional form of income then maybe you should consider an internet based business. The internet has become the tool of choice for people seeking an alternative source of income- because  it's like a vending machine- open 24 hours a day with low overhead and able to sell over and over and over again- without all the headache of a traditional business. Internet sites are perfect for those seeking an additional income with minimal time to invest in building a business.

When most people think of an internet home based business, they picture some sort of business in which they perhaps sell a product and receive payment. Sites like eBay come to mind. Individuals and companies have built fortunes selling the image of a pretty girl, credit card 

in hand, buying from our website while we sleep, and we see it as a solution- without much thought as to what she's buying or how we're going to deliver it. The sad reality is that those methods take a lot of time out of the day- time we may not typically have to spend. Unless we are prepared to make the commitment to spend the time necessary to grow our business we may not see a big enough income to justify the time we put into it. We've all seen the frazzled young lady juggling packages on her way to the Post Office- that's the other side of the hassle free internet business someone paid $19.95 for and is counting on to provide them a life of leisure, the side no one told them about when they bought the program.

These kinds of internet businesses are fine- just so we remember that they still take a lot of time, effort, and responsibility and don't magically put money in your payPal account. But is there something on the internet that doesn't require you to ship product or keep track of inventory or a lot of those other things that make many internet businesses so much like traditional storefront business?