7 ways to make passive income - make money work for you even while you sleep

With the cost of living rising, you may wonder how you can increase your monthly income to cope with that. One way you can do it is to create a source of passive income - i.e. making money while you sleep with just a brokerage account. Too good to be true? Read on to find out more.
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What is passive income?

Passive income is money you earn even while you sleep. This can be achieved when you create something like a blog, an online course, videos, etc. that generate money even when you’re not at work or through investments account on property, stocks, funds, etc.

Why should I create a passive income?

Most of us trade time for money by working our day job. But it is not always efficient and it will take up a lot of our time. We could have done something else as Warren Buffet is known to say, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” Also, we will all get retired at some point and stop receiving active income. Therefore, it’s important to make your money work for you.

Passive income ideas: How to make passive income in Hong Kong?

1. Investing in Stocks

Investing in stocks that pay dividends are good passive income ideas. Good shares will appreciate in value and offer dividend payments - for example, HSBC Holdings plc (00005), Link Real Estate Investment Trust (00823), CLP Power (00002), or Town Gas (00003).

2. Bonds and GICs

Reputable bonds and GICs do not only protect your initial investment, but also offer 2-3% interest rates in exchange for you lending them money, making them another great passive income idea.The return is not massive but the risk is minimal.

3. Funds

Instead of investing in a superstar company, you can invest in an entire sector or asset class, or on an economy by buying funds. You can do so by investing in index fund ETFs e.g. S&P 500 which tracks the 500 biggest companies in the US stock exchange instead of an individual US stock.

4. Cryptocurrency

Investing in crypto is also a great passive income idea. Some service providers offer an interest if you deposit your crypto. But usually, it comes with a “lockup period”, during which you can’t access your funds for a fixed amount of time.

5. Invest in Property

If you have more money, you can consider investing in properties. For one thing, it may appreciate over time and you will then be able to earn the difference and you can earn rental income each month.

6. Saving Insurance Plan

You can also purchase a savings insurance plan that offers a potential attractive return to achieve long-term wealth accumulation.

7. Affiliate Marketing

To earn passive income, you can also become a blogger and earn a commission for selling another’s product or service. Most of the work will be done upfront and you will enjoy the income if someone buys the product.
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Best brokerage accounts in Hong Kong

MoneySmart Exclusive
🔥Highest offer in town
MoneySmart Exclusive
🔥Highest offer in town

Huatai Zhangle Global

Min. Commission - US Stocks (V2)
US$0
Min. Commission - HK Stocks (V1)
HK$0
HK IPO subscription fee
HK$0

September Campaign: Rewards up to HK$9,000】September 1-30, open account via MoneySmart link and complete deposit to earn rewards

1️⃣ Deposit HK$80,000+ (or equivalent) and maintain monthly average daily net assets of HK$80,000+ until 1 Dec 2026 to choose from:
HK$2,000 cash*/ Apple Store Gift Card/ HK$2,200 ParknShop e-Voucher/ HKTVmall e-Voucher, plus additional HK$400 Huatai Official Stock Rebate Voucher
OR
🧭 HK$80K Deposit: Special Price HK$3,300 for DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo (Value: HK$5,329)

2️⃣ Deposit HK$10,000+ and maintain monthly average daily net assets ≥HK$10,000 until 1 Dec 2026 to choose from
HK$400 cash* / Apple Store Gift Card / HK$500 PARKnSHOP or HKTVmall e-voucher

‼️Rewards 1️⃣ & 2️⃣ cannot be combined
‼️Complete specified deposits & transfers to earn up to HK$9,000 welcome bonus
‼️Click 【More Details】 below for full gift list & campaign info

Rewards issued by MoneySmart to eligible customers. Huatai Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited or its affiliates sponsored this post to promote this campaign. Offer valid until Sep 30, 2026. Subject to terms and conditions.



【📱Phone First, Work Later! HK$100K+ Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs🔥】
From 11 September 2026 (12:00 noon) to 11 October 2026 (11:59 pm), successfully apply for any designated product via MoneySmart and meet the eligibility requirements, you can participate in the "Phone First, Work Later" mini game on the campaign page ⏩ Top 100 Eligible Participants with the highest scores will win prizes worth over HK$100,000 in total, including iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and more! Visit the campaign page for details. T&Cs apply.

Valid until 30 Sep 2026
MoneySmart Exclusive
🔥Highest offer in town
MoneySmart Exclusive
🔥Highest offer in town

Webull Securities Account

Commission Fee US Stocks
US$0
Commission Fee HK Stocks
HK$0
US stocks minimum trade
US$1

HK$2,200 Cash Welcome Offer 💰】From Sep 8 - 14, open an account via the designated MoneySmart link
1️⃣ Deposit HK$80,000–HK$499,999 within 30 days, then maintain for another 30 days. Choose one
🔥 HK$2,200 cash* / Apple Store e-gift card/ DREAME Air Slimmest Upright Vacuum (Value HK$2,999)
🧭 Limited-time offer with a HK$80,000 deposit
- Redeem at a discounted price of HK$2,000 - SONY PlayStation 5 Digital Edition 825GB (Slim Version) (Value: HK$4.257)

2️⃣ Deposit HK$10,000 – HK$79,999 within 30 days, then maintain for another 30 days. Choose one
🔥 HK$700 cash* / Apple Store e-gift card / 🆕 Dyson HushJet™ Mini Cool fan (Value: HK$890)
🧭 Limited-time offer with a HK$10,000 deposit
- Redeem at a discounted price of HK$1,500 - Sony WF-1000XM6 earphones (Value HK$3,699)

⭐️ Webull Official Reward # : Deposit HK$500,000+ for a Webull cash coupon worth 1% of your deposit (max HK$100,000)

· 1️⃣ & 2️⃣ rewards cannot be combined.
· Deposit ≥HK$500,000 → auto 1% Webull cash coupon; NOT combinable with MoneySmart's HK$10,000/ HK$80,000 reward.
· See【Reward Details】below for full promotion details and gift list.

【📱Phone First, Work Later! HK$100K+ Worth of Prizes Up for Grabs🔥】
From 11 September 2026 (12:00 noon) to 11 October 2026 (11:59 pm), successfully apply for any designated product via MoneySmart and meet the eligibility requirements, you can participate in the "Phone First, Work Later" mini game on the campaign page ⏩ Top 100 Eligible Participants with the highest scores will win prizes worth over HK$100,000 in total, including iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and more! Visit the campaign page for details. T&Cs apply.

Valid until 14 Sep 2026
Min. Commission Fee US Stocks
US$0.0035
Min. Commission Fee HK Stocks
0.015%
Account Opening Min. Funding
HK$10,000
MoneySmart Exclusive
MoneySmart Exclusive

Syfe

Minimum investment amount
HK$0
Annual Management Fee
0-0.65%
Subscription fee of Equity fund
0%

Get cash upfront in Sep, plus monthly interest】 From Sep 1–30, visit Syfe via the MoneySmart designated link, click "Get Started," enter referral code【MS26】to open an account, then within 14 days of depositing the required amount, select any portfolio and maintain it for 120 days*.

 

HK$100,000 deposit: HK$400 cash*/ HK$500 PARKnSHOP e-Voucher
HK$200,000 deposit: HK$700 cash*/ TEA CHÂTEAU Modern Tea Machine Set (Value: HK$1,838)
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‼️ 120-days retention applies only to all profolios
‼️ Click【More Details】for full campaign and reward details

Valid until 30 Sep 2026

Stocks Trading Platform in Hong Kong :

Stock Trading Platform Commission Fees (US Stock)Commission Fees (HK Stock)Features
Stock Trading Platform Valuable Capital Brokerage AccountCommission Fees (US Stock)US$0.99Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0Features
  • Create account: online registration and activate account with e-signature
  • Support US and HK stock trading, A Shares, ETFs, futures, funds, warrants, callable bull/bear contracts, inline warrants, IPO
  • IPO subscription margin interest rate at 1.6%, up to 95% margin
Stock Trading Platform SoFi Hong Kong Brokerage AccountCommission Fees (US Stock)US$0Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0Features
  • No commissions fees on trades
  • Fractional share trading
  • Start investing with as little as US$10 to own fractions of stocks, including Amazon, Tesla and Apple
Stock Trading Platform Webull Securities AccountCommission Fees (US Stock)US$0Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$0Features
  • Provide access to Hong Kong Stocks, A shares, ETF, derivatives listed on the SEHK, Hong Kong IPO and Odd Lot. US stocks will be coming soon.
  • Offer 8 types of charts, 50 technical indicators, 12 types of line drawing and adding CYQ function.
Stock Trading Platform Saxo MarketsCommission Fees (US Stock)US$3Commission Fees (HK Stock)HK$18Features
  • Offer access to over 40,000 markets at industry-leading prices across stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, options, futures, funds, managed portfolios, FX and CFDs
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Compare More Trading Accounts in HK!

Compare more brokerage account in HK through MoneySmart including Futu /Webull/Valuable Capital and more!

FAQ

Why should I create a passive income?

It frees up your time to actually do the active work and protects the value of your money.

Can I create passive income through investments?

Yes, you can. Getting your money to work for you through investing in appreciable assets is a smart way to add money to your income stream.