How My Side Hustle Photography Paid for My First Investment Account

The Story

“I’ve always loved photography. It started as a hobby in college, and by 28 I was doing weekend shoots for friends’ events. At first, I treated the extra $200–$300 a month as fun money — brunches, clothes, vacations. But one day I realized I had nothing to show for hundreds of hours of work. So I decided to try something different: I opened a brokerage account and set up an automatic $200 monthly transfer, funded only from my side hustle. At first, I barely noticed. But after two years, my account had grown to over $4,000. What was once ‘extra money’ was now my first real investment portfolio. My hobby had literally turned into wealth."

Advisor Breakdown

Situation:

• 28-year-old juggling full-time job + side hustle.

• Side hustle income spent casually, nothing saved.

👉 I see this often: people treat side hustle income as “bonus money.” Redirecting it to investments is a game-changer.

Task:

• Find a way to build wealth without cutting into the main paycheck.

Action:

• Opened brokerage account.

• Automated $200/month into ETFs.

• Treated side hustle as an “investment fund.”

👉 I like automation here — it removes the temptation to spend and makes investing invisible.

Result:

• $4,000 portfolio in two years.

• Gained confidence in investing.

• Built a long-term mindset instead of instant gratification.

Key Takeaways

• Side hustle money is perfect for building wealth.

• Automation turns small amounts into big results.

• Extra income compounds when invested, not spent.