The markets continue to be unkind to investors as we enter the second week of May; the S&P 500 has shed 9.45% over the last 30 days, while the Nasdaq composite slid 12.62%.

Performance-wise, the Nasdaq 100 is officially in a bear market, falling more than 27% from its all-time highs in November 2021. Regarding the S&P 500, this is the third-worst start to a year in the index's history.

The mass market sell-off is attributable to several mounting factors, including record inflation, disappointing earnings, the prospect of war and weak sentiment toward GDP growth.

If you're one of the many investors who have sold their stocks and are waiting for a bull market signal to re-enter, you could consider investing your cash in one of these non-stock market money-making options.

Gold

Gold is known as a safety asset and an inflation hedge even more so. Investors usually turn to gold during times of economic uncertainty, as the precious metal increases in value as the purchasing power of the dollar declines.

• Investors interested in purchasing gold can visit:
• American Hartford Gold
• Oxford Gold Group
• Lear Capital
• Patriot Gold Group

Equity Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding is a tool used to raise capital primarily online from investors to fund a private business. In return for relatively small investments, investors receive proportionate equity, effectively making them partial owners in the business.

Here are a few websites where an investor can get involved:

• Fundable
• Republic
• StartEngine

Investors interested in participating in equity crowdfunding should be warned that it comes with more significant risks than investing in a traditional VC-funded business. Some of the dangers include potential fraud and hacker attacks.

Peer-to-peer lending

Peer-to-peer lending, also known as P2P lending, or social lending, is the practice of lending money to individuals or businesses through online services that match lenders with borrowers. With social lending, an investor would use a P2P platform to fully fund or partially fund consumer loans, tacking on an interest rate to generate returns.

Here are a few websites where an investor can learn more about P2P lending:

• Prosper
• Peerform
• Upstart

Investors interested in participating in social lending should be warned of risks, including late payments, principal payments, fraud and negligence.