Every place you turn these days you hear about the unemployment rate, faltering stock market, lack of consumer spending and the depressing economic recession. You would have to live in a cave not to know that a lot of people are hurting right now, not just in the U.S. but around the world. Perhaps you are one of the many who has either seen a reduction in pay or benefits, or even worse, lost a job.

Maybe you at least fear that you will be let go from your job soon, as corporate downsizing has become very routine over the past two years. And maybe your kids are getting close to going to college and you don’t know how you’ll pay their way through. Or perhaps you were thinking about retiring or reducing the number of hours you work but now find this to be impossible, as your savings have gone down significantly.

Do you look to find a second job, or in the case of the unemployed, keep looking for that elusive full-time job? Or do you look to the stock market or starting a business as a last ditch effort to save you from going bankrupt? None of these options will work for most people. The best answer then, is to look to the Internet.

More and more people every day are finding the key to solving their financial problems is an Internet business, either through affiliate marketing, network marketing or a combination of the two. The benefits are obvious.

With these forms of Internet marketing businesses, your income is residual, and there is no limit on how much you can make. Plus your expenses go way down because you can work completely out of your own home. And the start-up costs are minimal as well. Just buy a domain for around $10, set up a website with a trusted company like Site Build It or WordPress, join some free affiliate programs like Google Adsense or Amazon and start blogging.

For those with an interest in network marketing, you can use your website or blog to establish a loyal reader base and talk about your opportunity, mlm products and how you can help others achieve their financial goals.

In either case, if your content is good enough and your website is helpful and beneficial to visitors, you don’t need to know too much about Internet marketing and offline advertising. Google will find your site and eventually so will interested prospects. And don’t be fooled by the current economic situation. People will still buy mlm products, still sign up for lucrative opportunities and still be interested in your affiliate products as well.

Working from home is no longer some fantasy that only a select few get to enjoy. Because of Internet marketing, which is far from having reached its peak, almost anyone with basic computer knowledge can be successful in affiliate marketing or network marketing online.

No matter what your situation, the best time to start is now. Look for good affiliate programs, look for quality network marketing companies, and most importantly, get started working on that blog or website. There is still time to beat the flood of entrepreneurs that will be looking to make their money online in the years to come. Even if you don’t make a fortune, Internet marketing can provide you with an income equal to or greater than most full-time office jobs out there. Make working from home online a reality for you today and you will be thrilled with both the short-term and long-term results.