An October report from ConsumerAffairs compared all 50 U.S. states to determine its ranking of the best states to raise a family.

The states were analyzed across five weighted categories worth a total of 100 points:

1. Affordability (30 points)
2. Safety (25 points)
3. Education (20 points)
4. Health care (15 points)
5. Quality of life (10 points)

ConsumerAffairs did not include Washington, D.C. in this year’s ranking.

The report found that the best states to raise a family are mainly in the Northeast.

Jailyn Rodriguez, lead researcher at Consumer Affairs, tells CNBC Make It that the concentration of top states in the Northeast was not surprising and continues last year’s trend.

“We know that states in the Northeast generally come with a higher cost of living,” she says. “Overall, the states did not perform well when it comes to affordability.”

What these states lack in affordability, they do make up for in other areas, Rodriguez notes.

“Families in the Northeast are going to benefit from lower crime rates. They are going to benefit from stronger access to quality education, health care and a higher quality of life.”

A 2023 study by LendingTree estimated that the average annual cost of raising a child has climbed to $21,681, a 19% increase from 2016, bringing the total estimated cost per child to $389,000 over 18 years.

“At the end of the day, you can’t just focus on where it’s going to be most affordable,” Rodriguez says. “There are so many factors that you need to consider that will directly shape a child’s life.”

The Granite State ranked as the best to raise a family, with a total score of 68.98. New Hampshire climbed from No. 4 in 2024, overtaking Pennsylvania, Maine, and Vermont to claim the No. 1 spot this year.

New Hampshire ranked No. 1 in safety and No. 3 in quality of life, according to the report. The state came in at No. 34 in the affordability category and no. 22 in education.

Rodriguez says that New Hampshire’s high safety score helped it win the top spot on the overall ranking. The state also has some of the best air quality in the country, access to parks and one of the strongest public library systems per capita.

“Those are all things that ultimately help shape a healthy childhood outside of school,” she says.

Though the ConsumerAffairs report names New Hampshire as the best state to raise a family, a study by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute found that over the past 10 years, the state’s cost of living has outpaced what most families earn.

The typical New Hampshire household now earns nearly $100,000 a year, yet a family of four with this income still falls about $2,000 short of covering basic needs annually, the report states.

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator, the cost of basic living expenses in New Hampshire for a family with two working adults and two children is comparable to the most expensive states like Massachusetts, Vermont, California, Connecticut, New York, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska, at $129,768 annually.

1. New Hampshire
2. Maine
3. Wisconsin
4. Vermont
5. New York
6. Connecticut
7. Wyoming
8. Virginia
9. Massachusetts
10. Pennsylvania

Maine ranked as the No. 2 best state to raise a family for the second year in a row. It scored 66.85 and ranked No. 1 in the quality of life category and No. 2 for safety.

The state ranked No. 35 for affordability, No. 19 in education and No. 13 in health care. The report found that it had the lowest rate of children in poverty and the lowest violent crime rate. Maine also offers a state child tax credit.

Similar to New Hampshire, Maine also has some of the cleanest air in the nation and one of the lowest violent crime rates in the country.

“The state is choosing to invest in community resources and prioritizing learning outside of the classroom. For parents who want to find a state where kids can grow up safe and feel supported, Maine is one of the strongest choices for that,” Rodriguez says.

In 2025, the Pine Tree State ranked No. 2 for quality of life on CNBC’s annual top states for business study.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, based on U.S. Census Bureau data, the median household income in Maine is currently $90,730.

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I grew up in Nara, Japan, surrounded by fruit trees, farms, and generous neighbors who would bring us baskets of freshly picked strawberries, watermelons, persimmons, figs, and pretty much anything that was ripe on their farm.

Fruit was part of the seasons, traditions, celebrations, and even medicine. As a nutritionist, I still believe that fruit is one of the most powerful tools we have for supporting health and longevity. Plus, it tastes incredible.

While I’m obsessed with all fruit, here are the five I always keep in my kitchen for a long and healthy life.

Apples are high in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and polyphenols. They also contain both prebiotics and probiotics, supporting gut health (which is closely connected to brain and immune function). Apples are even known to have anti-cancer properties.

There are over 90 varieties of apples grown in the U.S., but most people stick to a few like Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith. When you try different types, you’ll get a wider variety of nutrients and flavors.

How I enjoy them: I eat them with the skin for maximum fiber. I also love adding apple slices to salads, baking them into dishes, including soups, or making homemade applesauce.

From clementines and navel oranges to yuzu, lemons, and limes, citrus fruits are rich in vitamins C, A, and folate, as well as potassium and fiber.

They’re also high in flavonoids and carotenoids — antioxidants that protect your cells and support your immune system. Vitamin C also boosts iron absorption from plant-based foods, especially important in vegetarian or vegan diets.

How I enjoy them: Eat the whole fruit, not just the juice. Orange juice lacks fiber and can spike blood sugar. I use the zest and juice for salad dressings, baking, tea, and jams. I often add sliced citrus to salads for a burst of flavor and color.

Most people discard the peel, but it actually contains lots of folate, riboflavin, thiamine, and calcium.

Whether it’s strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, or goji berries, berries are low in calories but packed with vitamins, fiber, and powerful antioxidants like anthocyanins.

Blueberries in particular are famous for brain and heart health, while goji berries are rich in beta-carotene and support eye health.

How I enjoy them: I eat them fresh when in season. Frozen organic berries are great for smoothies, and dried goji berries make delicious snacks or toppings.

Persimmons are rich in vitamins A and C, fiber (both soluble and insoluble), potassium, and polyphenols like tannins and flavonoids. Research has shown that they support cholesterol and blood pressure control, and promote eye and skin health.

There are two main types:

• Fuyu (non-astringent): eaten when firm
• Hachiya (astringent): must be fully ripe or dried

How I enjoy them: My mother would hang astringent persimmons to dry in late fall. We’d eat them as snacks, use them in Japanese sweets (“wagashi”), or simmer with vegetables. I also love drinking persimmon leaf tea, which has anti-inflammatory properties and a rich, earthy flavor.

In Japanese, fig is called “ichijiku,” which means “no flower fruit.” That’s because the flower blooms inside the fruit!

Figs are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytoestrogens, which support women’s health. They also contain ficin, an enzyme that helps digest proteins — making figs a perfect after-meal snack. Other health benefits include cholesterol control and inflammation reduction.

How I enjoy them: I use both fresh and dried figs in salads, soups, desserts, and jams. Their sweetness pairs beautifully with matcha or dark chocolate.

1. Embrace seasonal variety. Different fruits offer different nutrients. Try to eat locally grown, seasonal produce whenever possible. It’s fresher, tastier, and better for the planet.

2. Eat whole, organic when possible. Whole fruits contain skin, pulp, and fiber — all vital for slowing down sugar absorption and supporting digestion. Choose organic when you can, especially for fruits you eat with the skin.

3. Eat mindfully. Slow down and savor your fruit. I chew each slice of apple at least 20 times. This helps with digestion and satisfaction.

4. Set an example. Encourage children to love fruit not because it’s “healthy,” but because it’s delicious. Make it a joyful, regular part of meals.

5. Don’t fear the natural sugar in fruits. Unlike refined sugar, whole fruits come packaged with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Michiko Tomioka, MBA, RDN is a certified nutritionist and longevity expert. Born and raised Nara, Japan, her approach focuses on a plant-based diet. She has worked in nutritional roles at substance recovery centers, charter schools and food banks. Follow her on Instagram @michian_rd.

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This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.

Sebastian Marquez was in high school when he took his now wife out on their first date to a local junior league hockey game.

After the date, he asked if she wanted to stop by his house. She said sure, expecting a family home — not a small, rundown house, gutted and “in absolute shambles,” Sebastian, now 28, tells CNBC Make It.

“I thought I was going to get murdered in the basement,” his wife Julia, 26, says.

The house — the second smallest in his town of Hanover, Ontario — was an investment property he had purchased with help from his mom. At 16, Sebastian was balancing school with stocking shelves at Walmart, working on a chicken farm and remodeling the home with the goal of selling it for a profit, he says.

Today, the couple has built a net worth of just over $1 million — largely from real estate and cryptocurrency investments, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. All figures have been converted from CAD to USD.

Neither Sebastian nor Julia have ever held jobs that have individually paid over six figures, Sebastian says. 

This year, Sebastian expects to earn about $57,500 from his day job as a business advisor at a local bank, and Julia, a nurse, will bring home around $64,500. The couple also expects to make $14,500 off of a rental property they own, bringing their total projected household income for 2025 to approximately $136,500.

Originally, Sebastian didn’t really want to buy a house at 16. He had around $8,000 saved from working various minimum wage jobs, and his heart was set on buying himself his first car, he says.

When his mom suggested he would be better off spending that money on flipping a rundown house, he was initially confused. Then he did some research and realized flipping a home was probably going to be a better investment, he says.

In 2013, Sebastian says his mom used all his savings and covered the remainder to make a $9,800 down payment on a $48,800 home. His mom also contributed another $14,000 toward the remodel, he says.

Other than hiring specialists for plumbing and electrical work, Sebastian says he remodeled the house entirely on his own, using YouTube to teach himself tasks like putting in flooring and installing a toilet.

Six months later, the pair sold the home for $82,200, and from there, Sebastian says he caught the house flipping bug.

After paying his mom back for her expenses, he used the profit from his first home to purchase and flip another. From 2013 to 2022, Sebastian says he flipped a total of nine properties, totaling an estimated $343,700 in profit, all while working at Walmart and attending college.

Today, the couple still owns two properties: his current home — the eleventh home he’s bought — and a rental property with two units.

In 2022, Sebastian stopped flipping houses after accepting an offer from Walmart to manage a larger store in London, Ontario, which required him to move about two hours south of his hometown to Strathroy, Ontario, he says.

He left his role as an assistant store manager in March, after nearly 13 years at Walmart, for a more stable 9-to-5 job advising small businesses. When he started at Walmart, he says he was earning $7.62 an hour. By last year, his salary had grown to $43,000.

“Walmart has seen every side of me from when I was a young teen,” Sebastian says, so much so that he even jokes with his wife that “Walmart always came first.”

Despite his modest income, Sebastian, who has always had a “geekish, nerdish passion” for spreadsheets, says he was able grow his savings through frugal, diligent budgeting and the houses he flipped in his early 20s.

He has kept a budget spreadsheet since 2018. He has a spreadsheet to track his net worth, one for how much he spends on fuel and one that tracks his health. He even remembers creating a spreadsheet to track how much the couple spent on dates before they were married — just to make sure everything was equitable, he says.

“It’s just fun for me,” Sebastian says. “Most of the time, my wife will find me on the couch, on my laptop, fidgeting around with spreadsheets.”

Just under half of Sebastian and Julia’s total net worth comes from their crypto investments, worth about $400,000 as of Sept. 30. The rest comes from investment accounts, their properties and two cars the couple own.

In 2019, Sebastian was looking to diversify his assets, so he invested around $25,000 in bitcoin and ethereum — about 10% of his net worth at the time — on yet another one of his mom’s suggestions. Because cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, that was the amount he was comfortable risking and willing to hold onto for the long term, he says.

“It was a gamble that we had taken at the time, and it’s definitely paid off, fortunately,” Sebastian says.

Between May 2019, when Sebastian says he made his first investments, and the end of September 2025, bitcoin’s value in Canadian dollars has grown by around 2,000% and ethereum’s has grown by around 2,500%.

In September, Sebastian and Julia brought in a total of $9,500 — $7,900 from their day jobs and $1,400 in rental income. They also receive $180 a month from the Canadian government to help cover expenses for their 6-month-old daughter, most of which they invest in an account set aside for her future.

Sebastian and Julia combined their finances in 2020 before getting married in 2022, and they sit down about once a month to talk through their budget and track their net worth, Sebastian says. He says the couple currently puts 15% of their income into index funds.

“At the end of the day, we’re working on the same goal,” Sebastian says. “We’re very similar minded when it comes to spending money.”

Here’s a look at how Sebastian and Julia spent their money in September 2025:

• Annual insurance payments: $4,279 for their rental property and primary home
• Housing and utilities: $2,276 on their mortgage, phone, internet, water and other utilities
• Savings and investments: $1,478 toward various savings and investment accounts
• Rental unit expenses: $928 for the mortgage, landscaping and electricity
• Discretionary: $875 on personal care, recreation, entertainment, toys for their daughter and supplies for their dog
• Food: $772 from groceries and eating out
• Transportation: $420 on gas, car repairs and a speeding ticket
• Subscriptions and memberships: $130 on nine subscriptions including SleepWatch Premium, Netflix, iCloud and Google Nest for home security cameras
• Life insurance: $18 monthly payment

The couple’s September spending was higher than average largely due to two insurance payments he prefers to pay annually, Sebastian says. In a typical month, Sebastian says his family spends closer to $4,300 to $5,700 on personal expenses, while setting some of their income aside to prepare for these large annual payments.

The couple doesn’t have any outstanding debt other than their two mortgages.

Sebastian estimates he could probably afford to retire around 35 due to his early and consistent investments. However, “I don’t really like to think of it as retirement, but more so as financial independence,” he says.

He may jump back into real estate in the “near future,” but for now, he says he’s focused on enjoying time with his family.

“It’d be nice to obviously make more money,” Sebastian says. “However, at the end of the day, I think it has to do with what you do with your money.”

All amounts are in U.S. dollars, converted from Canadian Dollars at the OANDA exchange rate of 1 CAD to 0.71824 USD on Sept. 30, 2025.

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When Rick Senko started re-selling used items on eBay, he was “flat broke” — a recently unemployed single father who was desperate to earn enough money to support his 5-year-old son.

That was 2008, and the first item he sold — a cell phone he bought for $35 on Craigslist and flipped on eBay for $75 — felt like discovering a “glitch in the Matrix,” says Senko, now 41 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Realizing he could turn a tidy profit by flipping used items online, he went all in. He studied brands and sales trends, exploiting market inefficiencies and often working up to 20 hours a day “just going to the flea market, going to the thrift store, making relationships, studying my craft, learning, listing [items] every single day,” he says.

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to using AI to communicate better

What started as a way to make ends meet slowly grew into a reselling empire, bringing in millions of dollars a year in sales as one of eBay’s top sellers. In 2023, Senko started a wholesale business called Technsports that sells up to 5,000 items of used clothing per day to other professional resellers. Technsports brought in more than $6.5 million in 2024 revenue, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Technsports is profitable overall, with a profit margin of roughly 50% per item sold, Senko says.

“I have not taken a day off in almost 20 years,” says Senko. “It is not lost on me how fortunate I am. But it also took a tremendous amount of work, a tremendous amount of commitment, and a tremendous amount of sacrifice to get from where I came from to now selling millions of dollars per year and living a very, very fortunate life.”

After becoming a father at age 18, Senko worked as a CVS photography lab supervisor for five years to make ends meet for himself and his son. He attended a vocational school to earn a computer repair certificate, which landed him a better-paying job at Circuit City in Fall 2008.

Two weeks later, Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Senko found himself out of work and unable to find a new job during the Great Recession. Then, his cellphone broke. “I didn’t have a lot of money, so I went onto eBay to get a pre-owned [phone],” says Senko.

He saw one on eBay listed for $75, and then spotted the same model of phone on Craigslist for $35. It was a “lightbulb moment” that seemed too good to be true, he says: “I would double the money. I would get a phone for free, and then I would get my original $35 back.”

Senko bought the Craigslist phone and sold it on eBay for $70, he says. He used the profits to buy another phone on Craigslist, which he flipped on eBay to double his money again. “I’ve been doing that ever since, for almost 20 years. Rinse and repeat,” says Senko, adding: “You don’t need a lot of money to start. You don’t need a lot of knowledge to start. You just need to start.”

He initially focused on electronics — from phones to video games, broken or functional, any low-priced item that he could resell within days, he says. As he learned more about which items sold better than others — and where to find in-demand stock — his earnings grew considerably, topping $100,000 in 2010, he says.

Around that time, he began shifting his focus to pre-owned clothing, which requires far less “customer support,” he says. “A T-shirt is not going to break in the mail.” Clothing required a level of research that Senko was willing to do, he notes: While most people understand that electronics can be valuable, “not everybody knows a particular Polo Ralph Lauren shirt could be worth more [than a gaming console] … Oftentimes those [clothes] are discarded in a pile on the floor at the flea market.”

Senko started leaving home before dawn and spending most of each day picking through piles of used clothing at South Florida thrift shops, consignment shops, flea markets and garage sales, he says. Reselling gave him freedom and control over his schedule, and tapped into his competitive desire to win at all costs, he adds.

Over time, Senko built relationships with sellers at flea markets and thrift stores to ensure he got the first crack at picking through new stock. He listed and sold roughly 250 items per day, or tens of thousands of products each year, and hired up to five contract employees at a time to help him photograph items, list them online and handle shipping.

In 2023, he brought in more than $2.5 million in eBay sales, documents show — up from $500,000 in 2017. But he had a feeling that he’d hit a ceiling of how many items he could list and sell per day, he says.

So, that same year, Senko decided to switch up his business model. Rather than buying select pieces and selling them each individually online, he began buying clothes in bulk and selling them wholesale to other resellers willing to spend time carefully sifting through each batch. Clients sometimes buy up to 1,000 items per week, he says.

“They process it, they fulfill it and they sell it one at a time on eBay,” Senko explains, adding: “The most valuable asset for my business became the inventory. I’m more profitable selling more items at a smaller margin.”

The lesser time commitment also helped Senko fulfill a promise to his wife, who he met during his brief time at Circuit City, he says: that they’d work as hard as they could until his son graduated high school, and then pursue an early retirement. ”[We wanted to] be able to take a 50-year vacation,” says Senko.

He and his wife finally took time off last year to travel the country, visiting places like New York, California and Las Vegas. “We are starting to enjoy the fruits of the labor,” he says. But he’s reluctant to actually retire, he notes: “To say that I am mentally on the 50-year vacation? Not even close.”

Senko says it’s difficult for him to shut off his competitive drive, especially when he knows there is money to be made and that he has the means and expertise to do it. And if he keeps working on Technsports, he could try to ensure that his current level of financial stability lasts for the rest of his life, he says.

“I get after it every single day. Because when you unlock [that] ability to multiply money, to take $5, put it onto eBay and sell something and get $25 back, how in the world can you rest?” he says. “Did I work a lot? Absolutely … I needed to grow the business. And, ultimately, I needed to be the best.”

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In 2012, I walked away from my investment banking job with a $3 million net worth and roughly $80,000 per year in passive income. At 34, I had enough income to cover my basic living expenses in San Francisco.

My friends thought I was crazy to leave such a lucrative job. But what they didn’t see was the work I had done behind the scenes for over a decade — quietly building multiple streams of income that didn’t depend on my time or labor.

Since then, my passive income has given me the freedom to write on my personal finance blog, spend time raising my kids, travel to Hawaii regularly to reconnect with family, and invest in higher-risk opportunities that I never would have considered if I were dependent on a paycheck.

Passive income is not truly passive at the start. Building the foundation takes time, effort, and strategy. Here are 10 of my all-time favorite passive income ideas.

Best for: Long-term, low-maintenance investing

Owning shares in companies that regularly pay dividends is one of the simplest and most reliable ways to earn passive income. But yields can be modest. With the S&P 500 dividend yield currently under 1.3%, you’d need more than $700,000 invested to generate $10,000 a year.

Still, you can boost potential returns by focusing on Dividend Aristocrats — companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s that have raised dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. Or invest through ETFs that offer diversification and low fees.

Best for: Capital preservation and peace of mind

With interest rates still elevated, U.S. Treasury bonds and high-grade corporate bonds now offer yields between 4% and 5%. That’s $400 to $500 per year for every $10,000 invested.

They’re low-risk, tax-efficient (Treasury income isn’t taxed at the state level), and perfect for investors who value stability.

Best for: Long-term wealth building

Rental properties are one of the most effective ways to build wealth, especially if you start young. Rents can provide steady income, and property values often rise over time.

The downside is that it’s not truly passive. Maintenance, tenants, and property management all take work. But once the mortgage is paid off, the cash flow often becomes significant.

Best for: Hands-off real estate exposure

If you want real estate income without the headaches of being a landlord, platforms like Fundrise let you invest smaller amounts into diversified property funds.

They typically target returns of 7% to 12%, and many offer regular distributions. I use these platforms to diversify beyond my holdings in San Francisco, Honolulu, and Lake Tahoe.

Best for: Liquid real estate exposure

REITs are publicly traded companies that own and manage real estate. They’re required to distribute at least 90% of their income to shareholders, making them a popular source of passive income.

The downside is volatility. REITs can swing more than the overall stock market, especially in downturns. But they offer true passivity, unlike direct ownership.

Best for: Short-term goals and emergency funds

Boring? Yes. Useful? Absolutely. With yields around 4%, certificates of deposit (CDs) offer guaranteed returns and are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category. They can be great for emergency funds or short-term cash needs. Just be aware of any early withdrawal penalty. 

Best for: Creators and subject matter experts

Creating something once and selling it many times electronically can provide for some high-margin passive income. That’s why e-books, online courses, and software can generate income for years with minimal upkeep. An update every one or two years may be all that’s needed. 

Best for: Experienced lenders with extra capital

Instead of earning around 4% in a savings account, you can lend directly to individuals and potentially earn 7% or more in interest. Borrowers pay higher rates because banks move too slowly or impose too many restrictions.

These loans often fund things like small businesses, down payment bridges, or debt consolidation. To protect yourself, secure collateral (a car, equipment, or even a property lien) or use a legal promissory note.

The biggest risk is trust. Misjudge someone’s character and collections get messy. Worse, if the borrower is a friend or relative who doesn’t repay, you could lose both your money and the relationship.

Best for: Writers, artists, and creators

Royalties aren’t just for musicians and novelists anymore. You can license designs, images, software, or even blog content, and collect royalties whenever someone uses your work.

When I published my book, the process took years. But now, those books continue to generate income long after launch.

Best for: Long-term thinkers

If you’re already earning and don’t need immediate income, investing in growth companies — public or private — can lead to much larger payoffs later. Think of it as planting fruit trees. You won’t get a harvest right away, but down the road, the returns can be substantial.

For example, Apple didn’t pay dividends for decades, but long-term investors who held on earned huge gains. Today, I invest in public growth stocks and early-stage AI companies — knowing I can convert some of those gains into income-producing assets when I need to.

Of course, you may want to seek financial advice best suited to your personal needs before making any decisions. But the beauty of passive income is that you don’t need a lot of money start. Begin with what fits your budget, interests, and risk tolerance. Over time, diversify into multiple streams so you’re not relying on just one.

Sam Dogen is the founder of Financial Samurai and the author of ”Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures,” his latest book on building wealth in today’s world. He also wrote the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Buy This, Not That.” In 2012, Sam retired at 34 after working in investment banking for 13 years. He has been helping others achieve financial independence ever since.

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