I no longer work from home but when I was a single mom I did, for several years. I am very knowledgeable on this topic because I spent 6 years researching and investigating over 50 work at home options. I have published articles, guides and reviews on this topic. I am happy to share some information that will help guide you in the right direction as well as give you the websites for a couple companies I have found to be more than reputable. However, no matter what, lesson number one is always do your due diligence. Thoroughly research any company you are considering and ask questions! People are looking for work from home and the biggest problem is they don’t understand that there really are no work at home JOBS other then remote call center work. This is a viable option but there are some significant down sides to this. You are required to pay a fee, usually about $50, for a credit and background check, and if you don't meet their criteria you will be out that $50 bucks. Also you have to have a 100% quiet work environment and the pay is pretty low. Most people are not able to make more than $100 a week at best. With all these negatives there are a couple legit call center jobs you can do from home and I will cite them in my profile to the left. However, most people aren't looking for call center work. The best way to earn an income from home would be to open your own legitimate home business. Small home businesses have increased in the last 5 years by about 200%. The best home businesses to start are those with a proven plan in place like Avon or Mary Kay however if you are like me, you are not interested in pushing products so let's skip that. Legitimate small home businesses should have a small cost involved but be careful, all the scams will be charging too so KNOW the business. Talk to a REAL person and ask questions. Less than $150 - $200 to start is reasonable and I would stay away from those wanting $600 - $1000 or more. If you are coming across places that say free then I would RUN don’t walk the other way! They never are in the end. (For those who want a home business for free, rethink that idea. I've never seen any business, home or not, that was free to own. If every business was free, everyone would have one.) Alright so here are some things to look for in a home business. Ask the following questions and MAKE SURE you have a real person to talk to. If you can't get a real person on the phone, walk away. 1. Are you rated with the BBB? (They should have C or better. Just because they have complaints or not a perfect A rating, doesn't mean they aren't a good company. ALL companies get complaints, it's the manner in which they resolve them that determines their character.) 2. Are you a member of the US Chamber of Commerce? 3. Are you in good standing with Dunn and Bradstreet? (The credit agency for businesses) 4. Are your start up costs less than $200? 5. Who would be training me? (If it's a "call center" type of call an "800 number" for help, that's no good. You want to be trained by another business owner within the company. How can someone in a call center train you on something they themselves are not doing?) 6. How do you pay your business owners? (paper checks from a Federally Insured bank and/or direct deposit through a Federally Insured bank should be the answer. No "paypal", money orders, cash or anything like that. 7. What National Publications can I find you in? (If they have a good rep, you should be able to read up on it somewhere) 8. Do you have any Fortune 500 partners or endorsements? (If Fortune 500 companies partner with them, you can bet they are legit because Fortune 500 Companies have lawyers that make millions a year making sure they only do business with reputable companies.) 9. How long have you been in business? (Definitely should be over 5 years, over 10 is even better) 10. Do YOU own a home business with this company as well?(If the answer is no, ask for the name and number of someone you can talk to who works with the company so you can get a good feel of things. If they refuse to provide it, walk away.) No matter what you decide, AVOID these top 5 work at home scams. 5. Craft Assembly 3. Medical Billing 3. Email/Rebate Processing 2. Envelope Stuffing 1. Typing At Home / Data Entry (The biggest scam out there.) As a breath of fresh air, I am NOT affiliated with any home business nor do I sell anything like "home business guides" or "work at home lists". I merely offer my expertise and guidance, and yes, that's free! :-) As I promised, I will list some home businesses that I have found to be VERY reputable and have an A rating with the Better Business Bureau in my profile to the left. So as to follow Yahoo's TOS, the sites can be found only IN MY PROFILE if you would like to see them. I wish you the best of luck in your search!