I've got a Lending Club account I started April 2016 to play with. I'm invested in 13 notes (I've basically added or beefed up to $25 to semi-regularly invest in new notes) over the past 16 months. Current ROI is 13.61%, and that's partly because one of my notes had his credit rate go up, so he or she got new loans to pay off older higher interest loans, so good for him/her! The trick is who you choose to invest in. You have to realize two things: 1) these are subprime loans, and 2) every note is a diversification of your investment. Just as a rough guide to how I approach speculating in these subprime loans, I'm looking to reduce my risk and balance my return. I pick people trying to pick themselves up from a bad credit situation, but who are otherwise stable. This translates to picking B and C level notes for people refinancing credit cards or consolidating debt. They've had jobs and have been paying bills without issues for several years.