Freelance Finance

The freelance life is often viewed by cubicle jockeys as, well, let’s be honest—kinda slack and indulgent. Any independent worker knows that this is far from true if you plan to support yourself and ensure a comfortable quality of life for you and your family. I love getting phone calls in the middle of the day from friends in offices who ask, innocently, “What are you doing right now?”

Who, me? Oh, I’m just laying here, stretched out on the old sofa, one finger up my nose, the other hand in a bag of chips, watching a couple of aesthetically-challenged mid-lifers redoing their home and arguing over what a Tuscan kitchen is…

What do you think I’m doing? I’m working, you nit.

Contrary to popular belief, anyone who is supporting themselves as a freelance ANYTHING is working—A LOT. And not only that, we have to work much harder than salaried employees at managing our money, because no one else is doing it for us.And while it may be frustrating to be misunderstood by those who think you’re leading this relaxed, no-worries, bon-bons-for-breakfast kind of life, what’s more important—especially to your money management health—is how you view yourself.

Give in to the “creative people aren’t good with money” mindset and, guess what? You can kiss you sweet financial patootie and any chance of a comfy retirement good-bye. Accept the idea that the self-employed are destined to work like rat dogs with no financial security until their stubby little fingers can’t QWERTY anymore, and you can go ahead and start collecting cats now.

The one thing that financially savvy freelancers are—and one day Muck and I hope to join their ranks—is highly disciplined. In fact, I’d say they can be some of the most disciplined individuals you will ever encounter. OK, you may see them out of their offices enjoying a long lunch. What you don’t see are the weekends and late nights and early mornings and no paid vacations. And when it comes to money, it’s easy to have a retirement account when all you have to do is sign some papers that the administrative assistant plops down on your desk as part of your welcome packet. What takes discipline is setting up your own accounts, dutifully taking money out of every check and remaining vigilent about monitoring not only your finances, but financial news and developments, too. Because what it’s all about is self-reliance and—not to get too “you go, girl” on you—empowerment.

But what it’s also all about is CONTROL. Delicious control over your finances and your future. I say take it. Seize it. Grab it by its horns and wrestle it to the ground until it cries “uncle.” Carpe your greenbacks, people.