Freelance Finance

It is important and necessary to do everything in your power to satisfy your clients. But you must have the courage to limit unreasonable demands. You cannot drop everything for two days to help someone hand-wring over the website you’re designing for them, nor should you volunteer endless revisions of your work. For many years, […]

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The phrase “keep your nose to the grindstone” took on new meaning for me Friday, when Mire and I attended a woodworking class given by master craftsman, author, and self-employed worker Andy Rae. Though the class was about sharpening woodworking tools, I couldn’t help finding a double meaning in much of what Rae said.
I […]

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Mire and I have yet to tell you guys more about our deal to produce a personal finance book for freelancers and independent workers for Random House. But there’s not much to tell. Obviously, the ball in is our court. We’ve had the idea for a long time. I’ve freelanced a dozen years; Mire for […]

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There is no reason why you should subsidize the incomes of your clients. It’s customary in many fields for a customer to a deposit or advance for the work they want you to perform. The advance indicates that they are serious about the project. Up to 50 percent up front is reasonable, but you should […]

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Last week we did some traveling, sharing the Freelance Finance System with some new friends and acquaintances. One question that came up often: Will people really be disciplined enough to save money this way? The question is rooted in the notion that people are by nature bad savers, that they will routinely spend their cash […]

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We love Money magazine, and have been reading it for years. But recently, we had a good laugh at the publication’s expense. When our subscription neared its end, we received a renewal order form telling us it was time to pay up if we wanted to keep receiving the magazine. The mag was offering a […]

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I have been reviewing how I organize and store financial records I accumulate in my twin roles as human being and freelancer. Both David Bach, author of the Finish Rich series and David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, promote systems for filing away paper in such a way that you can actually find it […]

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We read everything we can about personal finance, and I have to say, it usually disappoints us. Eighty percent of the time, writers, editors and gurus make the assumption that they are talking to an audience of people who have a steady paycheck, health insurance and a retirement plan at work. If you are, in […]

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