Freelance Finance

Muck and Mire’s guide to financial serenity for the self-employed

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Freelance Woes

May 21st, 2008 · 1 Comment

Freelance Switch has a very good article written by freelance writer Logan Strain. Detailing his life and struggles with great candor and a refreshing openness, Strain’s article touches on the main topics that we of the non-monthly-check tribe face. It’s very matter-of-fact and, for that reason, all the better. It just goes to show you [...]

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Tags: Getting Paid · Oh Yeah, Health Care · People Like Us · Why Jobs Suck

Five Tips for Sticking With Saving, Part 1

April 2nd, 2008 · No Comments

Saving money as a freelancer, independent contractor or whatever you choose to call yourself if you don’t happen to have a full-time job with bennies, is tricky. We’ve discussed this before: Saving regularly is more challenging when your income is constantly changing. This is why Muck and I stick with percentages, which has worked like [...]

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Tags: Getting Organized · Pay Yourself First · Saving · Savings goals and dreams · Your Values

The Zen of Grinding

March 31st, 2008 · No Comments

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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Tags: Getting Organized · Gurus · Non Sequiturs, Rants and Whines · People Like Us · Pleasures of the freelance life

The Health Care Quagmire

March 27th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Where does a freelancer go to get some decent health insurance? This a huge, growing issue. Each time the number of freelancers grows in the U.S., the number of people who are going without some form of medical safety net jumps. The powers-that-be have historically consoled themselves with the quaint notion that only the indigent, [...]

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Tags: Oh Yeah, Health Care · People Like Us

So. Yeah. We have a book deal.

March 26th, 2008 · 2 Comments

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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Tags: Books · Pluralis Majestatis

16 Things Freelancers Must Know #9: The work is a breeze, but pitching’s hell

March 24th, 2008 · No Comments

I don’t care what your craft is. If you love what you do, the work will always have its own rewards. It will be your rock and bulwark in tough times. It will sustain you and enrich your soul. And you’ll only get better and quicker at it.
But marketing yourself is not often in [...]

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Tags: Getting Paid · Managing clients

Another one falls by the wayside…

March 20th, 2008 · No Comments

Another remarkable freelance friend—a brilliant writer and researcher—has, just yesterday, taken a full-time job. This comes after years of very successful, but tiring, work on her own. She will be performing the exact same kind of duties, except she will be performing them for a law firm. I am happy for her. Why? Because she [...]

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Tags: Death and Taxes · Getting Organized · Non Sequiturs, Rants and Whines · Pay Yourself First · People Like Us · Saving

16 Things Freelancers Must Know #8: Ask For Money Up Front

March 13th, 2008 · No Comments

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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Tags: Books · Getting Paid · Managing clients · Non Sequiturs, Rants and Whines · Pay Up, Sucker

Beyond Freelance

March 12th, 2008 · No Comments

Personal finance for freelancers is, essentially, what this site is about. But in truth, “freelance” is much too limiting a word for the audience that this site seeks to serve. It offers personal finance musings (and, we’d like to think, some useful advice) to anyone who does not have the financial advantage of a salary [...]

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Tags: Non Sequiturs, Rants and Whines · People Like Us · Pluralis Majestatis

Sprucing Up Your Financial Self-Image

March 11th, 2008 · 2 Comments

How to save money fast…10 ways to get out of debt now…How to become a millionaire….and so on and so forth and blah, blah, ad nauseum, BLAH. With all of this free information available about personal finance, you’d think that Americans would be walking around in stellar financial shape. But alas, mon frere, you would [...]

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Tags: Non Sequiturs, Rants and Whines · People Like Us · Pleasures of the freelance life · Saving · Spending · Your Values