Dollars and $en$e in Austin: Managing Freelance Finance Finances

Editor’s note: Guest columnist Jodi Helmer will be moderating a panel on “Bylines and Budgets: How to Thrive Without a Nine to Five” at Write in the Heart of Texas on Saturday, Feb. 38:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Joe C. Thompson Center in Austin.  Click here to register and learn more about, among many other things, how the new income tax law will affect freelancers.

Money issues can be intimidating – no one ever said it was easy to ask for higher rate and risk losing the client or collect from a late-paying publication – but the most successful freelancers see their endeavors as businesses.

To thrive as a freelancer, financial stability is essential, which means steady cash flow and enough money to cover the lean times and the right processes and protections in place to offer essential safeguards.

With an eye to helping writers think more of themselves as independent businesspeople and with an assist from Austin conference organizer Susan Johnston Taylor, we put together the “Bylines and Budgets” panel. The panelists are very diverse in their expertise and will touch upon areas like dealing with debt, preparing for tax season, saving for retirement and otherwise thriving financially as an independent writer on an often-irregular income.

Here’s the lineup and what they will be discussing:

Kara Perez (@bravelygo) is a freelance writer and the founder of Bravely, a company that bridges the gap between women and money. Bravely hosts financial literacy events offline and creates online tools for women to help them take control of their money. Her writing has been featured on LearnVest, Elite Daily, Rockstar Finance, the Financial Diet, and other publications. She is also the co-host of The Fairer Cents podcast. Her advice includes:

  • Talking with an accountant right from the start of freelancing.
  • How to deal with feast or famine, such as having a big savings account and always expanding your network and your skills
  • How to ditch side-hustle shame. Those earnings will help you prepare for and survive low-income months.
  • How to start saving for retirement now
  • How to choose the best business structure to fit your freelance needs—sole proprietor, S-Corporation, LLC (Limited Liability Company) or something else?

Mari Ramirez, CPA has been in public accounting for more than 10 years and owns a paperless CPA firm in Austin. Mari wrote a chapter on financial empowerment in The Better Business Book, Volume 2. She is currently writing a tax-help book for businesses that revolve around real-life situations. She will talk about:

  • What the new tax reform means for you and what changes to make for 2018 to prepare
  • Best business structures and how to take advantage of structures based on tax reform
  • 2017 tax preparation and things to know for this tax season

Laura Adams (@LauraAdams) is a personal finance expert and award-winning author of multiple books, including Money Girl’s Smart Moves to Grow Rich. Since 2008, she’s been the host of the Money Girl Podcast, a top weekly show on iTunes. Frequently quoted in the national media, Laura has been a guest on major broadcast news outlets. Her mission is to empower consumers to live richer lives through her podcasting, speaking, spokesperson, teaching and advocacy work. She will cover:

  • Cutting risk with an emergency fund
  • Types of insurances you might need, including health, life and disability
  • How to get and maintain multiple income sources
  • Maintaining a separate business bank account
  • Using online tools such as QuickBooks and FreshBooks

Of course there will also be time for your questions. So come on down to Texas and make 2018 your most profitable year ever!

Jodi Helmer (@helmerjodi) is a North Carolina-based freelance journalist and author writing about the intersection of food, farming and business for Modern Farmer, NPR, Civil Eats, National Geographic Traveler, Living the Country Life, Farming Magazine and others. She is currently working on a book, Protecting Pollinators, forthcoming from Island Press. When she’s not writing, Jodi teaches classes on the business of freelancing, including “5 Days to $100K.”