Tax Day has come and gone (at least for those of us in the United States), but for many freelancers, money woes are a constant, nagging concern.
In fact, two years ago, when I asked readers to share their biggest freelance fears, many said they feared going broke. And I suspect if I posed the same question today, I’d get similar responses. Let’s be honest: even if you’re doing OK financially, money gets messy when it’s coming from a zillion different sources and you aren’t sure exactly when it will arrive.
So, how can freelance writers and other indie professionals deal with irregular cash flow, cheapskate clients, and the dread of quarterly estimated taxes?
I’m not a tax accountant or an attorney, but I’ve combed the interwebs to assemble some useful links on the topic of freelancers and personal finance.
Paying Taxes
- 5 Qs with Brigitte A. Thompson, Author of Bookkeping Basics for Freelance Writers – My Q & A with Brigitte discusses business expenses, tracking freelance income, and more.
- June Walker: Tax & Financial Advisor to the Self-employed – Thanks to Jesaka Long for introducing me to this blog, which is a treasure trove of tax tips and information for the self-employed set.
- Yes, You Really Do Have to Pay Estimated Taxes – The authors of The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed give readers the 411 on paying quarterly taxes and finding a tax preparer.
Budgeting & Managing Cash Flow
- Five Free Tools to Manage Your Freelance Finances – Get Paid to Write Online guest blogger Charles Tran reviews several online tools that can help freelancers manage their money.
- Short-Term Money is Killing Me – Veteran freelancer Thursday Bram explains why chasing short-term money is a short-sighted freelance strategy.
- Money Management Tips for the Self-Employed – Mint.com contributor Matthew Amster-Burton addresses some of the special financial challenges that freelancers face.
- Freelanconomics: The Real Cost of Being Your Own Boss – My article for Adaptu.com details some of the hidden costs that many people don’t think about before going freelance.
- 7 Ways to be a Frugal Freelancer – My FreelanceSwitch post offers tips on saving money, among them bartering your services and swapping books or magazines with others.
Setting Fees and Negotiating Rates
- Would I Pay That Much for Me? 5 Things To Consider – In this candid post, freelance writer Steph Auteri shows us how she learned to charge rates that reflect her professional value.
- The Three Stages of Negotiating – FreelanceFolder contributor Laurie Lewis shows readers that compensation is just one part of the negotiation process.
- Negotiating With Clients that Want All-in-One Fees – FreelanceSwitch contributor Kristen Fischer offers tips for dealing with a dreaded flat rate request.
- How To Negotiate A Better Freelance Rate – This MediaBistro.com article by Samantha Melamed offers eight freelance negotiation tips (FYI: you’ll need an AvantGuild login to read the full article).
- How to Give Yourself a Raise – Think the rates your editor or client offers are etched in igneous rock? Think again! In this post, I show readers how I’ve successfully negotiated more moola.
Making More Money
- Eight Ways to Make More Money as a Freelancer – Kelly James-Enger, author of Six-Figure Freelancing shows readers how to boost their freelance income without breaking a sweat.
- How to Develop Multiple Streams of Income – Author and Renegade Writer guest blogger Jennifer Lawler offers tips on diversifying, not your investment portfolio, but your writing portfolio.
- Suddenly Self-Employed? Seven Ways to Boost Your Income – Freelance guru Michelle Goodman shares her tips in this ABC News article.
Getting Paid
- 6 Ways for Freelance Writers to Invoice–and Collect–Like Pros – An airtight contract and a timely invoice are your first lines of defense against non-paying clients, as this WritingCoach post by Loren Pritchett points out.
- The Freelancer’s Cheat Sheet for Collections – In this FreelanceSwitch post, Thursday Bram describes several different options for dealing with non-paying clients.
- Using a Collection Agency for Unpaid Invoices – Hopefully it doesn’t come to this, but for extreme pay problems, Thursday Bram explains how collection agencies work.
Flickr photo courtesy of Alan Cleaver
Thanks for mentioning Adaptu in your blog post! And being a great freelance writer for us! Keep up the good work.
You are a rock star for compiling this list! It's amazing. Thank you so much – can't wait to pass along your post.
This is an amazing list. Thank you.
Thanks, ladies! Glad you found it useful.
What a great resource … I'll be holding onto this list for a long time. Thanks!
What a great idea for a blog post — and thanks for the shout out!
This is such a common issue, and can leave us freelancers feeling so frustrated and powerless. Thanks for so many actionable tips – I'm making a list since making the second half of 2011 more profitable is on my to-do list!
Thanks For This Awesome & Impressive Blog I Must Be Waiting For Your New Post
What a fantastic roundup! Thanks, Susan!
Great info here. I'm going to look at the tax articles right now–which reminds me that I need to get my estimated taxes in the mail.
Thank you for mentioning my recent blog on negotiating. For anyone interested in a book devoted exclusively to freelance fees, let me recommend my book What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants. The second edition was just published and is available at Amazon.
what a fantastic resourse list, susan, thanks for sharing. i really do need to put more time into this end of things, and you've made it easy. i'll spread the word.