NatGeo is one of my favorite TV channels, and I recently checked out the show Doomsday Preppers. I expected wild tales of fringe folks building bunkers and stockpiling MRE’s. Instead I saw (mostly) regular people doing their best to plan for an uncertain future. And in some ways, I get it. Financial collapse, worthless currency, […]
Why Your $500 Charitable Donation Is Not Tax Deductible
I mostly listen to podcasts while driving in my car. But occasionally I want to hear what’s going on in the news, so I’ll turn my radio to my local NPR affiliate. All during December, the announcers kept asking for donations. No problem. I understand that WCQS is a non-profit organization which relies on its […]
The Art of Pricing Your Services
Last week I asked if service providers should publish their prices. There were many good answers to that question, in the comments and on Twitter. There were also many different opinions. That’s because there’s really no right answer. Every small business owner must develop his or her own unique pricing structure. Charge too much and […]
Should You Publish Your Prices?
In his awesome Empire Building Kit, Chris Guillebeau talked about his frustration with service providers who don’t publish prices on their websites. If he can’t easily figure out what he’s going to pay for a service, he ends up annoyed, discouraged, and very often in search of a different provider. I happen to feel the […]
Form 1099-K: The Looming Tax Headache for Freelancers
UPDATE: I’ve created a FAQ about Form 1099-K here. ANOTHER UPDATE: The IRS is now issuing notices based on Form 1099-K. Here’s what to do if you receive a notice from the IRS. Last week I went to my annual continuing professional education “tax update.” This year, not a whole lot changed relative to the […]