Last month I took a budget vacation… As in, a vacation from my budget. I’ve been a pretty avid budgeter for about 3 years now. It’s the thing that first got me hooked on personal finance. And as much as I know (and I really do…) that it’s not the ‘most fun ever’… I kind of love it. But the start of this year taught me something I didn’t really know before… Budgeting isn’t fun at all when you’re not making any money ...

Whenever people start throwing around financial terms like inflation, it’s easy to tune out immediately. But, aside from being crazy interesting, inflation is one of those big financial forces that affects you every day. It’s basically like gravity… yet another thing that’s keeping you from the miracle of flight…. Ugh. I wanna fly so bad. But seriously... understanding a little bit about inflation is actually super important, especially for those of us who are trying to stretch every dollar. I’d even go so far as to say that ignoring inflation could end up costing you a ton of money in ...

I watch a fair amount of TV… but I used to watch a crazy amount. Not too long ago I followed more than a dozen shows, keeping up with characters and story lines that seemed super important to me… until it just got really hard. Finding sites to stream them wasn’t as easy, and the quality was getting worse. So my TV watching just kind of tapered off. Until … there was Netflix. Netflix is amazing. Up here in Canada, we have significantly less content than you do in the States, but as much as we like to complain about ...

It had been a long week, and I was enjoying a whiskey sour at the local watering hole when she walked in… I had never seen her before, but she strolled in like she owned the place, with a look that dared you to tell her different. A dame after my own heart. I won’t pretend that I had a choice, but why she agreed to let me buy her a drink I’ll never know. We sat. She was in town on business, an actress… and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her… As she finished her second I ...

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I don't think I really understood that people could make a living in the arts until I was well into my grad studies. I don't know why it took so long... I honestly just didn't really think about it.... Money isn't something that gets discussed in artist training. In another faculty you might have some idea what the average starting salary will be, or an idea of what you could make when you're a partner at the law firm... but as an artist... not so much... But we did talk about 'making it'. The 'it' may have been poorly defined, ...

The number one question people ask me about getting their finances in order is: Where do I start?? It can seem daunting trying to figure out a part of your life you may have been ignoring for years… but remember,  making a financial plan isn’t rocket science, or plant science, or any kind of science really. It’s about making a map, that helps you get where you want to go. Figuring out what you want (where you want to go) is super important, but you can’t plan a journey without knowing where you’re starting from. In other words... you need ...

We train artists in a funny way. We spend hours and hours honing the craft, the tiny details that start a student on the path to being a master. But we leave out some of the big practical things that that student will need to function in the world. Universities, conservatories, acting and art schools create these bubbles. Amazing sheltered places in which we can explore ourselves and perfect our art. And then they hand you a degree and you’re out in the world. Now go spend all your time and resources doing art! … But also pay your bills, ...

I really enjoy getting notes and questions from other artists, both new to the freelance world and the ones that have been at it for awhile. This last week I was sent a question from a young singer in the states that got me particularly fired up, and so it's birthed a new kind of post. Rags to Reasonable's take on the advice column ...

Welcome to the ‘real’ world, new batch of artists! It seems like not that long ago that I emerged from 25 years of structured education, clutching to my multiple fine arts degrees and a few vague dreams. It was such a thrill. I had done it. I had finished. So much blood, sweat, and tears… but now it was done. And then I just became terrified. It wasn’t finished at all. I was staring at months and months of empty unscheduled space and I had no idea what I was going to do. I was facing the need to be ...

When I count up all my business expenses at the end of the year the biggest cost is always travel. That includes flights, trains, buses, accommodation, and of course all the food possible. Most of those deductions are pretty easy to claim, but I lose a lot of my food receipts. I know I should be more organized, but … I’m not. And it really annoys me when I see how much I spent on food while on the road… and how little I end up being able to claim. They have a nice solution for this in the U.S., ...