Podcasts about Uncle Sam

Seoul, Korea episode Listener Story Spotlight A friend and a listener named Lois recently went to Hawaii. She told me she spent much time getting travel insurance for herself and her partner. She had to pay more than she expected as her partner was having a birthday between the day she bought the service and the day of the trip. But she said it was well worth it for her peace of mind. The FAQ for today is: Where to find the best travel insurance for a long trip abroad. 1. Start with a neutral comparison engine; you can see this in the show notes. Why use it first? Where to click Smart filters to enable It lets you price 30-day single-trip plans from dozens of underwriters side-by-side, then click through to the policy certificate in one step. Squaremouth (toggle "Comprehensive" or "Medical-only" to see apples-to-apples pricing). Squaremouth Travel Insurance Medical ≥ $100k, Evac≥ $250k, "Cancel for Any Reason" if you want maximum flexibility. Gives you consumer-written claim reviews plus AM Best financial ratings in the results grid. InsureMyTrip (same data feed as Squaremouth but different sort logic). Add "PIf relevant, existing condition waiver" if rek "Adventure sports" if you'll hike or dive. Pulls quotes from some insurers that don't feed aggregators (e.g., Allianz's higher-tier plans) and lists A.M. Best scores. TravelInsurance.com Use the "24/7 assistance" toggle to see which plans outsource helplines. Skeptical check: All three make a commission, and none of them has every carrier. Run your trip through at least two engines and see if the so-called "cheapest" plan is available.     2. Cross-reference with an independent ranking list U.S. News "Best Travel Insurance Companies 2025" ranks plans by coverage and claim-paying history—not advertising spend. It's a fast way to see which names (Travelex, Allianz, Tin Leg, etc.) consistently show up in the top tier. U.S. News     3. See what other solo women say SoloTravelerWorld.com keeps an updated "Best Travel Insurance for Solo Travelers" guide that spells out what to look for if you're traveling alone—single-supplement benefits, harassment coverage, and 24-hour crisis lines. Solo Traveler AbsolutelyLucy.com lays out five red flags that matter disproportionately to women (e.g., personal-assault medical limits, emergency contraception exclusions). Absolutely Lucy Read these before you fall for glossy Instagram ads that treat "female-friendly" as a slogan.     4. Kick the tires on the insurer's site If a plan looks good in a marketplace, open the policy certificate directly on the carrier's website (World Nomads, SafetyWing, Allianz, IMG, etc.). World Nomads publishes unfiltered claim reviews, which help sniff out chronic payout delays. World Nomads     5. Verify what your government will—or won't—do The U.S. State Department's Insurance Coverage Overseas page makes it crystal-clear that Uncle Sam does not pay your hospital bill or med-evac. It also links to the embassy medical resources for every country, which tells you how far the nearest trauma center is from your trekking trail. Travel.gov     6. Double-check your credit-card benefits Cards in your wallet may cover trip delays, baggage loss, or secondary car rental insurance. The Points Guy keeps a running tally of cards whose built-in coverage is worth something and where the gaps are (e.g., no medical evacuation).     How to use these resources efficiently Quote your exact dates (don't round your trip to a calendar month; excess days add cost). Filter for medical & Evac first; those two benefits can bankrupt you. Ignore marketing buzzwords like "explorer" or "adventure" until you've opened the PDF certificate and searched for the activity you plan to do. Run your final four shortlist past recent claim reviews (Squaremouth, Trustpilot, Reddit r/solotravel) to see if the carrier ghosted people during COVID or the Israel–Gaza cancellations. You can purchase directly from the insurer once you've chosen, which avoids aggregator change fees if you need to modify dates. Stay curious, question every "Top 10" list's methodology, and you'll land the coverage that fits your risk profile—nothing more, nothing less. 60-second confidence challenge 3 things: neighborhood selection, daylight itineraries, scam avoidance Select walkable neighborhoods with public transportation nearby if you don't drive. Read reviews on the AirBNB website before you select. When booking a flight or train, be sure it arrives at daylight, which can differ in winter months. If it comes after dark, it will be more challenging.  To avoid scams, be cautious when choosing passwords, logging out of websites, and making online purchases. These are very typical scams. If you are suspicious, you may be right to avoid that vendor and choose another. Don't look like a target, either.   If you like today's Confidence Challenge, Chapter 1 of my book dives deeper—https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com   See Book A for addressing all of these items. Find it on the website or Amazon. It's a series. Today's destination is:  South Korea  I visited South Korea last month. I landed at Seoul's Inchon Airport. My Korean pronunciation is not good, so please understand that as I describe my trip. I was excited to see the city through the eyes of my friend Chris. We were whisked away to a hotpot dinner, then taken to the French neighborhood in Seoul, where we rested for the night. The next morning, we drove south to visit a town about 2 hours away and stayed in Wolbong-ro (Road), in Seobuk-gu, near SeongJeong.   For example, the Seoul Noryyanglin Fisheries Wholesale Market is five stories tall and open to the public. It's worth seeing if you like seafood, and you can roam the aisles looking for your favorite fish delicacies.   I visited the Vovo Bidet company and met with the director and some of his team. Have you seen the #1 Bidet firm in Korea? They have retail and wholesale offices in the Los Angeles area, too. I liked the tour of the offices here in Seoul. They even have a Bidet to go. Think about that for a minute. That was in Daebang-dong or Seocho4-dong. I visited retail stores such as Zara, one of my favorites for fashion. I had Chinese, Japanese, and Fusion foods. I took subways, busses, taxis, and Ubers plus trains. I went to Gwannghumun Square, the purple Station #9. I went to the shopping mall called The Hyundai. and found stores like Zanmang Loopy, the Hyundai Present, and a great coffee and tea shop. I learned about Hanguel, the Korean alphabet, and saw the statue of Sejong the Great. There was also another statue of Admiral YiSun Sin. The Bukchon Honok Village is a quiet residential area. Jogyasa Temple is where you will see Buddism. Hongdae is the neighborhood for independent artists.   Yonsei University was a place I wanted to visit next time, as I was in the neighborhood and liked it a lot. Gangnam style, well, maybe next time. I tried new foods, such as mung bean pancakes and hotleok desserts. We had a wonderful dinner at Sushi-ya Shabu-ya, about an hour from Seoul, near Korea Nazarene University in Cheonan-si-Buldang1-dong. Recommended: Relax in a tea house. Smart Move and Slip up pairings In Korea, we were departing from the airport without enough money on our transit cards, so we could not enter the building. Instead, we had to see the office at the kiosk and pay for the train. It was not much, but it did take a few minutes. We arrived well ahead of the recommended 3 hours, so that was not an issue. 60 second confidence challenge Do you or don't you tip? Not in South Korea. But it's always smart to ask. Be confident when you know what the expectations are.   Resources Roundup   If you are looking for more solo female travel resources, you can find several tips and ways to navigate the pitfalls, such as paying the difference on the transit card when you go long distances or knowing when to tip.   When you get lost, don't get upset. Get found. You will be better off if you cool down instead of heating your brain incorrectly. Chill, and you'll be found sooner. Dr. Travelbest's tip #760.    

From wine valleys to White House stand-offs, we're in South Africa as the continent's biggest economy finds itself caught between China, Russia, and a sulking Uncle Sam. Reporting from Franschhoek, we trace the Huguenot legacy, the Dutch East India Company, and how South Africa became the West's favourite refuelling stop, until now. With President “Cupcake” Ramaphosa headed to the White House this week, US aid frozen, and Afrikaner “refugees” granted asylum, tensions are flaring. South African podcaster Pumi Mashigo joins us to unpack the realignment: BRICS, Palestine, misinformation campaigns, and why the Global South is finally saying: enough. Join the gang! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-david-mcwilliams-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people go into retirement assuming their taxes will drop, but what if that assumption sets you up for a nasty surprise? In this episode, Jake and Nick unpack the “tax trap” that catches countless retirees off guard. It's a hidden pitfall that turns decades of diligent saving into unexpected tax bills when you finally tap into your nest egg. They will reveal how common retirement strategies, like deferring taxes through 401(k)s and IRAs, might backfire if not planned for properly. They also break down why general financial advice may not serve you well once you're within 10 years of retirement, and what to consider instead. You'll hear practical discussion about Social Security taxation, Roth conversions, and how legacy goals shape tax strategy. This episode doesn't just teach you how to avoid mistakes, it urges you to ask better questions about how and when to pay Uncle Sam. Here's what we discuss in this episode:

The largest drug bust in history happened yesterday. You'll hear all the statistics and details at the top of today's show from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The details of the entire happening will blow your mind! Oh, yeah: the perpetrators were cartel members!We all know about the massive antisemitism embedded in Ivy League universities and the processes our government has used to harness the fear and violence that have been found in these demonstrations. President Trump, as the U.S. leader, demanded an end to the violence against Jewish people to stop, holding these universities to initiate reining in those abusing the First Amendment, "or else." They didn't, and the "or else" came true yesterday for Columbia University. The U.S. "spicket" of money from Uncle Sam has been turned off. Grants have been cut, which has resulted in Columbia firing more than 100 employees. That's all because Columbia's leadership is obviously supportive of antisemitism.Several audio segments are revealing a plethora of details of very important bits of information you need to hear. Make it happen!

Fast täglich Neues von Uncle Sam, der große Dealmaker schüttelt die Märkte kräftig durch. Was ist davon zu halten? In dieser Folge habe ich Fondsmanager und Analysten nach ihrer Meinung gefragt. Was sollte der Anleger tun? Sollte er überhaupt etwas tun? Die Antworten gibt es in dieser Folge meines Podcasts.

It's the 250th episode of The Pulp Writer Show! To celebrate this occasion, this episode takes a look at the expectations people have of a full-time writer's life and contrasts them with the reality. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Talons of the Sorcerer, Book #6 in the Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store: TALONS50 The coupon code is valid through May 27, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 250 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May 2, 2025, and today we're looking at what it is really like to be a full-time writer. This is also the 250th episode of the podcast, so thank you all for listening to the podcast over these last six years. Before I started recording, I totaled up the total length of previous podcast episodes and came to about 78 hours, give or take. That's like three days of continuous talking, which sounds less impressive when you realize it was recorded over the last six years.   Thank you all for listening and here's hoping you can stick around with the next 250 episodes. Before we get to our main topic, which is the expectations versus reality of being a full-time writer, we are going to do Coupon of the Week, a progress update my current writing projects, and then Question of the Week. So let's kick off with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Talons of the Sorcerer, Book Six in the Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store. That code is TALONS50. As always, you can get that coupon code and the links to my Payhip store in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through May 27th, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we have got you covered.   Now an update on my current writing projects. I am 60,000 words into Ghost in the Corruption, which puts me on chapter 13 of 21, so I'm about two thirds of the way through. I think the rough draft will be between 90-100,000 words long, so hopefully I can have that out before the end of May, if all goes well. I also just finished Chapter One of Shield of Power, which will be the final book of the Shield War series and that'll be my main project once Ghost in the Corruption is finished. I'm also 87,000 words into Stealth and Spells Online: The Final Quest, and that will be my main project once Shield of Power comes out. I expect Final Quest should come out pretty soon after Shield of Power just because I've been chipping away at it for so long and I'm getting close to the end.   In audiobook news, recording is almost done for Ghost in the Assembly and that'll be narrated by Hollis McCarthy. Recording is totally done for Shield of Deception (as narrated by Brad Wills) and that is working its way through processing at the various audiobook platforms, so hopefully we'll not be too much longer before we can get that to you.   00:02:26 Question of the Week So that is where I'm at with my current writing projects. And now let's move on to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question, what is your favorite Jonathan Moeller book? The reason for this question is that this is the 250th podcast episode, so it seems like a good topic for that particular milestone. And as you might expect, we had an array of different opinions.   Joachim says: You are kidding us! By the end of the week? How long did you think about your own answer? Let me mirror you: for my own answer, the question is a bit difficult because I spent money on all your books, which meant I thought all of them a good buy. So let me split my answer into male and female protagonists. The best female book was Ghost Exile: Omnibus One because it prompted me to continue with Ghost Exile and fill in the Ghost series later. The Ghosts Omnibus One and Ghost Exile: Omnibus One were my first two books from you. The best male book was the one with Jack March where Thunderbolt said, “males are ogling breasts which never existed”, especially as such AI generated videos are now all over the place on YouTube.   I have to admit that I first came up with the character of Thunderbolt back in early 2021 when I was working on Silent Order: Rust Hand (that was before the AI boom really took off), so she turned out to be a very prescient character for the AI era in a number of ways.   Joe B. says: That is a tough question as there are many contenders. I'm going to go with one that is a little different, Sevenfold Sword Online: Creation, but now known as Stealth and Spells Online: Creation.   Justin says: I nominate Soul of Swords, an excellent end to an excellent series.   Perry says: There can only be one! Demonsouled. Paul says: For me, I think my favorite female protagonist  book is Cloak Games: Truth Chain. Such a dramatic change to Nadia, sets up the series in her struggles with self and enemies so well.   Brad Wills (who as you know narrated the Frostborn, Dragonskull, Malison, and Shield War series for me) says: Does a three book arc count?  Excalibur, The Dragon Knight, and The Shadow Prison made for a fantastic lead-up and finale of the Frostborn series.   Hollis McCarthy (who as you know, narrated the Ghosts and Cloak Mage audiobooks) says: Ghost in the Storm, when Caina and Kylon meet in the Battle for Marsis. Nonstop action, incredible chase scenes, and a great intro to their combative relationship.   Fred says: It's hard for me to say which book is my favorite. All your book series were all great.   Juana says: Frostborn: Excalibur with Ridmark. I happen to love stories about Excalibur, odd but true. Caina in Cloak and Ghost: Rebel Cell because Caina and Nadia are an incendiary team. So there! Randy says: Frostborn: The Dragon Knight. This whole series is great, but that is one of the high points.   Dennis says: I couldn't name my favorite as I enjoy everything you write. I probably enjoyed the Frostborn series best at the time, but having bought and read every one of your books it's now impossible.   Kevin says: There's no way on earth that I could put one book above another, so I would've to take the coward's way out and say Frostborn: The Gray Knight simply because it has a book that drew me to the worlds of Jonathan Moeller back in the spring of 2017, since which time I have bought 117 of his books, including a few omnibus editions, so a few more actual books, I suppose. I avidly read them all as they're published these days, except the Silent Order series (just doesn't grab me and pull me in like the others). Jesse says: Cloak Games: Sky Hammer. Damaged Nadia at her best, epic action the whole way. And yeah, the chapter The Last Death of Nadia Moran was viscerally cinematic and probably the biggest emotional payoff you've written in my opinion, tied her entire journey together. In my head, I cast Castle-era Stana Katic as Nadia, and it worked better than I expected it might.   Morgan says: I can't narrow it down to just one. So top three in no particular order, Sevenfold Swords: Swordbearer, Dragontiarna: Gates, and Stealth and Spells Online: Leveling. That being said, I think Niara might be my favorite character of all your books I have read.   Jonathan T says: I too am torn though only between two books, Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife and Frostborn: The Shadow Prison.   [Side note/addition from The Transcriptionist: My vote is for Half-Elven Thief!]   So thank you everyone for the kind words about all those books. For my own answer, the question is a bit difficult because I've written them all, which meant I thought all of them were good idea at the time. I suppose the glib answer would be the one that made me the most money, which was Frostborn: The Iron Tower, but it really depends on the category, like my favorite heist book, my favorite mystery book, my favorite dungeon crawl, my favorite first in series. So I think I'll go for the most basic level of categorization and split it up by male and female protagonists.   My favorite book of mine with a female protagonist would probably be Cloak Games: Rebel Fist, since it's such a turning point for Nadia and starts the trajectory of the rest of her character arc. It's the first time she really has to save the day instead of just trying to save herself and shows that her brother Russell can also handle himself, which as you know, comes up again later. My favorite book of mine with a male protagonist would probably be Dragontiarna: Defenders, since it has the Battle of Shadow Crown Hill, which was one of my favorite sequences to write. Four different characters have plans and they all crash into each other at the same time, which was a lot of fun to write and set up, which was a real highlight for me in 2020 because as we all know, 2020 was a fun year.   00:07:35 Main Topic of the Week: Writing Full Time: Expectations Versus Reality   So that is it for Question of the Week. Now let's move on to our main topic this week, writing full-time: expectations versus reality (admittedly from the perspective of a self-published author). If you spent any time around the writing community on the Internet at all, you know that many people dream of becoming a full-time writer, and sometimes people think that the only way to be successful as a writer is to write full-time. There are many expectations that people have about what it means to be a full-time writer. Now that I've been a full-time indie writer for nearly nine years at this point, I can provide some lived perspective. In this episode, I will talk about five of those expectations that people have about full-time writing and the way those expectations might be skewed.   So before we get to those, I should mention how I actually became a full-time writer. In 2016 (which seems like a really long time ago now), the Frostborn series was doing really well, and at the time I was also working full time and I realized that summer I was going to have to move for family reasons. I wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of moving at first, but I decided to embrace the idea and try to make the best of it. This would involve moving a considerable distance to a different state and all the different problems that entails. So I thought about it and I thought I could look for a new job, but any job I would be qualified for in the area I was moving to would make less money than I was actually making from writing part-time. So I thought, why not try and make a go of full-time writing and see what happens?   Since that was nine years ago, I think I can safely say it's worked out pretty well. And I will say that it's been a pretty good experience and I am very fortunate and very grateful and very blessed to have been able to do this because not everyone has the opportunity to pursue a full-time creative job like I have been able to for these last nine years. That said, while it has been pretty great, it comes with a lot of flexibility and I've gotten to write a lot of great books that many people have enjoyed, it's not always all wine and roses, so to speak, which is part of the reason why I wanted to do this episode to let people more in what the reality of being a full-time writer for this long has been like. So with that introduction out of the way, let's move on to our five expectations versus reality.   Expectation #1: Full-time authors make a lot of money. The reality is that even full-time authors generally don't make that much money. A survey from The Author's Guild showed that the median amount that full-time authors make was just about $20,000, though full-time romance writers had a higher median income of about $37,000. Remember that this amount is before any health insurance costs, benefits, retirement contributions, and of course taxes that a traditional job might be able to provide or help with. In the United States, buying even fairly basic health insurance can easily be a thousand dollars per month for a family, and that doesn't include any costs related to deductibles, prescriptions, or additional dental or vision insurance. Authors are either on their own for healthcare in the US or have to rely on a spouse or partner's healthcare coverage. In other words, you either have to pony up a lot of money to buy your own health insurance or you have to rely on your spouse or partner's healthcare coverage.   And at least in the US, taxes are also much higher on the self-employed. Uncle Sam really does not like the self-employed. If you are self-employed, it is in your best interest to essentially form a small corporation and work for yourself (though for details on how to do that, you should consult with an accountant licensed to practice in your region). Now all these costs can add up pretty quickly, and they make the amount of money that you'll earn from writing much less than you think based on raw earnings before taxes and all the other expenses we were talking about. You also have business expenses like cover design, site hosting, editors, narrators, advertising, et cetera, that take even more pieces out of those earnings. You can duck some of those, but not all of them.   So it boils down to that you have to make a significant amount of money as an author to make an actual living after taxes, healthcare costs, and business expenses are taken out of your earnings, which is one of the reasons that writing part-time as you have a full-time job is not the worst idea in the world and can in fact be a very good idea.   Expectation #2: My next book will make as much or more than the last one did. The reality is that your next book or series might not make you as much money as the previous ones did. In fact, you can reliably predict that most book series will have a certain amount of reader drop off as a series goes on, which is why these days I tend to want to keep my series under nine to ten books or so. Budgeting based on your current income levels is not wise, especially with the current economic climate (which for a variety of reasons is very unpredictable) and with increased competition in the ebook market. Most authors have a peak at some point in their career. For example, Stephen King is still obviously making a great living as a writer putting out new books, but his new books don't sell nearly as well as the ones he put out in the ‘80s. J.K. Rowling's novels for adults (she writes as Robert Galbraith the Cormoran Strike series) don't sell anywhere near the number of copies as her Harry Potter series did at its peak.   For myself, my peak years in terms of writing income were 2016 and 2017, and I've never quite been able to recapture that level. In fact, in 2024, I only did about two thirds of what I did in 2017 (my peak year), which can be a little nerve wracking as you watch those numbers move up and down. That is why it is important for a writer (like many other creatives like actors) to anticipate that they might only have a limited window of peak success and to save aggressively rather than living large on the amount you're earning in that peak era. And I am pleased to report that I was fortunate enough and sensible enough to do that, so that even if my income has varied from year to year (2017 onward), it hasn't been a crippling loss and I haven't been out in the street or lost the house or anything like that.   Expectation #3: You will be happier if you write full-time. The reality is that is not true for everyone. Some people actually do better creatively and emotionally with the time restrictions placed on them by having a full-time job. Many famous writers, including Trollope and Kafka, kept their full-time jobs. Even Tolkien was never a full-time writer. He was a professor of philology until he retired. That was interesting to me because personally, I haven't had much in terms of emotional trouble being a full-time writer. I've always kind of had the ability to hyperfocus on a task, and I've been doing that for almost nine years now, and it's worked out well for me.   I've since realized that is not true for many people. One of the things that demonstrated it to me, believe it or not, was insurance actuarial tables. One thing that I tried to do after I became a full-time writer was try and get disability insurance in case I had an accident or severe illness and could not write anymore. I learned that it's extremely difficult for full-time writers to get disability insurance due to their high rates of substance abuse and mental illness. I was astonished by this because I've never had problems with substance abuse or mental illness myself, but given the number of writers and other creatives I've known who have had those issues, perhaps that's not that surprising, but I was still baffled to learn that.   For example, in my area there are a number of tree management companies (because it's a heavily wooded area) and it's a lot easier for an arborist who works with a chainsaw all day to get disability insurance than it is for a writer, which is somewhat crazy to think about because as a writer, I'm mostly sitting in a chair all day pressing buttons on a keyboard while an arborist is climbing a tree or in a crane with a chainsaw, which is a much more physically dangerous thing. But because of the rates of substance abuse and mental illness among full-time writers, apparently it is very difficult for full-time writers to get disability insurance. Some people struggle with the lack of structure and outward accountability that comes from being a full-time writer and find that actually decreases their productivity and leads them to fall into substance abuse or sink deeper into mental health problems. Very few people have the self-discipline and mental resilience required to be a full-time writer for years on end. And that's not me tooting my own horn so to speak, but apparently it is just the facts. Some writers even go back to full-time work just because they find it less stressful or better for their wellbeing. So I think this is an excellent example of having to know yourself and know what is best for you. For example, if you're a very extroverted person who enjoys talking to people at the office, becoming a full-time writer where you spend most of your time by yourself typing might not be the best for your long-term mental and physical health. Expectation #4: Writing full-time will make me more productive. The reality is having more time does not necessarily mean that you'll be more productive. Writers are notorious for falling prey to time wasters, such as social media scrolling, research spirals, and writing adjacent activities (of which there is a whole series about on this podcast already). It does take a lot of a self-discipline, focus, and determination to be a full-time writer. If you are a full-time writer, especially a full-time indie writer, you also have to balance writing time with various administrative tasks, marketing and ads, social media, fan correspondence, and the various tasks involved in the self-publishing process. Writing is not the only thing that writers actually do, and the other tasks often make finding time for writing more difficult than you might expect. Even traditionally published writers still have to carve out time for administrative work and assisting with marketing and social media work.   As your writing career scales up, so does the behind the scenes workload. This is true in my case. Up until 2023, I basically did everything myself, but I did have COVID pretty badly for a while in 2023 and it just knocked out my energy for a while and I realized that I can't keep trying to do everything by myself. I basically had a choice, either cut some tasks or get some help. So I have some people now, some contractors who help me with things like listening to audiobook proofs (I used to do that all myself), doing the podcast transcript, and Excel record keeping (which I used to do myself). While that is an expense, I don't regret it because it really has taken a lot off my plate and freed up more time for writing, which of course is the entire point.   Expectation #5: I admit this one made me laugh. I will have more free time as a full-time writer. I can attest firsthand that that is not true. What you have as a full-time writer is flexibility. The reality is, although there is flexibility on the job, the hours can be more than for a full-time job. There's a joke that full-time writers can work any 12 hours they want every day.   Most indie authors are putting out far more than one book a year in order to make a full-time income, and that requires a fairly demanding pace that most people don't have the self-discipline to maintain as a lifestyle for years and years on end. The majority of full-time writers right now are either romance or erotica writers who are putting out at least a book a month, sometimes even more. As I mentioned in an earlier point in the show, the administrative task can take far more time than most people would imagine. They could, depending on the circumstances, be easily 40 hours a week on their own before you have time to do a single word of writing on the page. I found you really have to guard your writing time well and find ways to keep administrative tasks, distractions, and necessary tasks such as home maintenance or childcare separate from writing.   Anyone who has ever worked from home is familiar with how difficult that can be because home comes with a wide set of distractions. Granted, that's often fewer distractions than the office, but home can have its own set of distractions. I've mentioned before that you need a bit of tunnel vision to produce the quantity of writing I do month after month. I do keep to a pretty rigid schedule. I have daily word count goals I always try to meet and I use the Pomodoro Method to make sure that I'm prioritizing my writing time.   If you are self-employed and working for yourself, that means there are no allocated vacation or sick days and no paid sick leave in the writing world. Taking a couple of weeks off usually means anticipating a loss in income, such as a month without a book being released. Sometimes, especially in the case of illness, family emergencies, and so forth, that just can't be helped. However, the long vacations people imagine writers being able to take mean either a loss of income or a couple of weeks beforehand of working extra hours to make up for it. For example, Brandon Sanderson, who is probably the most famous fantasy author right now, still works and writes on his vacations and does extra work before leaving for a vacation (such as pre-recording videos).   So as you can see, most of the expectations people have about what it's like to write full-time come from the hope that it will change their productivity or make it easier to write. In reality, if you manage your time well, you can often meet all your writing goals even while working another full-time job. Some people are even more productive under the time pressure of only having an hour or so available to write each day. You don't have to wait until you are a full-time writer for your writing career to start. I wrote for decades and published for years before I was a full-time writer.   Frankly, the idea that you need to be a full-time writer in order to be taken seriously or make money exists only in your own mind. Whether you are a full-time writer or not, what matters is having the discipline to shut out distractions and write with absolute consistency regardless of the circumstances. Even writing 250 to 300 words every single day can add up very quickly, even if you don't do it in 15 minute bursts like Anthony Trollope did.   Finally, I suppose this makes it sound like I'm painting a very bleak picture here, but I'm not. As I said before, I'm very fortunate to be able to do what I do, and I'm very grateful to all my readers that I'm able to write full-time and even hire on contractors for narration and behind the scenes work. I appreciate and am very grateful to all the readers who have supported me by continuing to buy my work and access it through subscription services like Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus or library options like Libby and Hoopla.   So that is it for this week. I hope it provided some insight into what it's like to be a full-time writer. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show and all 250 episodes. I hope you found the show and all 250 episodes useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.  

Hosts: Nick and guest advisor Cole WilliamsSpecial Guest Absence: Dave is off living his best life in Bozeman, Montana (hopefully catching trout and not taxes). In this episode of Kitchen Table Finance, we take a deep dive into one of retirement's least sexy—but most critical—topics: taxes. Whether you've just filed and are ready to forget about them until next year (don't), or you're actively planning your golden years, this episode is packed with straight talk and strategies to help you keep more of what you've worked so hard for. https://youtu.be/1XkZhAKdR-A What You'll Learn: How taxes work in retirement – Spoiler: it's not like your working years. Three ways to pay your taxes once the paycheck stops – Withholding, estimated payments, or via pensions/social security. Which accounts to draw from and when – Taxable, pre-tax, or Roth? The order matters more than you think. What RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions) mean for your tax bill – Plus, when they start depending on your birth year. Tax traps to avoid – Including Medicare surcharges (IRMAA), net investment income tax, and surprise Social Security taxation. When Roth conversions make sense – Hint: it's not one-size-fits-all. Giving back smartly – How Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) can keep your heart warm and your taxes low. Special account strategies – HSA withdrawals, leftover 529 plans, and even employer stock gains through Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA). What if the tax laws change? – Because, well… they will. Nick and Cole don't just dump info—they break it down so you can understand how to apply it, avoid common missteps, and stay ahead of Uncle Sam without losing sleep. Resources Mentioned: Flowcharts and planning tools available upon request Income Lab software insights for long-term planning A healthy dose of common sense and humor (yes, about taxes) Ready to get a grip on your retirement tax strategy?Start with a Fit Meeting—no pressure, just a chat. Visit srbadvisors.com or email us at info@srbadvisors.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more down-to-earth finance guidance.

On this episode: In retirement, should you be in the stock market at all? THIS could cost you $300 thousand or more in retirement. Uncle Sam looks at your 401(k) like a big juicy steak. Subscribe or follow so you never miss an episode! Learn more at GoldenReserve.com or follow on social: Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I sat down in person at the IFA (International Franchise Association) with my friend and fraternity brother Dan Axelrod, VP and Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management.Dan works with franchisees, franchisors, and business owners on pre- and post-transaction planning to protect their wealth when they exit—and today, he's giving YOU the same insider tips he shares with multimillion-dollar clients.✅ How do you avoid paying more to Uncle Sam than necessary?✅ What are the biggest mistakes business owners make when selling?✅ How do you build your dream team to secure your financial future?

Mark Goodwin explains how stablecoins may be yoking Bitcoin to the dollar system, creating a mechanism for the US to maintain global financial dominance while appearing to embrace cryptocurrency. He argues Bitcoiners must fight to keep Bitcoin permissionless.You're listening to Bitcoin Season 2. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 7,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.comAuthor of "The Bitcoin Dollar" Mark Goodwin joins us to discuss how stablecoins may be the US government's strategy to maintain dollar hegemony by yoking Bitcoin to the dollar system. He explains how private stablecoin issuers must buy US treasuries, creating artificial dollar demand while enabling surveillance. Mark argues that while Bitcoin pumps, Bitcoiners must fight to preserve its permissionless nature or risk merely empowering the state rather than creating true freedom for individuals.Follow our guests: @markgoodw_in# Notes:- Tether holds ~$145B in US treasuries- PayPal offering 3.7% yield on PYUSD stablecoin- Bitcoin inflation fell below gold in May 2020- US strategically using stablecoins for dollar demand- Stablecoin regulations prioritize treasury backing- Bitcoin scaling solutions needed for privacyTimestamps:00:00 Start01:32 The 21 cabal06:40 Bitcoin as an EXIT14:14 The Bitcoin Dollar29:54 Arch39:27 Stablecoins51:40 Trump's illegal scams1:01:25 What should Bitcoiners do?-

What if your biggest tax burden could be flipped into your greatest asset? In this episode, Matt and Luigi sit down with Sean Graham, a CPA turned real estate entrepreneur who's turning self-storage and depreciation into a business superpower. Sean walks us through his journey from cubicle life to building a real estate empire…one shed at a time…and breaks down how cost segregation isn't just tax strategy; it's tax sorcery. You'll learn how he used FHA and SBA loans to scale his real estate portfolio, why self-storage remains hot (even when interest rates don't), and how small business owners can leverage tax tools most people have never even heard of. Episode Highlights: Why FHA loans are a perfect starter hack for young investors How Sean scaled from duplexes to commercial storage units using SBA loans What cost segregation actually is—and why it matters to small business owners Three ways to legally offset active income using real estate depreciation The "lazy 1031 exchange" explained How to avoid paying depreciation recapture When it makes sense to DIY cost seg (spoiler: it doesn't) The wildest short-term rental project Sean ever worked on Sean's tips for building scalable, remote-first real estate operations Favorite Quote: "The easiest entrance into entrepreneurship is through real estate. You don't have to recreate the wheel." Who is Sean? Sean Graham is a licensed CPA, entrepreneur, and the founder of Maven Cost Seg, where he helps real estate investors legally reduce their tax liabilities through cost segregation studies. With a background in accounting and a passion for real estate, Sean has carved out a niche in self-storage and teaches others how to build wealth without begging Uncle Sam to take less. Take Action: Think you're paying too much in taxes? You probably are. Hit play and find out how Sean's strategies could save you five to six figures this year alone. Then head to mavencostseg.com/liquid for a free estimate and an exclusive discount for our listeners.   Connect with Sean: Facebook LinkedIn Website  Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!  

The last couple of weeks, we've been deep in the world of buying businesses. But what happens when it's time to cash out? Maybe you're ready to sell your business, that investment property you've managed for years, or another major asset you've poured your energy into. If you're like most people, the thrill of a big sale is quickly followed by a less-exciting thought: “Wait, how much am I going to owe in taxes?” It's the classic one-two punch—first the celebration, then the sinking feeling as you picture Uncle Sam's hand reaching for a chunk of your hard-earned gains. But here's the good news: you actually have options. Real, legal, IRS-approved options. And the right strategy can mean the difference between watching your profits shrink and putting your money to work for you—sometimes for years to come. Of course, things get a little trickier if you have a mortgage or other debt on the property, but don't worry—we'll break that down too. Let's start with one of the oldest tricks in the book: the 1031 Exchange. If you own investment real estate, you've probably heard about this one. The idea is simple: sell your property, buy another “like-kind” property, and—if you follow the rules—kick that tax bill down the road. But here's the twist: if you've got a mortgage, you'll need to replace that debt with equal or greater debt on your next property, or pony up the difference in cash. Otherwise, the IRS will want a piece of the action right away. So yes, leverage matters! Now, maybe you're tired of being a landlord but still want those tax perks. Enter the Delaware Statutory Trust, or DST. This is essentially 1031 exchanging into a syndication that is designed for this type of thing. You sell your property and, instead of buying another one yourself, you buy a slice of a big, professionally managed property—like an apartment complex or shopping center. DSTs often come with their own loans, so you can match your old mortgage and keep the tax deferral going. The upside? No more midnight calls about leaky faucets. The downside? You're trusting someone else to run the show and they need to be good at it (just like any syndication operator). And, there are some rules and restrictions that can affect your returns negatively. But what if you're selling a business? That's where Employee Stock Ownership Plans, or ESOPs, come in. Imagine selling your company to the people who helped you build it—your employees—and deferring a big chunk of your capital gains tax in the process. It's a win-win, but if your business has debt, things can get complicated fast. This is definitely a strategy where you'll want a seasoned advisor in your corner. Now, let's talk about installment sales and structured sales. In this scenario, instead of getting paid all at once for your asset, you spread out the payments—and the taxes—over several years. Structured sales even bring in a third party to guarantee those payments, adding an extra layer of security. But—and this is a big but—if you have a mortgage, the IRS treats the amount the buyer pays off as if you got that money in cash on day one. So, you'll pay taxes on that portion right away. For example, if you sell for $1 million but owe $600,000, you can only defer taxes on the $400,000 you actually receive over time. The more debt you have, the less you can defer. And finally, we have the Deferred Sales Trust—the topic of this week's Wealth Formula Episode. Think of this as the “supercharged” version of a structured sale. Instead of waiting on the buyer for payments, you transfer your asset to a trust, which sells it and invests the proceeds. You get to choose how and when you receive your money, and the trust can invest in all kinds of assets while your taxes stay deferred. It's flexible, it's powerful, and it gives you the chance to grow your money while you wait. Which of these strategies is right for your situation depends on your goals, your assets,

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

We start off with a first-ever viewer mail taste test! Then our standard report on the state of public health and government functionality (spoiler, it ain't great). Our main topic is acronyms and some specific word-based folklore. Is the term "OK" really the greatest word ever created? And how was it created? Then, whether it's linking a rock band to Satan or lambasting a large bureaucratic organization, false "bacronyms" are mini stories all unto themselves. Finally, there's maritime and military terms like SOS, FUBAR and SNAFU, as well as the possibly acronym-related origins of Uncle Sam.

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Let's face it, most of the popular podcasts out there are dumb. NBN features scholars (like you!), providing an enriching alternative to students. We partner with presses like Oxford, Princeton, and Cambridge to make academic research accessible to all. Please consider sharing the New Books Network with your students. Download this poster here to spread the word. Please share this interview on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Bluesky. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack here to receive our weekly newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/technology

Uncle Sam is watching, whether you like it or not. And the surveillance program the United States is building has as its foundation immigrants who have crossed the nation's southern border. In Data Borders: How Silicon Valley is Builidng an Industry Around Immigrants (University of California Press, 2023), UCLA information studies professor Melissa Villa-Nicholas deftly explains how private corporations such as Amazon and Palantir, government agencies including ICE and the CBP, and even public libraries all coordinate to track citizens and non-citizens alike. Mass amounts of data are networked to immigrants, who link people together like nodes on a map. A startlingly relevant book, Villa-Nicholas argues that stories we tell about data, and about human experiences, can either aid or act as a bulwark against this type of mass surveillance. The surveillance state is here, and it was born in the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I talk about how rejection might just be redirection, the return of student loans and Uncle Sam threatening to snatch your check real quick, and the Catholic Church entering its next era—could it be time for a Black Pope? Kevin Gates needs to worry less about LeBron's marriage and more about his own entanglements, influencers have added “Jesus” to their brand kit, and Florida continues to Florida with a woman impersonating ICE to kidnap her ex's new wife (yes, for real). We also cover Gilbert Arenas' son's tragic Cybertruck accident, Joe Dwet File's legal drama with someone mad their song got no streams, Tyla catching heat from Britney's fanbase, and Shannon Sharpe's scandal just got way too dark. Let's unpack the mess. Personal IG: @itswista Podcast IG: @wordswithwista

Think you're making money just because the bank account isn't empty? Hate to break it to you…but that's not how business works. In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt and Luigi sit down with Teresa Wagonseller, founder of HigherUp CFO Services, to rip the lid off a big misconception: small businesses don't need a CFO. Spoiler alert—they do.  Teresa explains the difference between CPAs and CFOs (hint: one is stuck in the past, the other helps you build a future), breaks down what cash flow actually is (and why you probably suck at managing it), and gives real-world examples of turning hot messes into money-makers. Episode Highlights: CFOs focus on growth; CPAs focus on compliance—know the difference. You don't need to be a Fortune 500 company to afford a CFO. Fractional CFOs give small biz owners expert support without breaking the bank. Cash flow problems? Look at who owes you, who you owe, and fix your damn terms. Contractors, SaaS founders, and even doctors are all flying blind without financial leadership. Stop “hiding profits” for tax purposes if you ever want to sell your business. Liquidity > Cash. Plan like a boss, not like you're dodging Uncle Sam. Favorite Quote: “The main difference between the two is a CPA is focused on the past… the CFO is focused on the future.”   Who is Teresa? Teresa Wagonseller is a CPA-turned-fractional CFO who's worked with everything from mom-and-pop shops to billion-dollar companies. Her firm, HigherUp CFO Services, helps business owners stop winging it with their money and start making strategic decisions that lead to growth, profit, and actual peace of mind. Take Action: If you've ever wondered where the hell your money is going, this episode is your wake-up call. Hit play. Then hit up a CFO.   Connect With Teresa: Facebook LinkedIn  Website Like what you heard? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Jamie spent the whole weekend setting up a shoe wall for her collection. Yesterday the Secretary for Education said they are coming for people who have defaulted on their student loans.

Under the cover of darkness, migrants follow the light of a single flashlight - The Migrants' Moon. Edward R. Murrow Award winners Paul Sanchez and Yami Virgin take you to the front lines of the border crisis. From Shelby Park, alongside journalist Jordan Elder, we witness what appears to be a quiet downsizing of state presence in a location once at the heart of the migrant surge. Meanwhile, as cartel cash flows continue, Uncle Sam steps in with new efforts to slow the tide. But will it really make a difference? We continue to be the eyes and ears of what's happening on the southern border.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the SeerNova Podcast, we sit down with indie comic creator Scott Harris-King, the mind behind The Crimebusters, Quest, and Cthulhu vs. Uncle Sam. Scott is a powerhouse in the indie comic space, known for his incredible fulfillment track record on Kickstarter (earning the “Backer's Favorite” badge) and his deep love for comic book history, which he explores on his YouTube channel, The Classic Comic Collector.

America's economic dynamism, deep capital markets, and stellar equity returns have long made it the top destination for capital. But with US stocks, Treasuries, and the dollar all sliding together, cracks are appearing in the image of American exceptionalism. Could mounting chaos really lead investors to turn away from Uncle Sam?And in today's Dumb Question of the Week: Why would you ever buy another country's bonds? --- Thank you to Trading 212 for sponsoring this episode. Claim free fractional shares worth up to ‎£⁠100. Just create and verify a Trading 212 Invest or Stocks ISA account, make a minimum deposit of £1, and use the promo code "RAMIN" within 10 days of signing up, or use the following link: Sponsored Link. Terms apply - trading212.com/join/RAMIN When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Pies & Autoinvest is an execution-only service. Not investment advice or portfolio management. Automatic investing refers to executing scheduled deposits. You are responsible for all investment and rebalancing decisions. Free shares can be fractional. 212 Cards are issued by Paynetics which provide all payment services. T212 provides customer support and user interface. Terms and fees apply. ---Get in touch

Today I'm breaking down seven moments when the IRS stepped off the sidelines and went head-to-head with some of pro baseball's biggest names. From Hall of Famers to World Series champs to obscure role players, nobody was too big (or too forgotten) to get a visit from Uncle Sam.Let's take a look at what happened when the tax man came calling for pro baseball players.Sign Up for the FREE NewsletterDive deeper into the episode, and access to the FREE bonus show at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rounders.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Liked the Show? Leave Me a One-Time "Good Game" Tip!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip on Stripe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip on PayPal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send Me a Question for a Future Show!Email me at rounderspodcast@gmail.com

Coming up we'll hear from Jp Cortez, Executive Director of the Sound Money Defense League. Mike Maharrey and his interview guest this week discuss the state of sound money in our nation, some exciting news on the policy front regarding gold and silver and then also talk about the nation's gold at Fort Knox and what it will take to finally get an audit on the gold that Uncle Sam supposedly owns.

Join us on "What is Innovation?" as we explore the true meaning of innovation with Kris Forrest, Co-Founder and CEO of C&D Tools USA. From his background in the intelligence community to leading an American manufacturing company, Kris shares insights on how innovation can be about improving existing ideas rather than just creating new ones.Discover how his unique journey shapes his vision of innovation.------------------------------------------------------------Episode Guide:0:00 - Intro1:05 - What is Innovation1:40 - Improvement over Newness3:39 - Behind C&D Tools5:11 - Design Choices and Engineering Challenges8:14 - Supply Chain Innovation10:!9 - Balancing Cost and Quality and Innovation13: 43 - Overcoming Industry Skepticism21:19 - Advice for Innovators------------------------------------------------------------Kris spent nearly 16 years working for Uncle Sam, four as a young Marine and the rest in various capacities, including the intelligence community and as a Diplomat with the State  Department. He has thwarted warlords and worked on critical issues across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.Kris is the Co-Founder and CEO of C&D Tools USA, an American manufacturing company, where he leads go-to-market strategy and focuses on developing client and partner relationships.More about our guest:LinkedIn: Kris ForrestCompany: C&D Tools USAOUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management#americanmanufacturing #entrepreneurship #supplychain #WIIP

If altruism is in your heart, charitable giving can be vastly rewarding not only for the knowledge that youâve helped those in need, but also for the tax benefits. Donna and Nathan explain different ways taxpayers can put some of their hard earned income to work for a good cause rather than lining Uncle Samâs pockets. Also on MoneyTalk, deciding what tools to use to protect your assets, and Stock Trivia: Two Truths and a Lie. Hosts: Donna Sowa Allard, CFP®, AIF® & Nathan Beauvais, CFP®, CIMA®; Air Date: 4/1/2025. Have a question for the hosts? Visit sowafinancial.com/moneytalk to join the conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rantz: Anti-Musk, Tesla Takedown protests are organized, not grassroots // Two women were attacked over their Teslas in Flagstaff Arizona last week // ‘Scary Situation’: Richard Sherman says armed robbers stormed his home with family inside // WA State Senate passes bill to hike gas tax by 6 cents per gallon // How Costco’s Kirkland Signature Brand Became a Powerhouse // WA ‘Uncle Sam billboard’ property being sold // Guest - State Rep Jeremie Dufault - District 15 - on House Bill 1959 // John Has a New Library.

Rantz: Anti-Musk, Tesla Takedown protests are organized, not grassroots // Two women were attacked over their Teslas in Flagstaff Arizona last week // ‘Scary Situation’: Richard Sherman says armed robbers stormed his home with family inside // WA State Senate passes bill to hike gas tax by 6 cents per gallon // How Costco’s Kirkland Signature Brand Became a Powerhouse // WA ‘Uncle Sam billboard’ property being sold // Guest - State Rep Jeremie Dufault - District 15 - on House Bill 1959 // A passenger lost a phone mid flight. The plane turned around. // ‘Barebackers’ are the commuters plaguing the London tube network.

This Saturday, we talk the latest market trends and what they mean for your portfolio. We dive into smart tax strategies, helping you keep more of what you earn—especially if you're facing Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Are you making tax-efficient investment moves? We give some tips on how to maximize your returns while minimizing Uncle Sam's cut. We also explore the hidden risks lurking in your investments. From overconcentration in tech stocks to overlooked fees in your retirement accounts, we uncover common pitfalls that could be dragging down your wealth. Plus, we tackle listener questions on the best ways to hedge against inflation and where today's real opportunities lie.   Listen, Watch, Subscribe, Ask! https://www.therealmoneypros.com Hosts: Brian Wiley & Jeremiah Bates ————————————————————— SPONSORS: Guild Mortgage: https://guildmortgage.com Ataraxis PEO https://ataraxispeo.com Tree City Advisors of Apollon: https://www.treecityadvisors.com Apollon Wealth Management: https://apollonwealthmanagement.com/ Formations: https://get.formationscorp.com/real-money-pros —————————————————————

Uncle Sam billboard going down // Trump says he's considering a third term // Richard Sherman's home broken into // SCENARIOS!

Cultivate Catskill is an all volunteer group dedicated to the beautification of their village. It all started over a dozen years ago when Shelly Pulver, who has lived in Catskill for 55 years and President of the organization, saw an email about hanging baskets. She thought that installing them along Main Street was something that could be done. Over a dozen years later, the village, with a population just under 4000, has over 90 hanging baskets along both Main Street and Bridge Street to the delight of the local residents.. Joining Shelly in this endeavor is her long-time friend, Robin Smith, who is a native Catskillian, Treasurer of the organization, and has been a Master Gardener Volunteer for over 20 years. The two of them along with another dozen volunteers get together every year to help plant pride in their community. In addition to the hanging baskets, they install brightly colored annuals in numerous urns and other containers, care for multiple pocket parks adding seasonal flowers, and  make the downtown shopping district attractive and inviting for visitors and residents alike. The local Tree Council, spearheaded by Hudson Talbott and now part of Cultivate Catskill, has planted over 76 trees in the village along Main Street and more recently in the cemetery. They even worked with the Village Board to create a Tree ordinance to protect and maintain the local trees. Their combined efforts have contributed to a kind of renaissance of the downtown area. To get started they worked with a national organization, America in Bloom, which helped to prioritize their efforts and provided a framework that helps revitalize other municipalities. With their guidance and a lot of hard work, the Bank of Greene County and the Department of Public Works have become great supportive partners in this initiative. To fund their efforts, they have sold memorial bricks, held cookie sales, applied for grants, hosted a Holiday House tour, and still hold monthly Trunk Sales (on the 2nd Saturday of the month between May and October). They decorate for all seasons including funding Holiday snowflake lights (complete with swags that cross the street). Working with local merchants, they organized 'Caturday' and Winter Solstice Strolls events, became an official non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and have gradually expanded their focus beyond Main Street. Uncle Sam's Bridge becomes a feature during the summer months adorned with window-boxes overflowing with multi-colored flowers. The Howard Street and Mott Street slides (alleyways) get attention, as do the Blue Star Park, Policeman's Park, Leggio Park, and now Dutchman's Landing. Recently, working with the local Fortnightly Club, they built a Sprayground (a.k.a. a spray playground) at Elliott Park for children and adults to enjoy during the summer months. Volunteers are always welcome especially to weed and water. Listen in to learn more and potentially apply this approach to your community. Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas Guests; Shelly Pulver and Robin Smith Photo by: Teresa Golden Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Tally Hahn, Tim Kennelty, Amy Meadow, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Robin Smith, Jean Thomas Resources

Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes: Short stories about friendship, growth, and social misdemeanors by Andy Dietrich Amazon.com Andysbook.com Ever wonder what happens when you crash the wrong wedding or mistake a fraternity rush for a question about your heritage? How about fashioning a fake nightclub stamp empire in Vegas, or trying (and failing) to pull off a flawless heist for a Super Nintendo game? From laugh-out-loud anecdotes to surprisingly heartfelt reflections, this collection explores themes of friendship, growth, and the chaos that comes with simply trying to be human. Tackling everything from awkward cultural misunderstandings to the wild adventures of military life, this book offers readers a candid, hilarious, and sometimes poignant glimpse into a life lived fully—and occasionally just recklessly enough. Some highlights... “Are You Russian?”: The awkward misunderstanding that kicked off a college fraternity adventure. “That One Time I Witnessed a Divorce”: A Chipotle line, a hair tie, and a (potentially) marriage-ending discovery. “When You Mess It Up for Everyone Else”: How one man's shenanigans changed Vegas club re-entry policies forever. “Honey Bee Did What Honey Bees Do”: The miraculous conception story that starts with a bottle of Patrón. “The Night I Lost My Damn Mind”: An unforgettable encounter with medical-grade THC and pulled-pork sliders. Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes is perfect for fans of David Sedaris, Tucker Max, or anyone who has ever made a questionable decision and lived to laugh about it later. With a mix of humor, heart, and the occasional ridiculous life lesson, this book will leave you smiling, shaking your head, and maybe even feeling a little better about your own misadventures. “If you're gonna do something stupid, be smart about it.”About the author Andy Dietrich was born at an early age and lived a fairly uneventful life in the Black Forest of Germany. At age 14, he and his mom packed their things and moved to Alaska to experience the true meaning of "holy shit, it's cold!" At 19, while on a sugar high, he enlisted and became one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. He was released early due to good behavior and moved to Las Vegas where he now spends his time harassing, errr...."welcoming" the tourists and exercising his second-favorite drinking arm. If you come across a wild Andy in his natural habitat, do not feed him attention; he will only come back for more.

Send us a textBuckle up, because in this episode of Investing RN, Colin and Josh sit down with tax attorney Sam Bruntz to uncover the sneaky ways you're probably overpaying Uncle Sam. Ever wondered what the difference is between a CPA and a tax attorney? Or if you can write off that "business" golf trip? Sam spills the beans on tax loopholes, audit nightmares, and the fine line between "gray area" and "prison".Oh, and don't even think about putting your toddler on payroll unless you want the IRS knocking at your door.

The Revenue Act of 1978 changed the landscape of retirement in the US forever. With 401k planning, 403 planning, you made a deal with Uncle Sam, I'm not gonna pay you now, I'm gonna pay you later. We're gonna talk about that today on Plan Today, Own Tomorrow. If you have any questions about your retirement planning call Guardian Investment Advisors 800-517-1575 or click here to visit our website. Planning, Retiring, Saving, 401K, IRA, TSP, 403B, TaxesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Real estate is one of the most tax-advantaged investments in the country. With bonus depreciation, opportunity zone investing, 1031 exchanges, and more, investing in real estate is not only the best way to build wealth—it's the key to tax-free (or deferred) wealth. So, with a Republican-controlled House and Senate, will new tax proposals favoring real estate investments pass? We've got some news that could make 2025 a “game-changer” year for real estate investors. CPA Brandon Hall joins us to break it down. With numerous proposals floated to restore 100% bonus depreciation, extend opportunity zone investments, and eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, 2025's tax laws could look very different if these changes pass. Plus, there's one huge real estate tax write-off you're (probably) not taking advantage of. Brandon shares how investors can write off even more during rehabs and renovations, using a specific tax deduction most investors have never heard of. Find investor-friendly tax and financial experts with BiggerPockets Tax & Financial Services Finder! In This Episode We Cover 100% bonus depreciation—is it coming back, and when could it go into effect? The most commonly missed real estate tax write-off you MUST know about Tax-free income sources and which types of income could dodge Uncle Sam's grip Opportunity zone updates and whether this tax-deferred investment will be renewed Still doing your taxes? Tell your CPA this BEFORE you file  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise Join BiggerPockets for FREE Sign Up for the On the Market Newsletter Find Investor-friendly Tax and Financial Experts Dave's BiggerPockets Profile What Is Bonus Depreciation And How Does It Work? Brandon's BiggerPockets Profile Work with Brandon's Team Top 2025 Tax Strategies For Real Estate Investors Buy “The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor” Jump to topic: (00:00) - Intro   (01:14) - Bonus Depreciation Update   (08:53) - A Massive Missed Deduction   (12:54) - Tell Your CPA This   (14:29) - Tax Cuts Get Extended?   (18:58) - New Tax Proposals   (20:41) - Renewing Opportunity Zones   (23:04) - When Bonus Depreciation Could Return Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-305 Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you get your 2024 Company Return filed on time in March, or at least get that extension filed? Did you already file your 2024 Personal Return, or are you waiting until the April deadline? What happens when you owe the IRS? This week's guest is Stephen Weisberg, who has over 10 years of experience representing individuals, businesses, and their owners with tax debt issues, audits, and other problems with the IRS and state taxes. Stephen is the lead attorney and founder of The W Tax Group. He works directly with clients and lead a team of attorneys, accountants, and administrative staff to help those with tax debt and other issues with the IRS or the state obtain the best possible outcomes. Shawn & Stephen talk about how tax obligations are created by: Improper Assessments Audits Unpaid taxes at the Federal and State levels Unpaid payroll taxes and the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty Unfiled Returns Plus we talk about some strategies for relieving the taxpayer from some of that debt, including negotiations with the IRS and Bankruptcy! You can reach Stephen through his website, www.Weisberg.Tax.  Let us know if you enjoy this episode and, if so, please share it with your friends! Please also visit our sponsor Sam Cohen of Attorneys First Insurance for Attorneys and Title Companies looking to get a quote on Errors & Ommissions (malpractice) Insurance coverage. www.AttorneysFirst.com.   Or, you can support the show by visiting our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/crushingDebt   To contact George Curbelo, you can email him at GCFinancialCoach21@gmail.com or follow his Tiktok channel - https://www.tiktok.com/@curbelofinancialcoach   To contact Shawn Yesner, you can email him at Shawn@Yesnerlaw.com or visit www.YesnerLaw.com. And please consider a donation to Pancreatic Cancer research and education by joining Shawn's team at MY Legacy Striders: http://support.pancan.org/goto/MYLegacy8  

On today's episode of Charity Therapy, Meghan and I are diving into nonprofit closures, especially when those COVID-19 EIDL loans are involved. If you've ever wondered what to do when your nonprofit has to shut down but you still owe Uncle Sam a bunch of cash, this episode is for you. What's the deal with EIDL loans, and how do they affect your nonprofit when it's time to close up shop? Meghan and I break it down, chatting about the steps you need to take and the legal stuff you might not have thought about. We'll walk you through the ins and outs of handling these federal loans as your organization winds down. And trust me, even if you're not a legal whiz, you'll come away with a clearer understanding and maybe even a chuckle or two. Got questions or a story to share? We'd love to hear from you! Head over to our website and join the conversation. This is your chance to connect with others in the same boat and maybe get some solid advice to help you out. And remember, even when the going gets tough, you're not alone. We're all figuring this out together, one step at a time. In this episode, you will hear: How to deal with those tricky EIDL loans when you're considering dissolution The importance of understanding contracts, especially when financial troubles are looming How to responsibly close down your nonprofit, ensuring you've notified all your creditors The lowdown on EIDL loans: a big consideration if you're closing up shop Resources from this Episode Sign up for the Birken Law Email list: https://birkenlaw.com/signup/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/birkenlaw Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Well we got to the end! And there wasn't much Doom in the Doom book. We liked it regardless. Well we liked the gore at least.   Our Socials Follow us at patreon.com/pixellitpod and hop into our Discord! Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/pixellitpod.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/pixellitpod Synopsis The year is 2144...and the battle over Earth's precious resources has raged for a century. With global economies in ruins and all-out world war more than a possibility, the U.S government turned to the Union Aerospace Corporation, giving it carte blanche on the legendary red planet of Mars in a desperate bid to construct an off-world outpost that might provide resources, a military advantage...as well as something so secret that even members of government don't have a clue about it.... Special Ops Marine Lieutenant John Kane was once a careerist simply glad to have a job, and couldn't care less about politics just as long as Uncle Sam's check cleared. But that was before he listened to his conscience and disobeyed a direct order. Busted down to private, Kane has been reassigned to the "U.S. Space Marines" -- the private army of the UAC -- with the prospect of becoming little more than a glorified security guard on Mars.... Now Lt. Kane's fate leads him to Mars City -- part environmental community, part lab center, and all owned and protected by the UAC. It's a strange world with a fatal environment, and the thousands who live and work within the city have already begun to think of themselves as Martians. And away from Mars City, at the strange ancient sites uncovered on the planet, a small squad of marines stand guard while scientists uncover wall glyphs and search for artifacts, having already found something that is so far amazing and inexplicable -- including the relic called "U1," nicknamed "the Soul Cube" -- and unknown to all, the bringer of destructive chaos and unspeakable horror....

*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.Just as Palpatine promised Anakin he could save Padme, though he was the one putting dark thoughts into the young Jedi's head, a similar deal has been struck with darkness to resurrect Uncle Sam to act as the body of an anti-christ spirit. But such a body is always void of a true spirit. Thus the American golden age is nothing more than the age of ash, since the gold of fairies and spirits always turns to dust after something of value has been exchanged. America's golden age begins with government financing cuts and both states and companies moving to ban the use of oils and food coloring. But what are these things replaced with? For MAGA, AI will now make decisions for the pentagon, determine if federal employees keep their jobs, track down protestors, etc. Federal money will instead be allocated for endless wars in support of Israel and Stargate. For MAHA, oils are replaced with beef tallow, and while the core of American health continues to rot, AI will be used to determine health outcomes. For the alternative media, electric cyber trucks are being given away as if these are not the same people who warned against the use of electric cars and the prison grid IoT; these voices promote global unions now, along with the cashless society, endless wars in the name of peace, and a great reset. Isn't this what we were warned of: that the most faithful would be fooled and the most trustworthy deceived. From the Ingersoll Lockwood's books that seemingly predicted Trump's presidency to the Elon leader of Mars from Braun's science fiction novel, and their associations with Nikola Tesla, to the modern world a dark side rising quickly - filled with illusion, disorientation, and tricks. The Red Cross of Tesla is the Yahweh mark, known to Christians as the mark of Ash Wednesday which is placed on the forehead over the third eye - the location of the maGa whore of Babylon. The X of Twitter and SpaceX marks the spot of treasure. The Oracle, OpenAi, and Nvidia companies refer to the same “eye,” forced open by technocrats like Musk who wish to see symbiosis with machines. Musk has just filed patents for telepathy and telekinesis too.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as the saying goes. We will rest on the ash pile of history. The Golden Age is the Ash Age. -FREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVEX / TWITTER FACEBOOKWEBSITECashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407/support.

Dems aren't the opposition, but they want you to think they are, and more importantly they want you to know their "opposition" is the only kind that's acceptable.  Meanwhile, DOGE's claims of "saving money" are b.s. And even if they did manage to save some money, you and I aren't seeing it.  The ports of the world are being bought up, mostly by one asset management firm. To quote the great movie Network, there are no countries, only corporations.  It doesn't seem like there's much Israel could do to piss off Uncle Sam. But what if it started to cut ties to the military industrial complex? Would the US love them without their addiciton to our weapons? PLUS our power isn't in consumerism, It's in our labor, and the ability to withhold it. AND MORE!    leecamp.net artkillingapathy.com

In stage 2, you were starting to think about small pockets of time that you could make random amounts of money because there isn't enough income to cover the expenses that you have reduced as much as possible. There may be something that has become more steady and you are making more than $600/year. This is a Schedule C on your taxes, where you submit a 1099 or claim the money earned. In 2009, I had 11 schedule C's that I eventually combined under one LLC.   Do You Like Chicken Cacciatore? I do! My mother-in-law gave me her recipe. I found I liked to bake it a little differently than her. I re-wrote her two sided index instructions, down to one side, the way I make it for my family.  I like that it's no longer stored in my brain. I just grab my instructions and make dinner, in fact anyone in my family could do the same. This is the same idea as an SOP (standard operating procedures) for your business. You should write down the process to complete the tasks for your job/household manager role. In the event there is someone new taking over one of your tasks, audit the steps to make sure it's accurate before you hand it off to the new person, child or spouse.  Passion Turned Side Hustle Now let's say I make it for my neighbors and they love it. Let's say they start to pay me to bake for them. I start making pretty good money each week cooking for them. I could also be baking my family the same meal at the same time. My invisible work I originally did for my family has become paid work that I now report to Uncle Sam through my taxes. It's important to track all of my expenses in making the meals like mileage to the grocery store, the grocery bill, portion of my gas bill for using my oven, and when I start to expand to other people the mileage for delivery. This information is added into the monthly P & L, which you can track in the Organize 365® Income & Expense Binder. If you aren't a good cook, you could babysit, clean homes, tutor, dog sit, Uber, Door Dash, bookkeeping, Fairy Godmother for a family, or direct sales **but make sure you are profitable. What do you have a passion for and you are good at? Will people pay you to do that? Be confident completing the job (that saves them time) and accept the money for a task you may do for your family for free. I suggest any side hustle you could charge at least $20/hr up to $60/hr or an amount per day like $100/day.  The Value of a Systems If unpaid work is not optimized, then you cannot add in paid work because paid work (side hustle like baking for your neighbors) will always supersede unpaid work (your personal house work and baking Chicken Cacciatore). The complete Home Organizational Bundle; Sunday Basket® for weekly checks and balance, The Paper Solution for information management, and The Productive Home Solution to set up your house to effectively serve your family for the phase of life you are in, and planning days to audit your systems. Good operating systems in place allow unexpected events to feel like speed bumps instead of falling off of a cliff. Now you are ready for stage 3. Your systems are in place, you are documenting your income and expenses, and you have freed capacity to focus on making your side hustle more profitable. Now you can bake Chicken Cacciatore for everyone! EPISODE RESOURCES: The Sunday Basket® The Paper Solution® The Productive Home Solution® Complete Home Organization Bundle Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter  Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

2024 may be long gone, but it's NOT too late to lower your taxes for the previous year. If you have real estate or retirement accounts, you already hold the key to minimizing your taxable income and owing less to Uncle Sam. But how do you do it? We're sharing 2024 and 2025 top tax reduction strategies in today's show with expert CPA and real estate investor Amanda Han! Do you know about the real estate tax “loophole” that helps everyday investors cut their taxable income by tens of thousands? Got an employer-contributed retirement plan? You could STILL use it to lower your 2024 taxes! And why should you NOT take the standard deduction if you've bought a home in the past few years? We're answering all of these questions so you can keep more of your hard-earned money. Finally, what audit red flags is Amanda seeing with her clients? There's one easily avoidable audit trap that MANY Americans are falling into that could take just minutes to circumvent. Should we even be talking about income taxes if President Trump plans to eliminate them? Amanda, Mindy, and Scott are sharing their opinions on whether this will reach fruition. In This Episode We Cover How to save on your 2024 tax bill and moves to make before Tax Day 2025  The easily avoidable audit red flag that Amanda has seen spike lately  The real estate tax deduction that could save those earning $150K or less tens of thousands Most commonly missed tax write-offs that many Americans can take but forget about  Will President Trump abolish income taxes during his second term? Whether to pay your estimated taxes OR invest instead and take the interest hit  And So Much More! Links from the Show Mindy on BiggerPockets Scott on BiggerPockets Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Join BiggerPockets for FREE Email Mindy: Mindy@biggerpockets.com Email Scott: Scott@biggerpockets.com BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group Follow BiggerPockets Money on Instagram “Like” BiggerPockets Money on Facebook BiggerPockets Money YouTube Channel Find Investor-friendly Tax and Financial Experts Buy Amanda's Book, “The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Tax Audit Tips Connect with Amanda (00:00) Intro (00:56) You Can STILL Save on 2024 Taxes (05:54) Lowering Your Taxable Income (10:27) You Can STILL Contribute for 2024! (14:22) Estimating Your Taxes (16:22) Itemizing vs. Standard Deduction (18:21) Commonly Overlooked Write-offs (21:41) Audit Red Flags! (23:06) Will Tax Rates Rise or Fall? (28:03) Opportunity Zones Have Changed (31:08) How to Prepare for 2024/2025 (35:15) Connect with Amanda! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-608 Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The performance began with Kendrick Lamar and his backup dancers getting out of a 1980s Buick GNX and onto a stage resembling a giant PlayStation controller. The opening was a portion of the unreleased song "Bodies". Samuel L. Jackson appeared in a recurring role as Uncle Sam, who provided satirical commentary and advice to Kendrick between songs to illustrate the spirit of America. Lamar initially teased a performance of "Not Like Us," playing the beat and stating "I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue." Lamar played "Luther" and "All the Stars" with SZA before returning to "Not Like Us." Professional tennis player Serena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing a crip walk during "Not Like Us", a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, with whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier. The performance was capped off by "TV Off" with Mustard coming out as a special guest, finally with Lamar "turning the TV off" and the words "GAME OVER" being displayed through crowd wristband lights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people invest in real estate for cash flow or appreciation, but there are enormous tax benefits as well. In this episode, we're going to share the number one tax strategy you need to know about—the short-term rental tax loophole—which could save you thousands! Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Today, we're joined by Sean Graham, who is not only a certified public accountant (CPA) but also a fellow real estate investor. He's going to show YOU how to avoid paying Uncle Sam (legally) with just a few savvy tax strategies. The best part? You don't need to be a big-time investor with a large real estate portfolio to take advantage of these benefits. Even if you have just ONE rental, these strategies are for you! First, Sean will share the ins and outs of the cost segregation study, which allows you to frontload depreciation rather than spreading it out over the next few decades. He'll also get into bonus depreciation and the different line items that qualify, as well as the tax “loophole” that allows you to use tax deductions to offset active income—yes, including your W2 wages! In This Episode We Cover: Offsetting active income (and saving thousands) with the short-term rental loophole How to avoid paying taxes (legally!) on your rental property Cost segregation studies explained (and when you should get one) How to retroactively claim depreciation through a “look-back” study Why you can have as little as ZERO taxable income and still be lendable And So Much More! Links from the Show Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's BiggerPockets Profile Join BiggerPockets for FREE Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Real Estate Rookie YouTube Follow Real Estate Rookie on Instagram Cost Segregation 101 Get Early Access to Real Estate's Biggest Event of the Year, BPCON2025 Maximize Your Real Estate Investing with a Self-Directed IRA from Equity Trust Download the Cost Segregation 101 Resource Buy “The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Connect with Sean (00:00) Intro (00:36) What Is Cost Segregation? (06:33) Short-Term Rental Loophole (13:10) Other Strategies & Pitfalls (20:21) Bonus Depreciation 101 (25:24) How to Do a Cost Seg Study (28:05) Cost Segregation Study (33:28) Connect with Sean! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-521 Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices