work

What do we want to be? A few thoughts on labor.

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(In honor of Labor Day, I decided re-run this post from Sept. 5, 2010.)

When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to earn money. Penny candy was only part of the reason. Working was a sign of being grown-up. I’d already figured out that being a kid was for losers. Adulthood was where it was at.

That’s why in elementary school I would pick and sell flowers and strawberries. It’s why I rejoiced when it snowed — the local doctor would pay a dollar to have his steps and sidewalk shoveled. It’s why I started baby-sitting at age 11, when I was hardly older than some of my charges.

It’s the only possible reason I could have enjoyed my first “real” job, at age 13: Picking tomatoes in a greenhouse that felt like an incinerator. It was a half-hour bike ride away, through temperature and humidity that raced each other into the high 90s. The plants were taller than I was and their leaves brushed me on all sides. I came home slimed with sap; the shampoo bubbled green when I washed my hair.

But oh, the joy of making $1.35 an hour.

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Get 50% off Earn More Writing.

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In the past I’ve written about Earn More Writing, a freelancing course created by my FinCon colleague Holly Porter Johnson. After nearly seven years, she’s decided to close the course to new students – so this is your last chance to take advantage of her considerable knowledge of the freelance market.

And she’s having a big ol’ sale to commemorate this closing. So if you ever wanted to become a freelance writer, or if you’re already one and want to step up your game, now’s the time to take Holly’s course. From now until Jan. 31 she’s offering a 50% discount.

As an affiliate partner, I do stand to earn a little money if anyone decides to take the course. But I’d recommend it even if I weren’t an affiliate: Holly knows her stuff. She brings in six figures per year – often in the $400k-plus range.

To be clear: You won’t leap to six figures overnight. But you have to start somewhere. Holly did: She was freelancing steadily while working full-time, determined to build her business. Those first clients led to other clients. Taken together, she was able to quit her day job and become her own boss.

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A retirement trial run.

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I almost didn’t write this post. Not because I was too busy, but rather because I was too busy not being busy. This is my seventh day in Phoenix, and I’ve accomplished relatively little since arriving.

Last week’s overnight flight (Friday night/Saturday morning) provided little sleep due to twin meltdowns: An adult a few rows ahead of me and a toddler a few rows behind me. The adult sobbed aloud (“I can’t do this, I just can’t doooooo this….”) every time we hit turbulence. And there was a lot of turbulence.

The toddler screamed for a big chunk of the six-hour flight. They’d get her calmed down and she’d start up again. The mom in me wondered if an ear infection was involved, since she stopped crying once the plane landed.

Either way, I got relatively little sleep. That first day (Saturday) is kind of a blur and did, in fact, involve a nice long nap. But every day since, I’ve found ways to skirt most work in favor of reading, sleeping, eating and watching a ton of TV* with my daughter.

A couple days ago I realized, “This is a trial run at retirement.” 

You know, doing whatever you want. Getting up when it damn well suits you. Moving at the pace that seems relevant to the day. Eating when you feel hungry, vs. during a “lunch break.” Reading until your eyes blur. Hanging out with loved ones and talking about everything, or talking about nothing at all if you’d rather be absorbed in an excellent drama. Going to bed when it damn well suits you.

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Monday miscellany: Bob wants to take your stuff.

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The Dollar Stretcher recently posted a piece that should help you take a closer look at your home security, or lack thereof. “A burglar reveals 15 trade secrets” is written from the point of view of Bob, your friendly neighborhood burglar. Some of it might surprise you.

For example, Bob says he sometimes dresses up as the cable, electric or phone guy. This reminds me of the Kinsey Millhone mystery series. Kinsey wears a coverall-ish getup when she’s breaking into a suspect’s home to look for clues. No one notices the cable guy or the meter reader, right?

At other times, Bob might be carrying a rake and posting fliers between the hours of 8 and 11 a.m. “I want to avoid any kind of confrontation,” he says. While posting the flier, he’ll take a peek inside your home. And if anyone answers his knock at the door? He’ll make up some excuse.

(A couple years back I was home by myself and there weren’t any cars in the driveway. Someone knocked, and when I answered the guy looked startled. He mumbled something about offering driveway paving; however, he didn’t have a flier, a business card or even a truck. Although I don’t know for sure that he was casing the joint, I certainly couldn’t rule it out.)

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Thanks, Dad, for useful life skills.

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(Note: A version of this article was published in MSN Money’s Smart Spending blog in 2009. I am re-running it for Throwback Thursday, because tomorrow is the first anniversary of his death from COVID-19.)

Years ago my dad had two teaching jobs: elementary school all day, and an evening gig with adolescents deemed too unruly for regular high school. One evening, a student flipped a penny at him. Dad picked it up and put it in his pocket. The teens laughed, and another one flipped a penny. Then another one.

When my father had 12 cents in his pocket, he said, “Guys, I want to thank you. All I need is 38 more of these and I’m going over to the Fairfield and have a draft beer – on you.”

He could see the horror in their faces: Man, I’m not gonna buy the TEACHER a beer! Not another penny was flung.

That was an example of what he would call a “useful life skill”: realizing that sometimes nontraditional tactics are needed to solve nontraditional situations.

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What was your first job?

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I drove my great-niece to her first job interview the other day. They say to dress for the job you want, not the job you have, but right now B doesn’t have any square clothing.

Well, she does have a couple of skirts and a chic black-and-white dress, but the interview is for a very casual food retailer.

“I don’t want to overdress,” she said, deciding to stick with jeans.

Besides, right now the job she wants is at Hot Topic, where you can dress in all sorts of expressive ways. But she’s not yet old enough to get hired there.

Having reviewed the potential interview questions on the company’s website didn’t make her any less nervous, especially since she’s a bit shy. But she tiptoed in bravely with her fluorescent lime-green hair, septum piercing, “Prudhoe Bay Alaska” sweatshirt and white face mask.

Ten minutes later she was back out, with a fistful of paperwork. Apparently the interview went something like this:

What school do you attend?

How far away do you live?

You’re hired. 

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Monday miscellany: WFH and PF edition.

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(Edited to add: The Freelance Writer Academy now offers scholarships! See below.)

Almost one in four U.S. residents joined the WFH (work from home) club at least part of the time since the pandemic was officially called in March 2020. According to a recent Bankrate.com poll, more than half of those (57 percent) said that working from had a positive effect on their personal finances.

Among those effects: fewer lunches out, no commuting costs, less need to dress up and fewer impulse purchases. Some also didn’t have to pay for child care, although how they got much done with kids at home is a complete mystery to me.

In fact, one of the least-favorite parts about working from home was simply the distractions while they were trying to work. Those surveyed also said they missed interaction with coworkers, and cited fewer chances for salary increases and promotions while at home.

Their favorite parts: more freedom, family time and sleep.

It’s worth noting that a lot of those who did well with at-home work were already doing well. More than a quarter of those surveyed (28 percent) earned $40,000 to $80,000 a year and more than half (54 percent) earned $80,000 or more. 

 

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Monday miscellany: Car insurance costs edition.

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Bankrate.com recently took a deep dive into car insurance costs, and found that the average annual U.S. premium is $1,674.

Put another way: That represents 2.44 percent of the average driver’s income.

Bankrate also reinforced that how much you pay depends on where you live. For example, folks in Tampa pay about $450 more each year than drivers in Orlando. Yikes.

“The true cost of auto insurance in 2021” includes an interactive map that shows you average rates in your state and also its major metropolitan areas. It also spells out the ways that common life events – such as a drop in your credit score or being in an accident – can affect your premium.

The one that really got my attention is the “change in credit score” factor. In all but three states (California, Hawaii, Massachusetts) your credit score can help determine your car insurance rate. The difference can be scary-high. 

 

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“Nomadland”: An elegy.

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From my first glimpse of the “Nomadland” trailer, I knew that pandemic or not, I would eventually see this movie. For starters, I’ll see anything Frances McDormand is in. The actor is a marvel of nuance. I have loved her work since “Blood Simple.”

Besides, the topic – people imperiled by the Great Recession – is one that I’d written about over and over for MSN Money. I was curious as to whether a director could truly capture that, rather than paper it over with a requisite Hollywood resolution.

Thankfully, director Chloe Zhao didn’t slap on a typical amor vincit omnia verdict – or even a happy ending as such. “Nomadland” represents  everyday life for a lot of people, whether they live on the road or not.

Working as many hours as they can get at whatever job will have them. Wondering whether the money will hold out. Hoping no one gets sick. Banding together with others who are living the same kinds of lives, and supporting one another insofar as it’s possible.

The film moves at a measured, almost mournful pace. In a sense, “Nomadland” is an elegy: not for the American Dream as such, but for the notion that any working person can ever truly be safe.

The fact that some real-life nomads play themselves in the movie is a case in point. It’s doubtful any of them ever thought, “Say, you know what would be cool? Losing everything and having to shovel sugar beets for minimum wage while living in a van in my 60s!” 

 

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Monday miscellany: Gig-worker taxes edition.

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Instacart, Uber, Amazon Flex, DoorDash – these and other gig-worker jobs were a nice side hustle for many people. Since the pandemic began, they’ve helped some laid-off workers keep the wolf from the door. When you spend all your time putting out that day’s fires, you might not have stopped to think how gig-worker income … Read more