With just under a month left to file taxes, Cheddar News is keying in on freelance workers and wants to provide some tips so those Americans maximize either their refunds or what they have to pay back to the IRS.
Matthew Frankel, CFP and writer at the Motley Fool, joined Cheddar News to dish some insight into what freelancers can expect at filing time and how they can better plan in future filing years to avoid paying huge sums to the government.
"Freelancers are more responsible than the average person for keeping track of their own taxes and part of that requires putting money aside," he said. "It's important to know that you need to set money aside if you're just starting out as a freelancer or you will possibly get caught owing money."
The landscape of the U.S. labor market has shifted since the onset of the pandemic. 39 percent of Americans were freelance workers last year, which was a three percent jump from 2021.
Frankel noted that there are some breaks available to freelance workers that the general public is not allowed to take advantage of. Some of those include home office deductions, retirement accounts, self-employed health insurance and using your own vehicle for work can also be deducted.
"Honestly, the biggest mistake I see is people not asking for help when they need it. Not everyone is certified financial planner or tax attorney or anything like that," he said. "Being disorganized is definitely a big problem. I found this out the hard way early on in my career: to keep important records."
In line with a Biden administration proposal, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is cutting the price of its most commonly prescribed insulins by 70 percent and capping out-of-pocket costs at $35 or less per month.
Demand for mortgage loan applications fell 5.7 percent in the last week of February, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).
A large cross-section of Americans is at risk of falling below the poverty line as the program that provided more than 32 million people with extra SNAP benefits during the pandemic is set to end. Families received at least $95 extra per month to spend on food.
The Black Innovation Alliance is working to empower Black entrepreneurs and recently received a $3 million commitment from UBS to help with resources. Ifeoma Ike, director of policy and movement strategy with the Black Innovation Alliance, joined Cheddar News to explain further the organization's mission.
Shana Sissel, president & CEO of Banrion Capital Management, joined Cheddar News to discuss another down day on the last session of the month in trading as inflation, a restricted monetary policy, and layoffs continue to affect markets.
Americans who get paid bi-weekly, which means twice a month, will see a third check in March. Shon Anderson, chief wealth strategist of Anderson Financial Strategies, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on how to improve your financial position with that extra pay.
