Even though we’re still in November, I believe it’s never too early to talk about financial goals for freelancers for 2017. In fact, waiting until January to figure out your financial goals for 2017 means you’re already behind the eight ball.
The problem is finances can be a bit of a problem area for freelancers because of financial responsibilities and variable income. It wasn’t that long ago that I was practically ripping my hair out as I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to meet my financial goals while earning different amounts of money each month.
Fortunately, I found some ways to improve my own finances and even double my net worth during that year that I was finding things so difficult – and it all started with these financial goals for freelancers.
Work on your money mindset.
One of the things I realized when I was struggling with my finances as a freelancer was that money is extremely emotional. That means that when you’re dealing with an income roller coaster, you’re probably dealing with an emotional one too.
By working on my own thoughts and emotions as it pertained to money, I was able to become conscious about my own fears. In doing so, I was able to change my behaviors in an attempt to face them.
For example, I used to be terrified of asking for money. Once I noticed my fear – and saw how it was holding me back – I started working on it by slowly beginning to ask for more money. This brings me to my next financial goal for freelancers in 2017.
Start asking for more money.
While I did lots of things to improve my finances as a freelancer, I must say the most effective strategy I used was simply to ask for more money.
Don’t get me wrong, as I already mentioned, this was terrifying for me. But when I realized it was perhaps the easiest way to fix many of my financial issues, I figured I would give it a shot. Within six months I’d tripled my monthly revenue and saved over $5,000 in cash just for emergencies.
Truth be told, simply beginning to ask for more was the real game changer for me.
Save for retirement.
In my conversations with many freelancers over the years, I’ve come to discover something pretty startling: Many freelancers (and people in general) don’t save enough money for retirement.
Recent reports have come out saying 70% of Americans don’t even have $1,000 in retirement savings. As a financial writer and self-proclaimed nerd, this is horrifying information.
Freelancers, in particular, have the added stress of variable income. Additionally, many may not know what their retirement savings options actually are. That’s why if you haven’t yet figured out your retirement savings, you should definitely make it one of your freelance financial goals in the coming year.
Save for emergencies.
Freelancers need to have a nice chunk of liquid savings in the bank in case of emergencies and lean months. That’s why I say emergency savings should always be one of the financial goals for freelancers for every year.
Your best bet is to figure out how much you need (experts say six months worth of living expenses but you can start with something small like $1,000) and automate your monthly savings.
Final Thoughts
As a freelancer, you should always have some financial goals in mind every time January is just around the corner. While there are certainly many more financial goals for freelancers than those mentioned in this post, this is a good place to start.
