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Money, explained without the jargon.

Guides for people whose income doesn’t arrive on the 1st and 15th. Written to be useful whether or not you ever use BrassWell.

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Three different work setups along one wall of a bright empty workspace — a bare desk with a laptop, a busier desk with paper trays and a blank wall calendar, and a standing desk with a stool — hard morning sun across the floor. Comparison

Best expense tracking for the self-employed in 2026

“Free” moved in both directions this year. Regular prices for every option, the caps that actually decide it, and an honest note about which one we sell.

Sep 11, 2026 · 6 min read A woman sitting sideways at a desk in her own studio, one hand on a closed laptop, smiling as she looks toward a bright window. Comparison

Looking for a Wave Accounting alternative?

Bank feeds moved behind Pro on June 1 with no grandfathering. Invoicing stayed free. What actually changed, when staying put is right, and where Wave is simply cheaper than us.

Sep 9, 2026 · 6 min read A personal trainer leading a small group class in a bright gym, correcting one participant's form while the others work. For your trade

Personal trainer taxes and bookkeeping: the 2026 guide

What you can deduct and what you can’t, how much to set aside, the 2026 quarterly dates, and why a package sold in January is January income in full.

Sep 4, 2026 · 11 min read A personal trainer standing in a bright, empty gym checking her phone, tall windows along the wall behind her. Getting paid

Form 1099-K: the threshold went back to $20,000

More than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions — both, not either. But direct card payments have no threshold at all, which is the part almost nobody separates.

Sep 2, 2026 · 5 min read A caterer sliding covered trays into the back of a van in low evening light, photographed from inside the van. Year end

1099-NEC: the threshold just moved from $600 to $2,000

The first change since 1954, effective for payments made in 2026 — so most of what is published about this is now wrong. Who you file for, and who reports card payments.

Aug 28, 2026 · 5 min read A pair of hands pressing the lid onto a document storage box on a desk, files visible inside just before it closes. Year end

The year-end checklist, and the one item everyone gets backward

Chasing invoices into December pulls income into this tax year. What genuinely expires on December 31, what waits until January, and why 2026 needs two mileage calculations.

Aug 26, 2026 · 5 min read A groomer in a denim apron steadying a small white dog on the table with one hand while checking her phone with the other, in a bright workshop. Getting started

Your first year self-employed: the tax nobody warned you about

Self-employment tax starts at $400 of profit, not at the standard deduction. Why your employer’s half was invisible, and the one year the safe harbor is easy.

Aug 21, 2026 · 6 min read Looking down over someone's shoulder at a laptop, a coffee mug and an opened envelope on a kitchen counter in morning light, one hand resting on the trackpad. Taxes

Health insurance when you work for yourself

The deduction does not reduce self-employment tax, and one month of eligibility for a spouse’s plan disqualifies that month. Two rules that cost people money every year.

Aug 19, 2026 · 5 min read A man in his fifties seen from behind, standing at a large window with a coffee, looking out at a residential street in early morning, the room dark around him. Money admin

Retirement when nobody offers you a 401(k)

The 2026 limits, why a Solo 401(k) usually beats a SEP-IRA by a wide margin at modest income, and the $250,000 paperwork threshold nobody warns you about.

Aug 14, 2026 · 5 min read A woman in her forties leaning back in her chair mid-phone-call in an office in the early evening, jaw set, one hand flat on a stack of papers. Getting paid

What to do when a client will not pay

An escalation ladder with dates attached, what a demand letter needs, and why you probably cannot write the invoice off the way everyone assumes.

Aug 12, 2026 · 6 min read A phone lying face down on an open notebook on a cafe table, a pair of hands resting either side of it and a coffee cup at the edge of the frame. Money admin

Opening a business bank account when you work for yourself

Most sole proprietors are not required to have one — and it is still the best twenty minutes of admin available. Plus the FDIC rule that catches people out.

Aug 7, 2026 · 7 min read A small independent workshop unit on an ordinary street seen from across the road in hard midday sun, roller door half up, deep shadows under the eaves. Money admin

Do you need an LLC, or is a sole proprietorship fine?

Forming a single-member LLC does not lower your taxes — the IRS treats it as a disregarded entity. Here is what it actually changes, and two mistakes that cost money.

Aug 5, 2026 · 4 min read A tradesperson sitting on a tailgate at the end of a job, writing up an invoice on a phone. Getting paid

How to get paid faster — invoicing that actually works

Most late invoices are a wording problem, not a collections problem. Real dates instead of “Net 30”, deposits, one-click payment, and reminders that go out early.

Jul 31, 2026 · 3 min read Overhead view of hands photographing a crumpled paper receipt with a phone, more receipts spread across a wooden table beside a cup of coffee. Taxes

What you can actually deduct when you work for yourself

Home office, vehicle, phone, equipment — what qualifies and how to apportion it. Plus the things people are certain they can write off and cannot.

Jul 29, 2026 · 4 min read A woodworker at a bench in a workshop, mid-task, afternoon light through the window behind him. Taxes

Quarterly estimated taxes: the four dates, and the rule that makes them survivable

The next one is September 15. The safe harbor turns an impossible forecast into arithmetic — pay last year’s number and the penalty cannot reach you.

Jul 24, 2026 · 3 min read View from the passenger seat of a work van on a two-lane road in late afternoon sun, the driver's hands on the wheel and a clipboard on the seat. Taxes

The 2026 mileage rate changed in the middle of the year

72.5¢ a mile through June, 76¢ from July. A full year needs two calculations added together — and most pages about the 2026 rate only know about the first one.

Jul 22, 2026 · 3 min read A barber in his own shop between clients, mirrors and clippers behind him, checking his phone with a satisfied half-smile. Comparison

Looking for a QuickBooks Self‑Employed alternative?

QBSE has been retired and replaced by Solopreneur. An honest comparison for people whose income varies — including where BrassWell is the wrong answer.

Jul 17, 2026 · 6 min read George M. standing at a live-edge standing desk in a plant-filled room, checking his phone with a laptop open in front of him and a World's Best Boss mug on the desk. Story

Why we built BrassWell

Four or five systems, each with its own problem. A book that gave me the buckets but assumed a paycheck. And the guess that a few million other people are in the same shape.

Jul 15, 2026 · 6 min read A woman laughing at her desk in a plant-filled home office, laptop open, afternoon light across the room. Budgeting

How to budget when your income is different every month

Fixed monthly budgets break the first thin month. Percentages don’t. The baseline-buffer-buckets method, and why it survives a dead April.

Jul 10, 2026 · 5 min read A baker in her thirties behind her counter, hands dusty with flour, smiling at the card reader on the till after a sale. Taxes

How much should you set aside for taxes when you’re self‑employed?

The honest answer is a range, not a number — but you can get close with two figures and about five minutes. Here’s the arithmetic, worked all the way through.

Jul 8, 2026 · 6 min read

Twenty guides so far, and more as the questions come in. If there is one you want that isn’t here, tell us what it is.