Make Money
Grow your income — raises, side gigs, freelancing, and selling smart, with scripts and steps you can actually use.
Seasonal Holiday Jobs, Explained: What They Really Pay and How to Make the Season Count
Holiday hiring starts earlier than most people expect, and the real value of a seasonal job isn't always the hourly wage. Here's how to read an offer, what the extra weeks of income do to your taxes and benefits, and how to keep the money after the season ends.
More in Make Money
Estimated Quarterly Taxes, Explained: How Side Income Gets Paid Before April
When no employer withholds tax from your pay, the IRS expects you to send it in four installments through the year. Here's who has to, how the safe-harbor rules protect you from penalties, and a simple system for setting the money aside.
How to Price Your Side Work: Hourly vs. Project Rates, and the Math Behind Your Number
Most side hustlers guess at their rate and guess low. Here's how to build a price from the take-home you actually need, when hourly or project pricing fits, and how to protect the number once you've quoted it.
1099 Forms for Side Income, Explained: Which Ones You Might Get and What to Do When Yours Is Wrong
A 1099 is a report that someone paid you, with no tax taken out. Here's what the forms side hustlers meet most actually mean, why you owe tax even when no form arrives, and what to do when a form doesn't match your records.
Sole Proprietor vs. LLC for a Side Hustle: What Each Structure Actually Changes
Starting a side hustle quietly makes you a business owner, and the structure you pick decides what's at risk if something goes wrong. Here's what a sole proprietorship and an LLC each do, what an LLC does not change, and how to decide when to switch.
Getting Paid as a Freelancer: Invoicing, Payment Terms, and What to Do When a Client Goes Quiet
Doing the work is only half of freelancing; the other half is collecting. Here's how to set payment terms before you start, write an invoice that gets paid, and respond step by step when a client pays late.
Self-Employment Tax, Explained: The Second Tax Bill Side Hustlers Don't See Coming
Side income doesn't just add to your income tax — it can trigger a separate tax that covers the Social Security and Medicare contributions an employer would normally split with you. Here's how self-employment tax works, why it surprises first-timers, and how to plan for it.
Pet Sitting and Dog Walking for Pay: The Honest Side-Income Math
Watching someone else's dog for a weekend feels less like work than any other side hustle, which is exactly why so few people price it like one. Here's the honest math behind the work…
What Gig Driving Actually Pays: The Real Math After Gas, Wear, and Taxes
The number on your screen isn't your paycheck — it's your gross. Here's the honest math on what gig driving actually…
How to Negotiate a Severance Package (Before You Sign Anything)
A severance offer is a first draft, not a final answer. Here's what's actually negotiable — the payout, the health coverage bridge, outplacement, and the release you're asked to sign —…
Getting Paid for Plasma, Clinical Trials, and Paid Research Studies
Donating plasma, joining a clinical trial, or signing up for a paid research study can turn your time — and in two cases, your body — into real money. Here's the honest, practical rundown of what each one actually involves, what it's worth, and how to spot a legitimate opportunity.
How to Ask for a Raise (With Scripts)
A plain-English guide to asking for a raise: when to time it, how to build your case, what to actually say, and how to handle a no gracefully.
How RSU Vesting and Taxes Actually Work
A stock grant isn't a bonus check that lands all at once — it's a promise on a timeline, and the tax bill shows up before you've sold a single share. Here's the plain-English mechanics of RSU vesting and taxes.
How to Evaluate a Job Offer (Not Just the Salary Number)
A job offer is more than the number at the top of the letter. Here's how to weigh retirement match, health coverage, time off, and growth before you say yes.
Selling Your Stuff Online: A Room-by-Room Playbook
A room-by-room guide to selling your stuff online: what sells, what to skip, how to price and photograph it, and how to pick a platform — and meet up safely.
Freelancing on the Side: Landing Your First Paying Client
Turn a skill you already have into paid side work. A plain-English guide to packaging an offer, finding your first client, pricing fairly, and scoping the job.
Side Income and Taxes: What Nobody Tells First-Timers
A plain-English framework for first-time side hustlers: why side income is taxable, how to set aside a portion of every payment, and when to call a pro.
The Weekend Flip: Buying and Reselling Locally for Profit
The weekend flip is buying underpriced local finds and reselling them for more. Here's how to source, spot value, stage, price, and stay safe — with an honest take on the effort.
Passive Income, Honestly: What Works and What's a Red Flag
Most "passive" income isn't passive at all — it's active work or real capital in disguise, so here's an honest sort of what genuinely qualifies, what's just a hidden job, and what's a scam.
Turning a Hobby Into Income Without Killing the Hobby
Monetizing a hobby can quietly kill the hobby. Here's how to earn a little from what you love — pricing, scope, and the mindset shift — without turning it into a grind.