The Corporate Man

Climb without selling out: promotions, office politics, leading a team and keeping your family first.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Do's & Don'ts: Men Do's & Don'ts: At Work

The side income tax bill nobody sets money aside for

You cleared $11,000 detailing cars on Saturdays. Roughly a third of it was never yours. Do the arithmetic now, not in April.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Your Farmers Market Stand Isn't a Hobby, It's a Business

The Saturday math that decides whether the market pays you or quietly bills you, and why half the stands are gone by September.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

How to get a fire going when every stick is soaked

Wet wood isn't wet all the way through. Here's the order of operations that turns a soggy woodpile into a fire that stays lit.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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Money6 min read

Retirement accounts and the one question that sorts them

401(k), IRA, Roth, HSA, SEP. Strip the alphabet soup and it comes down to who taxes the money and when.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Negotiating with suppliers when you're the small account

You don't have volume leverage. You have four other kinds, and most small operators never use any of them.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Finding north with a stick, a watch and the Big Dipper

The sun gives you west in twenty minutes, Polaris gives you north in ten seconds, and neither one needs a battery or a signal.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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$The rent versus buy math nobody runs before they sign$

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The rent versus buy math nobody runs before they sign

A $350,000 house, an $1,850 rent, and five years of arithmetic that doesn't flatter either side.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

One Hour on Friday Is All Your Books Need

Do your bookkeeping in a fixed weekly hour and you'll always know three numbers that decide whether your business lives.

GuideSkillsCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

Burns, Sprains And Deep Cuts, Handled In The Right Order

Cool water for twenty minutes, pressure you don't peek at, and a short list of things that mean you stop treating it at home and get in the truck.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Negotiate your raise with a page of evidence, not nerve

Courage doesn't move a budget line. A one-page file with numbers, dates and a market range does, and you can build it in a few evenings.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Write the job post so the wrong people don't apply

Most hiring problems start with a posting that could belong to anybody. Put the pay in, name the hard part, and watch your applicant pile get smaller and better.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The Axe Work That Drops a Small Tree Where You Want It

Read the lean, cut the notch wide, leave the hinge alone, and be twenty feet away before it lands. Then limb it without burying the bit in your boot.

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The family tax breaks that are worth the paperwork

A credit cuts your bill dollar for dollar. A deduction cuts it by your tax rate. Once you see the difference, the rest of the form gets simpler.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Handing the family business over without blowing up the family

Most successions fail years before the lawyer gets involved. The fix is a date, real authority, and a number everybody agreed to while things were calm.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.