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Sport, gaming, the outdoors and whatever you do with a free Saturday.

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.

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.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

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.

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

PartnerDude.com

Old School6 min read

Give a kid the whole job, not the easy half

Chores that actually end, consequences that last ten minutes, and an afternoon outside nobody supervises. The old system still works, and it's cheap.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

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.

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

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideOld SchoolNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

The Manners My Grandmother Drilled In Still Open Doors

Thank-you notes, arriving early, remembering the name of the guy who fixed your truck. Small old rules that make people want to help you.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

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.

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What each college savings account actually does with your money

529, Coverdell, custodial, Roth, plain brokerage, I bonds. The real differences, the tax math, and which one deserves your first $200 a month.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Running a Business With Your Wife Without Losing the Marriage

Two people, one bank account, zero clocking off. The rules that keep the company from quietly eating the thing it was supposed to serve.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Leading a team through a mess you didn't make

The supplier burned down, the client went under, the parent company changed the rules. Your people still look at you first. Do this in the first 48 hours.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?