The Self-Employed Man

Be your own boss and still pay the bills: clients, pricing, taxes, tools and time for your family.

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: Business Owners

The Teen Side Hustles Worth Your Kid's Saturday

Babysitting, mowing and dog walking still work. What they actually pay, what they cost to start, and the tax and insurance parts nobody mentions.

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Pension Choices, Lump Sum or Monthly Check

The election form takes ten minutes to sign and you can never take it back. Slow down and run the numbers with your wife at the table.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

House hacking a duplex when your tenant shares your wall

Live in one side, rent the other, and let the loan do some of the work — plus the documents, the fees and the arguments nobody warns you about.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

Side Hustles6 min read

Your Driveway Detailing Business Starts With Two Buckets

The kit worth buying, the hours a full detail really takes, and the customer who pays you every six weeks without being asked.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

How to pick a low-tax retirement state without getting burned

No income tax sounds great until the property bill and the homeowners premium show up. A plain-English way to compare states before you move.

$The Math Your First Rental House Has To Pass$

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

The Math Your First Rental House Has To Pass

Before you fall for the kitchen, run the four numbers that decide whether a single-family rental pays you or bills you every month.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideSide HustlesRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What Renting Out Your Trailer and Tools Actually Pays

The trailer earns. The tools mostly don't. And the insurance call you haven't made is the one that decides whether any of it was worth doing.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Downsizing Sounds Like Free Money Until You Run the Numbers

Selling the family house rarely frees up as much cash as the kitchen-table math suggests. Do it anyway if the numbers work, but do the real numbers first.

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

How To Screen A Tenant Without Landing In Court

Write your standards down before the listing goes live, apply them to every applicant, and keep the paper. That's most of the job.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

GuideSide HustlesRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What Freelance Bookkeeping Actually Pays From a Home Office

Real hours per client, what it costs to start, what a full book of business brings in, and the four kinds of client you should turn down.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

$The Social Security math married couples keep getting wrong$

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

The Social Security math married couples keep getting wrong

A spousal benefit tops out at half. A survivor benefit can be the whole check. The gap between those two numbers shapes a widow's entire budget.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideReal EstateRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The Questions That Separate A Good Agent From A Busy One

Most people hire the first agent who returns a call. Twenty minutes of real questions will tell you who actually knows your market.

GuideSide HustlesRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

The Side Hustle Offers That Cost You Money Instead of Paying You

How to spot an MLM, a reshipping scheme or an upfront-fee job in about ninety seconds, and what each one actually costs when it goes wrong.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

How One-Income Families Make Retirement Work

The spousal IRA, the survivor gap and the pension election that quietly decides whether your wife is fine at 78.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Real Estate6 min

How To Read The Loan Estimate Lenders Hope You Skim

Side Hustles6 min

What to Set Aside for Taxes on Side Income From Dollar One

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideRetirementRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Claiming Social Security At 62, 67 Or 70

The same work record can pay three very different checks for life. Here's how the math works, and the question most couples forget to ask.

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

PartnerDude.com

Real Estate6 min read

Fixed, Adjustable, FHA, VA and Conventional Loans Side by Side

Five loan types, what each one actually costs you per month, and the fine print that bites buyers who only shopped the rate.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles