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Electrician, lineman, welder, plumber. How to get in, get certified and get paid what the work is worth.

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

Do's & Don'ts: At Work

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Hang a ceiling fan that doesn't wobble, hum or fall

The whole job hangs on a part you can't see from the floor, and most failed fan installs fail right there.

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

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.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

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.

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

PartnerShirts.com

Skills6 min read

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.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

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.

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.

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

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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.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

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

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.

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.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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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.

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

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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.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

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.

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.

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

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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.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

Startups6 min

Running a Business With Your Wife Without Losing the Marriage

Skills7 min

Unclog a toilet the right way, plunger first

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

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.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

Business5 min read

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

When did you last ask for a raise?

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