The Knowledge Blog
Posts on finance, investing, business practices, and other oddball topics for freelancers. Grab your favorite beverage and get stuck in.
Latest Posts
How Freelancers Can Max Out 2026 Contribution Limits - Solo 401(k), Roth IRA, HSA
Here we go, 2026! What could possibly go wrong, right?
Read about the new 2026 limits for the i401(k), also known as a Solo 401(k). Plus the Roth and Backdoor Roth IRA, and the awesome HSA.
The 2025 Market— The Headwinds, Performance and the ‘Vibecession’.
How did 2025 turn out? - The U.S. market coped with some novel pressures and the vibecession continued. Meanwhile, International outperformed.
The Silver Lining If You’ve Had a Tough Financial Year — Roth Conversions
Did you have a terrible year financially? That painful low-income year might at least have a silver lining. If you had a bad year, your marginal tax rate will be lower than usual, so now might be a good time for a Roth conversion.
Year-End 2025 — Cut Your Tax Bill By Maximizing Your Contributions
Max out the contributions to your retirement accounts before year's end. Now is the time to get your QuickBooks in order and talk to your accountant before the end of the year. Don’t wait.
The freelancer investment trinity — i401(k), HSA, and Backdoor Roth IRA.
Robinhood 3% Cashback Card — then invest it.
The Robinhood Gold Card is a great deal for investors; instead of trying to use points to shop or travel, we’ll invest the unlimited 3% cash back and spend big later in life.
Your freelance/self-employed emergency fund money and where to put it.
You’re self-employed, and if it all goes horribly wrong, you can’t make any income for a few months. Have a plan and stash some cash.
The Roth and Backdoor Roth IRA — great for W-2 earners, 401(k) and Solo 401(k) holders.
The Roth IRA — With simple set-and-forget investing, it’s easy to have around $1 million in retirement.
2025 and Your Tax Rate — it’s not one rate
It’s often misunderstood how the states and feds tax us. A misconception is that once someone hits a certain income, all of their hard-earned money gets taxed at a higher rate. This is not the case.
2024 — How did our Solo 401k do and the ‘vibecession’.
2024 — The markets, a Trump election victory, and whatever happened in your freelance industry. What did it all mean for our i401k portfolio and the goal of chill-retirement?
The Three-Fund Portfolio — Freelancers, it’s all we ever need in the stock market.
The Three-Fund Portfolio — Freelancers, it’s pretty much the only investment we need in the stock market. U.S. Stocks, International Stocks, plus Bonds
The Stock Market. Big and Scary? Nope - It Creates Wealth In The Background.
The stock market is often widely misunderstood due to the hype in the media reporting on short-term market moves. That and the jibba-jabba of your next door neighbor or some guy in a bar. It’s the long term that matters. We need to ignore the noise.
Vanguard exits managing Solo 401(k) accounts - but we still love their ETFs and funds
Vanguard exits managing i401k accounts - but we still love their ETFs and funds. Let’s chat about what i401k provider to use.
The HSA - Health Savings Account. Another sweet tax deduction
The HSA (Health Savings Account. Make your out-of-pocket medical expenses a sweet tax deduction. The money is always yours; it’s not ‘use it or lose it.’
2023 — Another example that no one can predict the market. We invest every quarter, no matter what.
2023 goes down as a classic example of how no one can predict the economy or the stock market. The Wall Street Journal’s headline was, “What Did Wall Street Get Right About Markets This Year? Not Much”
The $93,550* Triple Stack: Deduct + Tax-Free Growth
These are the primary retirement options for freelancers and single-person businesses. Combined, you can get a huge tax deduction and protect up to $89,800 per year from the taxman.
Why can’t I just pick my own stocks and make the big bucks?
This is called stock picking. Investors try to pick winning companies like Apple and Telsa or some unknown startup. Here is the problem, no one who stock picks will ever beat a three-fund portfolio long term!
Investor Psychology — ignore your brain
The thing that trips investors up is their emotional response. The market isn’t the problem, our brains that evolved on the savannah are.
Revenge of the Bogleheads (that’s us!)
So it looks like a new generation of investors are catching on to our way of thinking accord to CNBC. Get rich slow.
My name is Chris Albert. I’m a 52-year-old freelance Director of Photography and studio owner who built a seven-figure portfolio from zero—no inheritance, no financial background, just consistent saving and sensible investing over 30 years.
Financial institutions consider me a ‘high net-worth individual’. At Schwab, as a $1 million+ account holder, I qualify as a Schwab Private Client Services customer, and, under SEC rules, I am considered an Accredited Investor.
Why the website? I built this site because I couldn't find one place that explained what and how freelancers like us should set up retirement accounts (the Solo 401(k), Backdoor Roth IRA, and HSA) and what investments to put in them—without the sales pitch, fees, or the overly-complicated Wall Street products.
We are going to get rich slow. In later years, live more, work less.