The flip side of freelance freedom

Freelance in the modern world is growing at a crazy pace. Now for many people involved in programming, graphic design, journalism, translation, etc. it is no longer just a form of labor organization. This is a way of life and even more - a philosophy of life.

Such an increase in the popularity of freelance is quite logical. On the one hand, work “for uncle” often does not allow to reveal all the potential available, and on the other hand, the forces invested in the work and creative finds may not be appreciated, moreover, the author’s results can even be assigned by management. But, probably, the decisive advantage of self-employment is the almost unlimited freedom of movement and the choice of a work schedule. You can go about your business anywhere in the world with the Internet there, and it doesn’t matter whether you are an owl or an early bird, you will find the optimal working rhythm and deadlines for yourself. And, of course, the financial side of the issue - you decide (naturally, with an eye on the current market) how much your work is worth, most often do not reduce your earnings by the amount of taxes,

It would seem solid pluses. But, of course, almost everything related to making money has its own flip side. Freelance is no exception.

Firstly, the experience of remote work is not acquired immediately, and at first you will probably have to sweat a lot to find the right style of communication with customers and build up a client base.

Secondly, you will have to deal not only directly with the matter that is your profession, but also to solve a number of organizational issues in negotiations with customers, check and control payments, etc. To this may be added dissatisfied relatives who do not understand how it can be earned while sitting at home at the computer and who are waiting for you to have a “normal” place of work, complaints from the second half who do not want to wait for financial receipts from the next order, which is not yet available.

And one more important point, which is often missed when the busy working rhythm is “here and now”. It is about your financial independence in the future, about retirement savings. It seems to be too early to worry about how much more time will pass. But ask your parents, they will probably answer you that this, at first glance, an immense period of time does not even pass, but flies. And you will inevitably be confronted with the problem: "what now is to live on?"

It is clear that a freelancer should not count on a state pension, since there will not be enough registered work experience and contributions to a pension fund (state or non-state) that are made by the employer. Of course, you can work as an individual entrepreneur, or combine wage labor and self-employment. But after all, this is no longer freelance in its purest form, here you are unlikely to feel that freedom of managing your time and independence from state threads, that is, those advantages that are most valuable when choosing this form of work organization.

The ideal option is to postpone on your own so that at the time of retirement a certain amount is formed that is sufficient for a decent standard of living. But here lies a serious problem - the discipline of accumulation, because you have to postpone it constantly, avoiding the temptations of even very necessary, at first glance, current expenses. One curious study on this topic ( link to an article ) showed that it turns out that methodically, it will not work to put off if you do not know how much should be accumulated at the end of this process. That is, when a person does not see a clear goal, in this case, financial, the motivation for his own discipline of saving is insufficient.

Therefore, you should think about how you would like to live after retirement, now. It is just necessary to take time to analyze the current and potential available opportunities for the formation of future capital.

It is worth noting that now there are many financial instruments and products that can help a person who is not too leading in matters of accumulation and future calculations, to form the necessary capital that can ensure its materially prosperous future. The main thing is to choose among them those that best match your character and aspirations.

And, most importantly, never stop there!

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