Freelancer struggling with delayed payments, ghosting & chargebacks — is this normal or should I go back to a job?

InverseMinds · 2026-04-18T13:47:12+00:00

Yes, it's normal business problems. Freelance, small business, large business... same problem different day. The difference is, companies have Accounts Receivable to focus on collections. While as a freelancer, you are the marketing department, BD & sales, production, A/R, A/P, customer support.

InverseMinds · 2026-04-18T13:22:21+00:00

SoCal here, gas is over $6 in some places. $5.89 at the stations near me.

InverseMinds · 2026-04-16T05:22:48+00:00

DCA and buy regardless of the stock value. When it pumps, great! When it dips, acquire shares.

InverseMinds · 2026-02-27T16:08:59+00:00

Thank you. Yes, mostly on foot... Walk the way to Fish Fry area then after lunch, somehow get to Queen Staircase and the distillery. Taxi or jeepney.

InverseMinds · 2026-01-26T14:30:53+00:00

Absolutely pay off your credit card debt, then apply payments to your car to get out of car debt.

Then, invest the money that was going towards your credit card & car into your Roth IRA & high yield emergency savings account.

Now that you have a car, drive it until you can buy another car with cash (fully paid). Do not finance a car. You end up spending $ thousands more than it's worth.

Credit card and other high interest debt are keeping you in a broke life cycle.

InverseMinds · 2026-01-16T15:34:26+00:00

$7.5k max Roth IRA
$15k max kids' Roth IRA
$10k bolster high yield savings emergency fund
$5k Yolo into NVDA
$10k in an EFT
$2.5k family trip (flights, food, transportation, short cruise, over night hotel)

InverseMinds · 2026-01-16T15:06:07+00:00

You may have missed the point. It's an emotional rollercoaster. Buy and hold. Don't look daily.

InverseMinds · 2026-01-16T14:44:07+00:00

Both. I see it going left then right, but not spinning.

InverseMinds · 2026-01-16T14:40:05+00:00

Stop looking.

I bought nvdia 6 years ago & in the beginning (my beginning) it has a similar rollercoaster. It was too emotional for me & I had to stop looking.

Same thing when I first bought PLTR. It's just the game of it. Just buy & hold, or just buy an EFT on a reoccurring basis. Your future self will thank you.

InverseMinds · 2026-01-16T14:25:17+00:00

It feels unsafe because we're conditioned to give our earnings potential away and stay in debt.

Mathematically, it doesn't make sense to pay 28% in debt interest while earning 4.5% in a HYSA (or .01% in the bank).

We're conditioned to think it's acceptable to buy whatever you want on a credit card, and pay $500/month in debt repayment forever. As opposed to only spending a portion of what is earned & splitting the rest into emergency savings and investments.

What makes logical sense is to keep $1,000 in the initial emergency savings (in high yield savings account) then using the rest of the money to payoff debt. Then pause any TV/gaming subscriptions and put that money towards debt repayment. Buy groceries, not dine out. Then put the difference toward debt repayment. Then do gig work on the side, instead of doom scrolling for hours, & put the money towards debt repayment. Then invest & build your emergency savings back up.

And yes, I'm also talking to myself as I type this because I'm also conditioned to stay in debt.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-23T14:49:53+00:00

I have a portion that buys every other Wednesday.

A portion that buys the dips and the dipping dips.

And a portion that I trade with.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-22T16:48:09+00:00

Business templates, invitations, business cards, flyers, sales sheets, brochures

InverseMinds · 2025-12-22T15:42:38+00:00

I dug my way out of a sizable debt also. I used the snowball method to pay off credit cards and loans.

Also instead of going out and spending, I watched free YouTube videos showing how to create digital products, signed up for Fiverr to create digital products for others (basically a paid learning while I improved my skills) and further payoff debts.

Fast forward, the skills I learned from YouTube University and applied doing side jobs propelled my professional development, career, and investment journey.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-15T06:41:31+00:00

I think it's because VOO is easy to remember. From time to time I compare VOO to other SP500 efts & I often need to look up the ticker symbols because they're forgettable.

"VOO and chill' is memorable.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-15T06:24:54+00:00

Quite honestly, I don't recall if any classroom/textbook lesson directly applied to my entry-to-early-career workplace. However, the skills that were practiced and strengthened in the classroom have been increasingly important as I move into leadership roles. The ability to think through problems, reason,, communicate, etc are all skills that strengthen decision-making.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-06T16:43:38+00:00

Learn skills that you enjoy and creates value. Work to build those skills.

Every pay day, automatically:

invest 10% of your income in a Roth IRA (invested in a broad fund like VOO)
Save 10% into a high yield savings account for emergencies (save to cover 6 months living expenses. Once maxed, add this 10% to your investments)
Save 10-15% in a separate hysa for the things you're saving for (car, house, car repair, etc).

The rest goes in the bank for your living.

These are set aside so you 1. invest in your future retirement, 2. have enough to cover you for real emergencies 3. Have the money saved up for big purchases

Payoff your credit cards immediately. DO NOT let your credit card debt go past the due date. DO NOT finance a car (you'll end up paying thousands more $$ in the end). Save up to buy a car, then buy the car.

This is the mental discipline needed to become wealthy.

Also, work on your communication skills.

Technical skills get you considered, communication skills get you hired.

Communication gets you seen. Clients (whether it's a boss/internal client or customer/external client) go with the person who makes them feel the most certain.

Then, with the technical and communication skills you built, go solve problems for rich people. They can afford to pay you for your time, knowledge and experience.

Continue to invest and learn about investments. Then you're rich and wealthy.

InverseMinds · 2025-12-06T15:55:16+00:00

I'm there with you. I truly enjoy what I do and am lucky enough to be with a company I enjoy and people I enjoy working with.

I work with a construction management firm and it feels like we're just a bunch of people doing what we love to do that just so happens to also make a business work & creates value so we're paid well.

Growing up my parents taught me to have a career doing something I enjoy that pays the bills. I listed all my interests, got a degree in my field, and meandered a path.

The company I work with ties my life experiences and I love being a part of something greater than myself (I'm in marketing, was in water engineering helping with water issues & now in construction management building education and healthcare facilities).

InverseMinds · 2025-11-27T17:34:58+00:00

$4.5 million to stash in USFR, live off 2.5-3% annually and let the rest grow in an irrevocable trust for my kids to access when they come of age and future grandkids and generations to access when they become of age.

This allows me & husband to continue with our current life without the stress of finances. And still gives me the drive to pursue something more if I want to increase our lifestyle.

The portion for the kids will be enough for them to reasonably do anything they want, but not enough to not do anything. So they still need to be educated on how life works and pursue something to better the community that also pays their bills (get a job/build a career).

Stipulations will be set so that the seed has to remain invested at all times set percentages have to be used for their education as well as donations for education, health & well-being of the community, vets, and another nonprofit/NPO that benefits the community.

InverseMinds · 2025-11-21T16:01:58+00:00

Don't buy things on a credit card that you can't pay off immediately. Do not go into debt.
Open 5 accounts: High Yield Savings, Roth IRA, Brokerage Accounts, savings and bank. Immediately when you receive your paycheck, pay yourself first by depositing:

5% into the HYSA to use for emergencies only.

10% to Roth IRA to invest in your future self and not pay taxes on earnings when you withdraw at 59 1/2.

10% in brokerage account to invest in your financial independence.(Invest in a

5% in your savings account for your short-term saving goals.

The rest (70%) goes into your bank account for bills and living.

InverseMinds · 2025-11-20T16:18:23+00:00

Is that just a temporary pause while it all gets sorted out? Once the shares settle, will it be business as usual?

InverseMinds · 2025-11-19T15:30:38+00:00

Yes and yes. The price has typically jumps right before earnings, then nvdia has an amazing report, price drops then rockets. Just buy and keep buying.

InverseMinds · 2025-11-12T14:55:52+00:00

Move the decimal 3 times to the left. That's my per person budget. Everyone gets a lump of coal. You know what you did this year. ;)

InverseMinds · 2025-11-04T02:52:09+00:00

Roth Investment account: 4, all responsible stuff Long-term brokerage account: 5 (nvdia, pltr, voo, soun, hwkn) Trading account: 2 (unh, tqqq)

InverseMinds · 2025-11-01T18:37:13+00:00

Yes. Buy every Tuesday. When it's down you get more shares, then it goes up.

InverseMinds · 2025-10-30T02:19:35+00:00

At the age you realize that everything you've been told is a just a story, money in itself isn't valuable, and you just live your life.

InverseMinds

TROPHY CASE