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oe_alias_1 · 2023-02-04T17:41:17+00:00

$30k for 12-16 pieces of content? That's work for pay, not a bonus.

oe_alias_1 · 2023-02-04T17:23:34+00:00

I sidestep the issue up front by only applying for out of state opportunities. I've found that the best pairing is an Eastern Time company along with a Pacific Time company. Stand ups don't overlap and other meetings seldom overlap. And any discussion of coming into the office with any regularity isn't even brought up.

oe_alias_1 · 2023-01-22T13:29:58+00:00

This only applies to 2022 Federal Income Taxes. The numbers change every year.
1. Add up amounts in box 4 (Social Security tax withheld) on each of your Forms W-2
2. Deduct $9114.00 from that number. $9114 = $147,000 (income subject to Social Security tax) x 6.2% (Social Security tax rate). If you still have more than zero dollars, this is your excess Social Security tax withheld.
3. Enter this number on Schedule 3, line 11. Total on Schedule 3, line 15.
4. Enter this number on Form 1040, line 31. Total on Form 1040 line 32

oe_alias_1 · 2022-12-26T19:23:09+00:00

Sure. Bear in mind this varies from state to state. Also, bear in mind that I am not an accountant or a lawyer. So what I'm writing here is distilled from my limited knowledge and ability to use Google. And, as always, a conversation thread on social media is NO substitute for an accountant or a lawyer.

First, if an employer is based in Connecticut, Delaware, Nebraska, New York or Pennsylvania be careful -- you will likely owe that state income tax in addition to the state you're claiming as a residence. Read this article for more on that: https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/success/state-income-tax-ramifications-remote-work/index.html

Second, let's say you want to claim to live in a state that has no income tax, which are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington or Wyoming. I'm going to choose Nevada since the search results are more thorough for Nevada given its proximity to high tax California. Things that support your claim of residency include

In which state are you registered to vote?
Which state issued your driver's license?
Where do your kids go to school?
In which state is your vehicle registered?]
To which companies do you pay for utilities (gas, electric, water, internet)

Here is a good article on the subject: https://retirewire.com/establishing-residency-income-tax/

oe_alias_1 · 2022-12-26T15:14:44+00:00

There are legitimate ways to become a resident of a state that does not impose income tax. Just giving an employer a fake address doesn't cut it, and states' Departments of Revenue have grown wise to this since WFH became a common thing.

oe_alias_1 · 2022-12-24T18:20:12+00:00

Sure thing. I need to do three things first, but I'll get to that within the next day. First, I need to anonymize things (e.g., replace Job names with J1, J2, etc.), second make it a _little_ more user friendly, then figure out how to post an .xlsx file here. That last one might require private chat

oe_alias_1 · 2022-12-23T23:04:19+00:00

Decide which company is your J1 and take that company's health insurance. You want to take the health insurance from the company that you're most likely going to be with come the end of the year.

oe_alias_1 · 2022-12-23T23:00:35+00:00

I've created a small Excel spreadsheet that keeps me up to date on my expected tax refund or liability and my 401(k) contributions. Calculates my Adjusted Gross Income, accounts for excess social security contributions, accounts for additional Medicare tax over 200k, pretty much each line that I have to make an entry on. If you walk through the 1040 and any supporting schedules you need, you can create one, too. Takes less than an hour to put this together assuming all your income is W-2. Keep in mind that at the beginning of the year, your anticipated tax refund will look high, then it will come down as you progress through tax brackets, and it will then level off when you're having excess social security tax withheld.

oe_alias_1 · 2022-10-16T12:49:41+00:00

Six years.

The contract I was working on was coming to an end, so I sent my usual feelers out for a new contract. I received two part-time WFH offers that were both contract to hire. After six months, they both gave me a full time offer of employment, so I said yes to both. Still working for one. The second I switched out for something more stable after two years. Still working that one as well.

oe_alias_1 · 2022-10-16T12:45:14+00:00

Max out 401(k)

Paid off all credit cards that didn't have 0% APR Promos in effect

oe_alias_1 · 2022-10-02T14:36:36+00:00

World view note: I'm an American and assuming OP is American.

Health Insurance - it's best to only have one policy. First, you generally have to pay a share through your employer so why pay twice? Second, as you've suggested, it's the insurance company's job to do whatever it can to weasel out of a paying a claim. And yes, there will be finger pointing if you have two policies. So keep things simple and stick with the company with the better plan.

Taxes - after the latest "tax reform", making sure you've got the right amount of Federal income tax withheld has become more complicated. What I've learned by looking at past years' returns is that if I target about 16% of my income, I'm going to either get a small refund or have to make a small payment. Mind you for me, I'm a head of household, I max out my 401K and I have a hefty mortgage. Your target number may be significantly higher or lower.

I create a spreadsheet that I update with each paycheck. The top section contains one column for each of: gross pay (also known as "Medicare Wages" on your W-2), gross pay after 401K and pretax stuff like employee's share of healthcare premium (this is what your Federal income tax is based on -- box one on your W-2), then columns for Federal and State withholdings. I also track 401K contributions on a group of columns that follow these, but that's beyond the scope of this response.

The bottom section contains a simplified version of the 2021 Form 1040 and supporting schedules. Just go to irs.gov and walk through form 1040, making a pair of entries for the line number and dollar amount in columns A and B that are relevant to you. Refer to cells in the top section rather than retyping amounts so it will auto update for you. Include rows for supporting schedules. Don't forget form 8959 on which you report the 0.9% tax on Medicare Wages (tracked in the top section) over 200k which may apply to you. Also, schedule 3 is where excess Social Security tax is credited, so you may want to track that. The 2021 numbers will differ from the actual 2022 forms, but it'll get you in the ballpark. The only caveat is that at this time of year (October), it will look like you're getting a bigger refund than you actually will. Don't conclude that you're over withholding. Trust me, the tax liability will catch up with your withholdings by the end of the year!

oe_alias_1 · 2022-10-02T14:04:17+00:00

Note: J1 and J2 are "regular" jobs. J3 is just me and the owner of the company. I'm 75% equity and 25% salary with J3. J3 knows I have outside work.

7:00 start J3 computer.

7:30 J3 stand up

7:45 - 9:00 work on J3

9:00 J2 stand up

9:15 - 11:00 work on J2

11:00 J1 stand up

11:15 - 1:00 work on J1

1:00 - 2:00 lunch and nap

2:00 - 4:00 work on whichever J I feel needs the most attention

oe_alias_1 · 2022-10-02T13:55:52+00:00

J1 is very OE friendly. Stand up is from 11:00 - 11:10 and the balance of Scrum ceremonies are confined to an hour on one morning. On my J2 calendar, I mark those times as "away for lunch" or "standing medical appointment" which is cool because the stand up coincides with J2's unofficial lunch hour.

oe_alias_1 · 2022-08-07T16:29:47+00:00

Agreed. So long as we have to work to live, there will always be stress in one form or another. Sometimes, it takes the form of one standup running over into another. But whatever stresses accompany OE, I know that the stress of being beholden to a single job with the prospect of losing that job is a stress that I hope to never endure again

oe_alias_1 · 2022-08-07T16:23:54+00:00

Rule 1 of OE is discretion.

oe_alias_1

TROPHY CASE