October 1, 2018  • Newsletter

Scene from an artist’s workspace in Berea, KY

October is my favorite month. Where I live, the weather is officially autumnal and the colors are bright and vibrant. It’s sweater weather (sweather?) and the air is charged with energy.

 

It’s also a really great month to take stock of all that you’ve accomplished so far this year. After all, the year is nearly over, and the holiday and year-end chaos is right around the corner. So this month, embrace the calm before the year-end storm with a few things to keep your financial life on track.

 

  • Start thinking about 2019. Don’t worry. You don’t have to do anything (yet). Just start thinking about the big picture goals, creative projects you may have in the works, and financial changes you want to make for 2019. Jot them down and save them for the next few weeks.

 

  • Check in with your budget. Finalize the actual results you had in September and look at your year-to-date thus far. How is it going? Reconcile your bank statements to make sure you haven’t missed anything, and prepare for the rest of the year. It will be over before you know it.

 

  • Check in with your withholdings. If you didn’t check in with your tax withholdings last month do it now. Seriously. Lots of tax professionals are talking about low withholdings—meaning you may end up owing money when you file your taxes next year. Ouch. Here’s a tax calculator from the IRS that can help. (Follow the link and click on the blue button to open the calculator.)

 

  • Get organized. October is a nice month to make sure your records so far are organized. November and December are going to be too crazy to stay super organized, so gathering what you need now (and maybe even re-organizing a little) can make the task seem less daunting in January.

 

What We’re Doing

This month we’ll be in Colorado and Florida talking to creative people about financial empowerment. #PackingChallenges

 

Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education

Did you know people who care about teaching creative individuals about business and entrepreneurship get together once a year to talk about the best ways to do what we do? It’s an insanely fun time.

Learn More

 

ArtServe

What’s better than visiting Florida in October? Visiting Florida in October to talk about financial empowerment with creative people. We’ll be hanging out with the team at ArtServe, the Broward Cultural Division, and the Mandel Public Library doing just that.

Learn More

 

What We’re Talking About

This month we couldn’t stop talking about “the illusion of control” and how it applies to money. (Spoiler alert: It applies to money.)

 

We also have a new Instagram account (@MinervaFinArts), led by Katie B Funk, our new Program & Marketing Coordinator. Stop by and visit, won’t you?

 

 

The Calm Before the Storm

We hope you enjoy this month’s tips on organization (read: the calm before the storm). We’re excited to hear about your own financial wellness growth this month… And beyond. Until next month, all the best with your financial empowerment.

~Elaine





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Arts & Numbers

You don’t have to do this alone. Arts & Numbers is a comprehensive financial guide for creative individuals… and anyone else with a passion for something other than accounting and finance. This book aims to provide basic information on finance and financial matters for creative entrepreneurs to take ownership of their financial situations, thus ensuring their long-term success, creative and otherwise.

Written in short story form with fictional anecdotes supporting the financial advice, Arts & Numbers promises to be an easy and useful read for creative entrepreneurs at any stage.

Check it Out