Freelancers Union - Really!

If you have been to NYC lately you've likely seen their posters as you ride the subway. The Freelancers Union is a national membership organization that's free to join. They offer products like insurance and retirement to their members and provide political advocacy for all independent workers. If you work in the film/video/television chances are you are a freelancer and either don't have insurance or provide for your own. If that sounds like you, here's a group you need to know about and should join. And since it's November and that means it's open enrollment month for health insurance now is the time to join this group and sign up for their affordable health, dental and disability insurance plans. You can also start a 401K plan for retirement here. And they offer a lot more such as discounts, events, workshops, etc. It's about time a group like this came along!

NYC MCTMT Tax was due Nov 2 - If you freelance in NYC you need to know the scoop

New Tax WAS Due November 2

If you are self-employed and work in the New York City area,
you have likely received notification about the new
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax (MCTMT),
which is due on November 2.

This tax affects the self-employed and certain employers
doing business in New York City’s five boroughs as well as
those in the following surrounding counties: Dutchess, Nassau,
Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester.

Self-employed individuals earning more than $10,000 who
work in any of these areas must pay 0.34% of their net
earnings. More details are available on the New York State 
Department of Taxation and Finance website. (And here’s
another guide, offered by the Society of Publication Designers.)

Many members have contacted us with their concerns about
this tax since we first mentioned it in July. It is clearly an
administrative burden, as the payment schedule does not
coincide with regular quarterly tax payments. We are
currently researching the economic implications of this tax.

Learning is FREE! And it's can't be repossessed once you have it!

I guess everyone loves free stuff. I know I love getting a gift bag full of goodies, I love swag and I especially love free workshops. I know we are all watching our money these days and many of us just aren't working as much as we'd like and consequently have a little more free time on our hands. I'm of the opinion that even if you aren't working at a paying job that you need to keep a schedule and engage in work related activities. Whether it be up dating your demo reel & resume and looking for work, networking, or doing what ever you can to keep current on the industry - we all need to be keeping busy.  So I've found some free or nearly free workshops that you should consider.

The first should be obvious to most of you since the majority of us in this industry are Mac owners . . . 

Your local Apple store has free hour long workshops on everything from how to use your new iPhone to iDVD and iMovie. Now I know that most of your think you know how to use this stuff but I also know that most of you don't really use all the features on your iPhone, your Mac, etc - here's an opportunity to make sure you really know how to use the tools of the trade. You've paid a lot of money for this stuff - ask yourself, "how dumb is it that you don't fully know how to use them efficiently?" And how dumb is that when there are free workshops you could take advantage of?

So go onto the Apple site and find your nearest local Apple store and sign up. 

Once you've run through the free one hour workshops, most Apple stores offer advanced workshops for cheap. You can take Final Cut or Photoshop or other workshops for around a $100 bucks. Trust me, that's cheaper than just about any where else that offers them. 

Next, is B&H Photo - yes, I know they are in NYC and you are in Philly or the Philly burbs. You certainly have a lot of excuses, don't you? Get off the sofa and stop watching Court TV - after all, I've already wrapped out how you can take The Bolt Bus or China Town Bus up and back to The Big Apple for cheap. 

B&H Photo is offering free workshops -go to  www.bhphoto.com/eventspace to check out the current offerings. You'll find workshops covering everything from still photography, directing, screenwriting, producing and more. Not only are they FREE (are you listening to me? I said, "FREE!") but you'll be hangin' with other folks and you can network - who knows who you'll meet. Don't forget to RSVP to reserve your space!

If you are hell bent on "keeping it local" there are some great options here in the Philly metro area as well . . . 

While the offerings aren't as frequent as I'd like to see, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office often has free (or nearly free) workshops and events worth attending - www.film.org

Free, nearly free (or at least relatively cheap) workshops:

Scribe - www.scribe.org - workshops are film and video related and based in Philly.

MiND TV (formerly WYBE channel 35) is offering the following workshops: MiND Bootcamp "How to make a 5-minute TV Program" (FREE), Camera Training (March 24th) and Video Pre-Production (April 7th) and Audio Recording (April 13th) - www.mindtv.org

And for those who want to break out of a rut, get their creative juices going and need a little hand holding on getting the inspiration mojo back there is always, Landmark Education - www.landmarkeducation.com - their introductions are free and there is NO OBLIGATION to sign up for future programs. They have a center in Philly and most other major cities. I've took the basic core curriculum( The Forum, The Advanced Course and The Self-Expression and Leadership) seminars last year and found it to be an effective way re-energize myself, re-focus my energies and re-discover what is possible. 

Know of other free, nearly free or cheap workshops? Let me know. Email me at palmer@redmaiden.tv and I'll add them to the blog.

And as a last suggestion - Mandy.com posts workshops on their "Noticeboard" and ShootingPeople.com also frequently lists free or cheap workshops on their email newsletter. You can sign up to get the basic newsletter for free - you'll get it a day or so later than the paying members or for a couple of bucks you can join and get the daily newsletter. I get it and have found it to be an excellent resource for everything from jobs to workshops, and then some.

Dental Plans

How many people who freelance in the film/tv/web content production business carry dental insurance?

Yeah, I know - you don't have "benefits" because you don't work for a corporation. Or you have your own plan but it's basically just major medical and it costs you an arm and leg each quarter. That's what I have through Horizon BC BS NJ and believe me, it ain't cheap. In this economy I know that I'm not alone in wondering how I can get better bang for my buck and make my money stretch farther. 

So let me introduce you to something I recently discovered: Dental Plans (www.dentalplans.com)

I'm talking about nationwide, consumer-driven, discount, dental plans and healthcare savings programs many of which have additional programs as an alternative to dental insurance. 

For an additional $150.00 per year for an individual or $200.00 for a family you can enjoy discounts of 30%-60% on dental services. There are no health restrictions, no annual limits on program usage, no paperwork hassles, no referrals required to see a specialist and orthodontia is included (for those of you with teens or a mid-life crisis). Additionally, many plans have additional features and discounts such as: 24 hour nurse hotline, emergency travel assistance, senior care advocacy, and discounts for prescriptions, vision care, behavioral counseling, hearing, alternative medicine, chiropractic service, physical therapy, diabetes supplies, and  health club memberships.

These aren't insurance plans, rather memberships in a discount program that helps reduce the expense of obtaining care and treatment helping you save on everything from: routine cleanings and filings, crowns & root canals, orthodontics, bridges, and emergency and specialized dental needs.

My sister recently needed emergency root canal which included a temporary crown and then the final porcelain crown. For those of you who know, that's a pretty pricey set of dental visits, often costing upwards of $2000. Using her dental plan she was able to save well over $600 on the total cost. 

How does this work? By aggregating the purchasing power of hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide so that members take advantage of deeply discounted fees usually reserved only for insurance companies and health care plans.

No. It's not an insurance plan. It's a membership based, discount, dental program that will help you reduce your costs of obtaining care and treatment. 

And yes, if you choose a plan that has additional programs like discounts on prescriptions and eye care you can use your discount plan along with your current insurance for even greater savings. 

So check out www.dentalplans.com online. You can look up your general dentist and see what plans they accept. Mine accepts 3 different plans. I choose Alliance HealthCard Gold Card which was the most comprehensive of the 3 plans and cost me $150.00 per year. Given that I never miss a check-up or cleaning, I'll save that much easily in a year. I also wear contacts and glasses and require several on going prescription medications. My plan will also get me discounts at LensCrafters for my eye exams, contacts and glasses and on my prescriptions at Target - both places I currently shop. And if I should require anything additional, well, then that will be just money in the bank. 

Lastly, let me be clear on one point - this is not an insurance policy and is not regulated by state departments of insurance and does not give you comprehensive health coverage. It is not a substitute for health insurance coverage. Just simply a "discount plan" that provides the member with savings on medical, dental, vision, hearing, prescription, counseling, and other related services.

However, if you are one of those people who cannot get health insurance because of a pre-existing condition, health discount plans are sometimes a good solution as most do not exclude you from joining.

All that said, I hope this will help you save money during this challenging economy.