Freelancing, Word styles, Bill Clinton, and Russia: Articles worth reading

Here are some good reads on an assortment of topics:

• Freelancing tips from an illustrator. It’s obvious that Megan Jeffrey has 17 years of experience freelancing; there’s not a single suggestion with which I’d disagree (link via Lifehacker).
• Macworld: Save time with Word’s styles. One of the biggest ways to make publishing a document more efficient is to get everyone in an organization using Word’s styles. It makes an editor’s job easier, as he or she won’t have to waste time reformatting a document and instead can focus on improving the text.
• The New Yorker: “The Wanderer”—The ex-presidency of Bill Clinton. This article in the September 18, 2006 issue isn’t available online, but it’s worth picking up at the newsstand. David Remnick’s profile of President Clinton is fascinating and examines his work fighting HIV/AIDS.
• The Economist: Russian health and demography—A sickness of the soul. It’s hard to think of a country that put the first man in space as having problems usually reserved for developing nations in Africa and Asia, but that’s what former superpower Russia is facing.

Investment advice for the self-employed

My Money Blog has an insightful post about retirement savings plans for the self-employed. It looks at the differences between SEP-IRAs and self-employed 401(k)s.

One of the negatives of freelancing is that you have to establish and administer your own retirement plans. Thankfully my two years of brokerage and banking experience, coupled with reading The Motley Fool, has given me the knowledge to make informed decisions.

I’ve just been saving for retirement in a Roth IRA, but am thinking about opening a SEP-IRA as well.

The pros and cons of freelancing and what’s needed to transition from corporate life

Lifehacker, a productivity blog that I’ve linked to in other entries, had a good post the other day about working for yourself: Technophilia: From cubicle to couch.

For someone who’s just transitioning from working for a company to freelancing, the author has some good insight into preparing to work for yourself (hoard cash), the advantages of freelancing (flexibility), and the disadvantages (work is never done).

Are you considering freelancing?

I’ve been freelancing for more than a year now and, to be honest, at first I wasn’t sure how long I’d last doing it. Now, however, I don’t see myself ever returning to a 9-5 corporate job. If you’re interested in working for yourself, Lifehacker has a “freelancing self-assessment” that “puts your self-motivation and organizational skills to the test.”

Advice for starting a home office

If you’re a freelancer or interested in working from home, Lifehacker readers (including me) have some suggestions about what you’ll need for a home office.