Brass Taxes

Kristen Fechtel with Brass Taxes

Honest conversations about work and money with artists, freelancers and other nice people. Visit brasstaxes.com to learn more.

Episodes

  1. 04/12/2021

    Deirdre Mangan's Last Straw

    TV writer Deirdre Mangan had heard she needed to incorporate from her other entertainment industry friends, and went with a recommended accountant who ended up being more confusing and frustrating than helpful to her. Meanwhile, her partner Adam Newman had been a Brass Taxes client for years, and campaigned hard for her to make the switch. Rus and Caroline talk to them about her experience and how she was finally convinced. Also in this episode, Brass Taxes' own Eric Stoddard joins Caroline to talk over everything you need to know about the Paycheck Protection Program and why you should look into it, which you can do at help.brasstaxes.com... it's free money for freelancers - go get it before it's too late! This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guests were Deirdre Mangan and Adam Newman. Brass Taxes is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc.

    55 min

  2. 04/05/2021

    Kevin Roose's NFT Adventure

    Rus talks to New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose about his new book Futureproof and about his recent experience auctioning off an NFT of his NYT article about NFTs. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Kevin Roose. Brass Taxes is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc.

    50 min

  3. 03/29/2021

    Nick Turner's Big Update

    We're joined again by Nick Turner to finalize his 2020 tax return with Rus Garfalo, having now filed the three previous years he hadn't done yet, with the help of Brass Taxes. He shares his new outlook and new news, we talk about how family planning is affected by tax considerations and Caroline shares her big news about the PPP loan. If you want to look into whether applying for a PPP loan is right for you, and whether you might be eligible, you can now do that with the help of Brass Taxes' Paycheck Protection Program Guide for Freelancers, available for free at help.brasstaxes.com. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Nick Turner. Brass Taxes is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc.

    41 min

  4. 03/22/2021

    Myles Kane's Trash Bags of Tax Debt

    This week we drag out Myles Kane's $80k of tax debt that he and Elizabeth Zephyrine McDonough eventually elimintated with help from Rus. Even though it makes him sweat to even talk about it, Myles (an editor and director of Voyeur and I'll Be Gone In The Dark) opens up and his wife Zeph (whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) provides moral support and comic relief. We also talk about Myles's liver transplant and the GoFundMe they set up to cover the medical expenses even though he had good insurance. It may not seem like this is the case, but rest assured: this is a fun one! This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guests were Myles Kane and Elizabeth Zephyrine McDonough. Brass Taxes is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc.

    57 min

  5. 03/15/2021

    Tomik 2.0's Multidimensionality

    In this episode, Rus interviews Tomik 2.0 who is, among other things, a sex worker. He's the host of the podcast Sex Werrrk! and a client of Brass Taxes, because sex workers have to pay taxes too. Together they discuss the rise of OnlyFans, lube as a business expense, the difficulty of finding trustworthy financial advice and the importance of making sure the advice you're taking is catered to you personally rather than to all of TikTok. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Tomik 2.0. Brass Taxes is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc.

    48 min

  6. 03/08/2021

    Chris Mosier's Advocacy Work

    Caroline and Rus talk to Team USA athlete and transgender rights activist Chris Mosier. He is the first transgender athlete sponsored by Nike and is the creator of transathlete.com which provides information and resources for transgender inclusion in athletics at all levels of play. But first, Caroline gives Rus an update on her PPP loan application woes and they brainstorm potential names for an unified sole proprietors' union. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Chris Mosier. Check out transgenderathlete.com and pointofpride.org "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes.

    55 min

  7. 03/01/2021

    Tala Ashe's Value

    In this episode, Rus Garofalo interviews Tala Ashe. Tala is an actor who for several years has been a series regular in "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" on CW, playing both Zari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi. However, like many actors she has spent many years working for much less money before booking the big gig, and here she discusses how making a lot of money does not necessarily mean financial security, nor does it mean she was making enough when compared to her peers on the show. First though, Caroline tells Rus about her experience applying for a PPP loan last week, which she thinks she messed up even though she's pretty good at this stuff.  This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Tala Ashe. "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes.

    57 min

  8. 02/22/2021

    Phil Galfond's Funny

    Caroline's friend from college, Phil Galfond, was at one time an improviser... but went on to become one of the best poker players in the world. In this episode of Brass Taxes, Caroline talks to Phil about what it was like becoming a household name in the poker world while sharing his literal household with friends whose earnings paled in comparison to his own. They also talk about how he's built to manage swings, how solvers and bots have changed the game, why gambling tax rules suck, why it should be federally legal to play poker online in the US, and a few of his funniest purchases. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Phil Galfond. "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes.

    49 min

  9. 02/15/2021

    Brooke Van Poppelen's Server Stories

    Brooke Van Poppelen has slung food and beverages everywhere from coney islands in Detroit to fine dining restaurants in New York City while she established herself as the comedian and performer we know her as today. But as many of us know, there are no guarantees, and even after hosting a TV show for multiple seasons she found herself back to looking for service industry work last year. In the meantime though, she started Side Work Podcast which keeps her and her listeners in touch with what it's like on the front lines of food and beverage service these days. Also in this episode, Caroline talks to Stuart MacKenzie; a bar and restaurant owner in Cincinnati, OH who comes from the music world there. He shares his experience keeping his businesses afloat during a particularly challenging year, with the help of a nihilist fast food parody account. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guests were: Brooke Van Poppelen http://www.brookevanpoppelen.com/ Stuart MacKenzie http://northsideyachtclub.com/nihilist-arbys/ "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes.

    51 min

  10. 02/08/2021

    Donwill Right Now

    Rapper, DJ, music producer and comedian Donwill has been spending more time in his home studio (aka his home) than usual this year. Caroline checks in with him after getting his permission to use his music for this show, and they talk about what it was like to have his whole work schedule cleared in an instant, the drag of being on unemployment, and the eternal absurdity of placing monetary value on creative work. Also in this episode, Caroline and Rus discuss the great GameStop stock squeeze, and what it could mean tax-wise if you rode the rocket to the moon with your... diamond hands, and... didn't hold the line? Ok we don't know all the reddit lingo, but basically: if you made a lot of money really quickly from buying and selling stock. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo, and mixed by Sarah Galdes. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, who was also our guest! "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes, Inc. podcast.brasstaxes.com

    50 min

  11. 02/01/2021

    Nick Turner's Back Taxes (Part 2)

    Spoiler alert (if you haven't listened to Part 1): Nick Turner ends up agreeing to do his taxes with Brass Taxes. In this episode, we sit in on Nick’s tax prep session with Rus Garofalo in which they tackle his 2019 return. Listeners get an inside look at how these sessions go, with lots of juicy tips to pick up along the way and lots of laughs as well. We also talk about what 2020 is likely to look like for Nick, and the tax liability of winning prizes on game shows… like winning a car on The Price Is Right. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo, and mixed by Sarah Galdes. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Nick Turner.

    51 min

  12. 02/01/2021

    Nick Turner's Back Taxes (Part 1)

    Comedian and podcaster Nick Turner hasn’t done his taxes for the past three years, but wants to get them done. After we meet the host of the show Caroline Creaghead, she talks to Nick about his hang-ups surrounding taxes and what a mess he fears it will be... especially after a year of earning money through various schemes he ran for his podcast "Get Rich Nick," including being a contestant on "The Price Is Right" where he won a brand new car. We also meet Brass Taxes founder Rus Garofalo who started this business precisely to help people like Nick, who don’t want to think about this stuff. This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Creaghead, also produced by Rus Garofalo, and mixed by Sarah Galdes. Theme music is "Settle Up" by Donwill, and our guest was Nick Turner. "Brass Taxes" is a production of Brass Taxes.

    45 min
  • 12 Episodes

5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Honest conversations about work and money with artists, freelancers and other nice people. Visit brasstaxes.com to learn more.

Information

  • Creator
    Kristen Fechtel with Brass Taxes
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Brass Taxes
  • Show Website
    Brass Taxes