A Creative-Friendly Guide to Investing, Retirement, and Financial Confidence

If you’re a creative entrepreneur, there’s a good chance you’ve heard — or maybe even believed — some version of this story:

“I’m creative, so I’m bad with money.”

Or maybe:

“I’ll just hand all the financial stuff over to my partner, my CPA, or somebody who understands numbers better than me.”

Let’s throw that story away right now.

Being creative does not mean you’re incapable of building wealth. It does not mean you’re irresponsible. And it definitely does not mean you have to stay disconnected from your finances forever.

Money is just a tool. It doesn’t define your value, and learning how to use it is a skill, not a personality trait.

One of the biggest goals of my work is helping creatives feel less overwhelmed and more empowered when it comes to money. Not with complicated spreadsheets or daily investment tracking that makes you want to close your laptop immediately, but with systems that actually make sense for your brain.

Because the best financial system is the one you’ll actually use.

And honestly? The investing world can feel incredibly intimidating. There’s a lot of noise online. A lot of opinions. A lot of people making it seem way more complicated than it needs to be.

So let’s simplify it.

First: The Government Actually Wants You to Save for Retirement

A lot of people try to squeeze investing into whatever is “left over” at the end of the month.

But I want you to think about it differently.

Instead of asking:

“Can I afford to invest?”

Ask:

“Which investment option makes the most sense for my life, income, and goals?”

The U.S. tax system is designed to encourage retirement investing. The government wants you to build wealth for your future so you won’t need to rely as heavily on public support later in life.

That means there are real tax advantages available — especially for self-employed people and small business owners.

The key is understanding your options so you can reverse-engineer a plan that works for you.

The Two Main Types of Investment Accounts

When it comes to investing, most accounts fall into two categories:

1. Tax-Advantaged Accounts

These accounts reduce your taxable income now.

For example, if you make $100,000 and contribute $20,000 to a retirement account like a 401(k), you may only be taxed on $80,000 of income for the year.

That’s a huge deal.

Some common tax-advantaged accounts include:

• Traditional 401(k)
• Solo 401(k) for self-employed people
• 403(b) plans for nonprofit employees
• Traditional IRA
• SEP IRA
• SIMPLE IRA

For self-employed creatives, the SEP IRA is often a favorite because contribution limits can be significantly higher than traditional IRAs.

These accounts are designed for long-term retirement savings, which means there are penalties if you withdraw the money early. They’re less flexible, but the tax savings can be substantial.

2. Non–Tax-Advantaged Accounts

These accounts don’t lower your taxes today, but they can offer major benefits later.

The most popular example is the Roth IRA.

With a Roth IRA, you contribute money that’s already been taxed — but when that money grows over time, you can withdraw it tax-free in retirement.

That’s the magic of compound growth.

If you invested $7,500 today and it grew to $30,000 over the years, you’d have only paid taxes on the original $7,500 contribution.

For higher earners, there’s also something called a “Backdoor Roth IRA,” which allows people above income limits to still access Roth benefits through a conversion process.

And then there’s the regular brokerage account — which is simply an investment account with no retirement restrictions.

Brokerage accounts are flexible. You can invest money, let it grow, and access it whenever you need to. That flexibility can be incredibly helpful for creatives with variable income who want to build confidence investing without locking every dollar away until retirement.

The Market Will Go Up. And Down. And Up Again.

The market fluctuates. Some years are incredible. Some years are slow. Some years make people panic-scroll financial news at 2 a.m.

But historically, the U.S. market has averaged positive long-term growth over time.

That’s why investing is less about reacting emotionally to every headline and more about consistency over decades.

If you’re investing for the next 20–30 years, daily market swings matter a lot less than simply staying in the game.

One of the Most Powerful Wealth-Building Strategies for Parents

If you have children, there are some really interesting ways to legally build wealth for your family while also reducing business taxes.

One strategy is paying your child earned income through your business.

That means they’re legitimately helping with age-appropriate work:

• assisting on shoots
• organizing supplies
• helping in the studio
• administrative tasks
• modeling for content
• cleaning or prep work

That income can then potentially be invested into a Roth IRA or brokerage account for them.

Imagine your child starting adulthood with years of compound investment growth already behind them.

That’s generational wealth-building in action.

There are important tax rules and caveats involved, especially depending on your business structure, but this can be a powerful strategy when done correctly.

The Augusta Rule: A Wildly Underused Tax Opportunity

One of my favorite tax loopholes is called the “Augusta Rule.”

Here’s the simplified version:

If you own a home, you can rent it out for up to 14 days per year without reporting that rental income on your tax return.

Some creatives use this for:

• photo shoots
• short-term event rentals
• major sporting events
• temporary Airbnb hosting while traveling

There are rules:

• the pricing has to be reasonable
• your home can’t simply be rented to your own business
• you can’t deduct related expenses

But for the right situation, it can be an incredible opportunity.

Should You Become an S-Corp?

There’s been a huge wave online telling every business owner they “need” an S-Corp.

That’s not always true. 

For many creatives, S-Corp status starts making sense somewhere around $75,000+ in annual profit, because it can reduce self-employment taxes.

But it also comes with more admin:

• payroll
• separate tax filings
• bookkeeping requirements

It’s not automatically better. It’s a tool — and like every financial tool, it should fit your specific business and goals.

(Psst… want to learn more about this, check out my post “Should You be an S-Corp?”) 

The Secret to Building Wealth with Variable Income

You do not need to start with massive investment contributions, wait until you feel “financially perfect,” or understand every investing term before you begin.

What matters most is consistency.

Even small monthly contributions can grow significantly over time because of compound growth over time.

Don’t Forget About Old Retirement Accounts

If you worked a 9-to-5 at some point, you may already have retirement money sitting somewhere you forgot about.

Old 401(k)s can sometimes get buried under paperwork, old logins, or job transitions.

And unfortunately, some old accounts come with high management fees quietly eating away at your money.

You can search for forgotten retirement accounts through the Department of Labor’s retirement lost-and-found database.

I’ve seen people uncover thousands of dollars they completely forgot existed.

Your 20-Minute Wealth Challenge

Here’s your gentle kick in the butt:

Set a timer for 20 minutes and take one step toward your financial future.

That’s it.

You could:

• open a Roth IRA
• set up an automatic transfer
• increase your retirement contribution by 1%
• check for old retirement accounts
• schedule a meeting with your CPA
• finally learn what kind of retirement account you already have

You do not need to overhaul your entire financial life today.

Small steps count.

And financial success is absolutely possible for you — even with variable income, even as a creative, even if money has felt intimidating in the past.

You got this.