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Webinar: Tax Time for Freelancers
From the moment the clock ticked midnight on December 31st your financial affairs, for the most part, of 2021, came to an end.
All the receipts and bills and invoices you’ve been throwing into the big shoebox (or however you track your finances) are basically done for the year and it’s time to start the preparation to make your peace with the CRA.
Learn how to navigate the tax return minefield with Shannon Lee Simmons, founder of the New School of Finance. She’ll do a deep dive on eligible deductions from your income, G/HST returns, income from foreign sources and yes, what to do if indeed you end up taking that shoebox full of receipts to a tax professional.
Tax Time for Freelancers
- Online: Thursday, March 3rd
- 1pm to 2pm Eastern Time
- $5 for members
- $15 for non-members (CMG Freelance Members and SATW-Canada members check with your associations for a discount code)
This session is structured with lots of room for questions, and your chances of getting them answered are increased if you send them to CFG Organizer Don Genova in advance.
You can register for this webinar right here.
Learn more about the cost and benefits of membership in the CFG on this webpage.
The link to the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via email about an hour before the start time.
Please check your spam or junk folders if you can’t find the email, and contact organizer@canadianfreelanceguild.ca if you haven’t received the link 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
Posted on February 10, 2022 at 5:15 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: freelance taxes, money, taxes, webinar
Webinar: Investing Basics For Freelancers
So, how is your retirement savings going? No matter if you’re a full-time freelancer or freelance off the side of your desk, it’s important to take charge of your financial future, and that includes saving for retirement.
This co-presented webinar will focus on the two main retirement saving vehicles for freelancers: RRSPs and TFSAs. Helen and Rita will cover the key benefits and also the potential pitfalls of each, including ways to maximize tax efficiency in asset allocation. The 20- to 30-minute presentation will be followed by a Q&A.
Our Presenters
Rita Silvan, Chartered Investment Manager
Rita is an award-winning former publishing executive who has held leadership positions in print and digital publications.
Her freelance writing has appeared in RBC’s Inspired Investor, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and more.
She’s passionate about personal finance and investing as a means to a happy and self-empowered life.
Helen Burnett-Nichols
Heather is a Hamilton, Ontario-based freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience covering investment, business, legal and personal finance topics.
Her work has appeared in publications such as The Globe and Mail, National Post Legal Post, Golden Girl Finance, Benefits Canada, SAGE Magazine, EY Reporting and Tangerine Bank’s “Forward Thinking” brand.
Helen completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2010.
Investing Basics For Freelancers
- Online: Thursday, February 3rd
- 7pm to 8pm Eastern Time
- $5 for members
- $15 for non-members
This session is structured with lots of room for questions, and your chances of getting them answered are increased if you send them to CFG Organizer Don Genova in advance.
You can register for this webinar right here.
Learn more about the cost and benefits of membership in the CFG on this webpage.
The link to the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via email about half an hour before the start time.
Please check your spam or junk folders if you can’t find the email, and contact organizer@canadianfreelanceguild.ca if you haven’t received the link 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
Posted on January 28, 2022 at 11:13 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: finances, financial planning, money, retirement, webinar
Canadaland Union ratify first collective agreement with Canadaland
On Thursday, January 20, staff at Canadaland voted unanimously to ratify a collective agreement after a year of bargaining, CWA Canada reported.
Canadaland‘s publisher and editor in chief Jesse Brown tweeted, “Life’s funny and I never thought that complaining about labor practices at other media orgs I worked for would lead to me being given a chance to do better. Thank you @CanadalandUnion for the opportunity to walk the talk. Together we’re building the best news org in Canada.”
According to the Canadaland Union Mission Statement, they believe a union will help their company “implement systems and standards to reduce turnover and burnout, increase productivity, and provide capacity within each position for exploration and growth.”
CWA Canada is the country’s only all-media union and is the parent union of the Canadian Freelance Guild. They represent more than 6,000 workers including Canadaland, The Canadian Press and CBC.
Posted on January 24, 2022 at 7:04 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT
Canadian Freelance Guild announces Winter 2022 Webinar Schedule
The Canadian Freelance Guild is pleased to announce its Winter 2022 webinar schedule. You’ve missed the first one, but it is now available for purchase (just $10) in the CFG Video-On-Demand portal. The first webinar was Managing Your Social Media Expectations, with Rebecca Coleman.
In this hour-long session, Rebecca looked at the different social networks and which ones may be important for freelancers to participate in, talked about some best practices for those platforms, and then there was a great Q&A to help answer all your social media questions!
Rebecca Coleman teaches Social Media Marketing at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and is a Social MediaStrategist. She is also a blogger and the published author of two cookbooks, and regularly contributes to the GoDaddy Marketing Blog.
CFG members can look in the Webinars section of your website to get a code to reduce your payment to $5.
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LinkedIn Learning is a resource that contains thousands of training videos to help you learn skills across many disciplines. A personal account is free of charge to you as a member of the Canadian Media Guild. Contact us to find out how to apply.
You’ll get a basic introduction to the learning platform, our presenter will talk about his experience, what he liked and what he’d change. Then he’ll take us through snippets of courses that he thinks are of value to freelancers and do some live searches on topics that participants ask about.
Our presenter is Michael Strickland, CFG founding member, is a writer/editor, strategic storyteller, and story coach. He began his career as a print and TV journalist. Today, he freelances stories that capture his interest while at the same time helping others share their strategic stories.
Online: Thursday, January 20th
7pm-8pm Eastern Time
$5 for members
$15 for non-members
The event link is: https://canadianfreelanceguild.wildapricot.org/event-4633065. Promo codes for members of CMG Freelance and SATW-Canada are available from your respective organizations.
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Thursday, February 3rd: Investing Basics for Freelancers
This co-presented webinar will focus on the two main retirement saving vehicles for freelancers: RRSPs and TFSAs. Helen and Rita will cover the key benefits and also the potential pitfalls of each, including ways to maximize tax efficiency in asset allocation. The 20-30-minute presentation will be followed by a Q&A.
Our Presenters:
Rita Silvan, Chartered Investment Manager, is an award-winning former publishing executive who has held leadership positions in print and digital publications. Her freelance writing has appeared in RBC’s Inspired Investor, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and many more. She’s passionate about personal finance and investing as a means to a happy and self-empowered life.
Helen Burnett-Nichols is a Hamilton, Ont.-based freelance writer with more than15 years of experience covering investment, business, legal and personal finance topics. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Globe and Mail, National Post Legal Post, Golden Girl Finance, Benefits Canada, SAGE Magazine, EY Reporting and Tangerine Bank’s ‘Forward Thinking’ brand. Helen completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2010.
Online: Thursday, February 3rd
7pm-8pm Eastern Time
$5 for members
$15 for non-members
The event link is: https://canadianfreelanceguild.wildapricot.org/event-4633221 . Promo codes for members of CMG Freelance and SATW-Canada are available from your respective organizations.
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Thursday, March 3rd: Tax Time for Freelancers
Online – Thursday, March 3rd
1pm to 2pm Eastern Time
$5 for members, $15 for non-members
From the moment the clock ticked midnight on December 31st your financial affairs, for the most part, of 2021, came to an end. All the receipts and bills and invoices you’ve been throwing into the big shoebox (or however you track your finances) are basically done for the year and it’s time to start the preparation to make your peace with the CRA.
Learn how to navigate the tax return minefield with Shannon Lee Simmons, founder of the New School of Finance. She’ll do a deep dive on eligible deductions from your income, G/HST returns, income from foreign sources and yes, what to do if indeed you end up taking that shoebox full of receipts to a tax professional.
This session is structured with lots of room for questions, and your chances of getting them answered are increased if you send them to CFG Organizer Don Genova in advance.
The event link is: https://canadianfreelanceguild.wildapricot.org/event-4633397 . Promo codes for members of CMG Freelance and SATW-Canada are available from your respective organizations.
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Thursday, March 17th: Understanding Freelance Contracts
This panel will explain common freelance contract clauses and terminology, including the most dangerous clauses freelancers are often asked to agree to when it comes to indemnity and liability. Our panelists will also discuss how to make counteroffers and negotiation tips on language and payment.
Our Panelists (more tba):
As a creative entrepreneur and organization co-founder, Tracey Arial has thirty years of experience dealing with contracts.
Don Genova is the CFG’s organizer and former president of CMG Freelance, where he negotiated contracts with the CBC along with his freelance writing and broadcasting outside of the Corporation. He currently is the Guild’s chief advice-giver when it comes to reviewing contracts for members.
Online: Thursday, March 17th
7pm-8pm Eastern Time
$5 for members
$15 for non-members
The event link is: https://canadianfreelanceguild.wildapricot.org/event-4633273 . Promo codes for members of CMG Freelance and SATW-Canada are available from your respective organizations.
Posted on January 17, 2022 at 1:24 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT
2022 National Magazine Awards Call For Entries
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Posted on January 5, 2022 at 10:38 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT
A note from the departing Story Board editor
Rachel Sanders
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a decade, but I became the editor of Story Board in July of 2012. I was fully freelance at that point, fitting writing assignments in between snack time, loads of laundry, school drop-offs, and all of the other work involved in raising two small children.
Now, after nearly ten years of satisfying and meaningful work, I’m leaving this role for a full-time job in journalism.
The work I’ve done here has meant a lot to me. It’s provided some income stability — a key to success for many freelancers. And I’ve also learned an enormous amount from the dozens of freelancers I’ve spoken with for Story Board, as well as the ones I forged relationships with through my membership in the Canadian Freelance Guild.
I wanted to leave a parting note to highlight a few great things on this blog to show how it is a very good resource for Canadian freelancers.
Read the rest of this post »
Posted on January 3, 2022 at 10:25 am by editor · 3 Comments · Tagged with: Canadian Media Guild, CMG freelance, freelance life, Success stories
2022 Travers Fellowship open for applications
Applications are now open for the 2022 Travers Fellowship, an international reporting bursary that helps finance foreign reporting projects by Canadian journalists working in any medium.
Freelancers, students enrolled in a graduate level journalism or equivalent program, and full-time journalists are welcome to apply for the fellowship, which provides a $25,000 award to cover travel, reporting and research expenses, and a stipend. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, applicants are advised to keep in mind that travel may be difficult, and should frame their applications accordingly.
The fellowship is named after Jim Travers, a reporter, foreign correspondent, and former editor of The Ottawa Citizen who spent six years reporting from Africa and the Middle East. When Travers died in 2011, his friends and colleagues created the fellowship to commemorate his contribution to Canadian journalism. The award is administered by Carleton University.
The application deadline is Monday March 7, 2022 at 12 p.m. (noon) ET. More information and application instructions are available on the Travers Fellowship website.
Posted on December 28, 2021 at 10:10 am by editor · One Comment
Webinar: Managing Your Social Media Expectations
You’ve probably been told or felt some pressure as a freelancer to create and maintain a social media presence to help you find work and promote the work you have. Are you getting the most out of your time spent on these platforms?
In this hour-long session, we’ll look at the different social networks and which ones may be important for you to participate in, we’ll talk about some best practices for those platforms, and then have an extensive Q&A to help answer all your social media questions!
Our Presenter:
Rebecca Coleman teaches Social Media Marketing at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and is a Social MediaStrategist. She is also a blogger and the published author of two cookbooks, and regularly contributes to the GoDaddy Marketing Blog.
Online: Thursday, January 6th
6pm to 7pm Eastern Time
$5 for members
$15 for non-members
This session is structured with lots of room for questions, and your chances of getting them answered are increased if you send them to CFG Organizer Don Genova in advance.
You can register for this webinar right here.
And you can find more information about the cost and benefits of membership in the CFG on this webpage.
The link to the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via email about half an hour before the start time.
Please check your spam or junk folders if you can’t find the email, and contact organizer@canadianfreelanceguild.ca if you haven’t received the link 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
Posted on December 21, 2021 at 5:30 pm by editor · 2 Comments · Tagged with: event, Marketing yourself, social media, webinar
Freelance tax time webinar now available for streaming
Not too many freelancers are thinking about taxes in December, but it’s actually the perfect time to start putting your financial matters in order for 2022 and your 2021 tax return.
CFG Organizer Don Genova and Shannon Lee Simmons from the New School of Finance covered a lot of ground in a recent webinar about freelance taxes, everything from what kind of year-end expenditures you should plan on making, how to check estimates on taxes owing to ensure you’re on track, and how RRSP season can fit into your plans.
And we threw in some questions about foreign income and how to deal with collecting and paying H/GST when necessary.
CFG members should log into the Webinars page on the CFG Website to get the code to reduce the fee to $5.
Non-members are welcome to access the recording for $10 and can go directly to the CFG pay-per-view website.
Posted on December 14, 2021 at 6:54 pm by editor · One Comment · Tagged with: Advice, freelance taxes
CFG Holiday Mixer happens this week!
CFG members, you’re invited to join the Board of Directors for our First Annual Holiday Mixer. We’ll look back on another strange year and look ahead to a ‘new normal’, if there will ever be such a thing.
To help stimulate the conversation CFG member and communications strategist Robyn Roste will lead us through some suggestions on how to survey your freelance business over 2021 and shape your decisions to come for 2022.
Friday, December 17th
4pm Eastern Time (chat room opens at around 3:30)
On ‘The Zoom’
To register, check your email inbox for the invitation that went out on December 2. Or you can click this link to find the registration page.
These casual sessions are always your chance to tell us what you’d like to see on the menu in the coming weeks and months.
NOTE: Your link to the session will be e-mailed to you around half an hour before the start time on Friday. Check your junk or spam mail folders if it’s not in your inbox! And please don’t register at the last minute. You will have missed the outgoing link email.
Posted on December 12, 2021 at 3:00 pm by editor · One Comment · Tagged with: CFG, Freelance Media Mixer, Media Mixer
