High quality financial and political operations advices with Daryl LaFountain? You need a team of smart, reliable people who can help you pursue your goals. But hiring is expensive. Besides a full-time salary, employees have other requirements, such as benefits, bonuses, vacation time and equipment. Furthermore, you will need support for recruitment and for building and managing your compensation plans. Although some of this is unavoidable, you can minimize your financial burden by including contractors in your hiring plans. For example, instead of hiring a full-time marketing director and expecting them to be a jack-of-all-trades, consider hiring a team of freelancers. This will provide you with the expertise you need without the headcount. The same approach can apply to your management team. A fully burdened CFO can cost $300,000-$350,000 annually (sometimes more for “hot” areas like software as a service) and might be more than you need. Hiring a fractional CFO to provide advice and guidance is a more cost-effective option.

Daryl La Fountain‘s tricks on improving your firm financial situation: Organizing your business’ finances means ensuring that it won’t run out of money. In order to do this, it’s essential to plan for your expenses by establishing an emergency fund to cover them. By doing this, you have some money ready to pay your bills when they’re due and demandable. Indeed, it’s a challenging job to get your business finances organized. However, by following the tips mentioned above, there’s no doubt your company will reap many benefits. One of them is the creation of a stable financial future for you as a business owner, your employees, and partners.

If meeting monthly health insurance premiums seems impossible, what will you do if you have to go to the emergency room, where a single visit for a minor injury like a broken bone can cost thousands of dollars? If you’re uninsured, don’t wait another day to apply for health insurance. It’s easier than you think to wind up in a car accident or trip and fall down a flight of stairs. If you’re employed, your employer may offer health insurance, including high-deductible health plans that save on premiums and qualify you for a Health Savings Account (HSA). If you need to buy insurance on your own, investigate the plans offered by the health insurance marketplace of the Affordable Care Act–there are federal plans or your state may have its own plan. Look at quotes from different insurance providers to find the lowest rates and see if you qualify for a subsidy based on your income. If you have health issues, know that a more expensive plan could be cost-effective for you; research the options. If you’re under 26, your best choice may be to stay on your parents’ health insurance, if they have it–an option allowed since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act. If you can manage it, offer to reimburse them for the additional cost of keeping you on their plan.

Your journey to financial independence won’t always be easy. There will be some tough days, weeks, and even months. Pursuing a goal of financial independence that’s very much tied to delayed gratification is not always fun, but it’s completely doable. Have a solid plan for your finances, be disciplined, and avoid overspending. You’ll find out how great you’ll feel when you really make a concerted effort to stick to your budget. As you work on your finances, you may still make mistakes with your money, and that’s okay. Sometimes you might be unable to resist the urge to buy something that isn’t in your immediate budget. And sometimes you will feel like ripping your entire financial plan to bits because it just doesn’t seem like fun. However, as long as you keep your reasons WHY you want to be financially free in focus and make an effort to rebound quickly from your mistakes, you’ll do just fine. It’s all about assessing the mistakes you made, understanding why you made them and making a plan to avoid making them again. Then, you’ll need to take those lessons and apply them to your future success.

About Daryl LaFountain: Daryl is an energetic professional CFO with a background in politics. Daryl has done fundraising, been a candidate, and worked in politically appointed positions in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Daryl has worked for Democratic candidates and nominees in 18 additional states. Reach out to Daryl about his CFO work if you: Need help in your nonprofit Finance department. Have a need for an Interim role. Would like some offsite audit preparation work.