What if Marc Rebillet had a financial planner from the start?

I've been following his incredible journey toward artistic freedom since his early days in Dallas in 2016, and he embodies what it means to be a Thriving Musician.

Here is my hypothetical financial planning case study of Marc's career, illustrating how artists can benefit from strategic financial planning at any stage.

www.motifplanning.com/ep-83

In this episode of the Thriving Musician Podcast, host Spenser welcomes Carolyn Ortiz, a marketing and operations expert with over 20 years of experience in the music industry. Carolyn shares her journey from working at major corporations to founding her own record label and creative agency, Big Ass Kids. Through candid discussions, Carolyn highlights the critical importance of financial literacy in the music industry, drawing parallels between running a music career and operating a business. She also delves into her experiences balancing career and family life, offering invaluable advice for musicians and entrepreneurs alike. The episode explores the unique offerings of the Big Ass Kids' 'Playground,' a dedicated platform for connecting vetted music professionals with artists in need. Tune in to gain insights on achieving financial stability, effectively managing time, and navigating the complex layers of the music industry with Carolyn Ortiz.

00:00 Introduction to Carolyn Ortiz

02:07 Carolyn's Early Career and Ambitions

03:17 Transition to Music Industry

05:27 Founding Big Ass Kids

08:23 Balancing Business and Personal Life

12:33 Financial Advice for Musicians

17:34 The Reality of Running a Music Business

28:46 Navigating Life's Seasons as an Artist

31:19 Exploring Diverse Music Careers

33:10 Balancing Parenthood and Career

36:46 Navigating Financial Decisions in Business

41:11 Introducing Big Ass Kids

45:36 Building the Playground Community

53:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-82

Rachel Stas is a CPA with over fifteen years of experience in accounting and tax services.

She holds both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy Degree from the University of Oklahoma. She has established herself as the go-to advisor in the small business and artist communities and regularly speaks to both about their taxes and best practices.

Rachel prefers to be “in the mix” when dealing with clients, whether helping with questions about deductions for their tax returns or helping a new business establish a bookkeeping system.

Her goal is to minimize her client’s stress regarding bookkeeping and taxes so that they can focus on what they love!

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-81

Emma Crawford is a financial planner at an hourly-only, fee-only financial planning firm in Madison, WI. She has the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (TM) designation, the Certified Student Loan Professional (R) designation, and a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Growing up low-income, she remembers the stress and anxiety that finances brought her, especially when it came to repaying her student loans. She doesn't want anyone to feel how she did back then. Now, she is a self-described student loan nerd and focuses on helping her clients get as much loan forgiveness as possible. She has consulted on over $100 million in student loan debt and has helped her clients receive over $10 million in loan forgiveness.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-80

Laura Donelan began her career in insurance in 1987 and has experience in Personal Lines, Commercial Lines customer service, Wholesale, and Marketing. She joined SterlingRisk’s Marketing Dept in 1994 and transferred to the Programs Dept soon after, handling all programs, one being property insurance for members of the Local 802 Musicians Union. In 1999 Sterlingrisk teamed up with ASCAP to form MusicPro Insurance Agency LLC as a joint venture. Laura left in 2002 to be a stay at home mom to twins and returned in 2006 to handle MusicPro exclusively. She currently services over 10,000 clients.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-79

Mat Maxwell is an American musician with almost two decades of studio and touring experience, specializing in the electric bass. He has played this instrument with some of music's biggest names, performing all over the world. Mat is also the author of “Hired Musician: A Guide to Getting and Keeping Gigs,” a book offering insights on navigating the modern music industry. Beyond his touring and session work, Mat also enjoys teaching lessons and hosting clinics… a good cigar and tasty beverages.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-78

Rubin is the Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Peltoma Capital Partners. He and his wife Emily, and their daughter Olive Rae, live in Austin, TX. He has nearly 20 years of investment experience, starting as a commodities and fixed income trader at The Chicago Board of Trade, then as a Regional Director at Dimensional Fund Advisors, and most recently as a Partner, Senior Financial Advisor and Chief Investment Officer at Perspective Wealth Partners.

Rubin founded Peltoma Capital Partners, in 2023, to help show people that there's a better way to invest. In addition to being a Forbes contributor, he is the acclaimed writer of the Fortunes & Frictions blog, which has readers in over 125 countries and has earned praise from individuals like Josh Brown (CNBC) and Jason Zweig (WSJ). He's recognized as someone who can demystify complicated investment ideas, and takes the time to ensure investors are aligned on the core ideas of what's being implemented on their behalf.

Rubin is a relentless advocate for financial literacy, and a founding committee member of the USC Financial Literacy Festival, which had over 1,000 attendees in its inaugural 2022 event. Most recently he spoke at SXSW in Austin, TX, and at the 2023 Private Wealth Management Summit in San Diego, CA.

He graduated from Kenyon College, and received an MBA in Finance from the University of Southern California (USC). Rubin earned the National Chess Master title at age 15. He is a CFA charterholder.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-77

A sustainable music business requires a stable personal financial plan.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/guide

Lilly Chu worked at the Better Business Bureau Education Foundation in Houston teaching financial literacy to young adults and educating the public on consumer scams for 20 years. She holds a master’s degree in social work and has worked in the non-profit sector since 1995. Prior to becoming a social worker, Lilly was a freelance fashion and commercial photographer for 15 years.

In 2002, she co-founded “FireSeeds,” a non-profit organization dedicated to giving underdeveloped communities a “hand up” to independence. She launched an asset building program in Kampala, Uganda providing financial literacy education, training, and direct support to impoverished womenand orphans, frequently traveling to East Africa to work directly with local leaders and project participants. She continues to work in the non-profit arena enhancing lives through cooperative partnerships.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-75

Having marketed, mentored and developed over a thousand artists and projects within the highest levels of the music industry, R Wayne Martin is the prolific strategic executive behind the careers of recording artists and music producers signed to his boutique management firm, mthree. And as the host of the Small Plates Podcast (with subscribers in nearly 40 countries), he is the artist development authority that guides independent artists and their teams through mission critical challenges facing todays professional musicians (and musicians as entrepreneurs). Wayne’s experience and expertise was honed as an artist development leader in multiple key roles inside major and independent labels (Warner Bros, Sony Music, Knitting Factory & others) and as an executive managing intellectual property licensing for music publishers and music industry organizations (The Harry Fox Agency / National Music Publishers Association).  Martin often shares his voice with music entrepreneurs on college campuses such as Harvard Law, NYU, and Berklee School of Music, and as a career development expert in the pages oof Billboard, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and others.

www.moneymaestroblog.com/ep-74