Jim Dettman
jimdettman at verizon.net
Thu Oct 4 10:42:55 CDT 2007
John, You make an excellent point. There are some other things that do go up as a result as well, like workmen's comp and disability insurance, but those are minor when compared to the government's take<g>. Jim. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 10:30 AM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] consulting fees Jim, I have to say your reasoning works for me. Add to that the fact that as your gross income goes up, your net taxable goes up even faster and it ends up that a horrific amount of the additional income goes to the government. Most of your deductible business expenses are approximately fixed - mileage traveled to see clients doesn't vary based on the rate you charge. Computers purchased, IRA contributions, medical insurance, all that stuff is not directly related to your rate. Those expenses are a relatively stable fixed amount so as your rate goes up your "tax deductible percentage" goes down, and thus the taxable amount goes up and the tax rate then goes up. We work and work to make more money only to find the government taking a larger and larger cut. But hey, the government's coffers fill up faster. John W. Colby Colby Consulting www.ColbyConsulting.com -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Dettman Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 8:50 AM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] consulting fees Charlotte, <<You don't set enough value on your time, Jim. >> Hum...don't know about that. Long ago, my rate was approx double what it was now and it caused a multitude of problems. One of which was the never ending fight with some clients about what was considered billable or not. Every invoice I sent was checked and god forbid I took ten minutes to get a coffee and forget to deduct it. Bug fixes was another. Many times I got the "I'm not paying you $135/hr to make mistakes" comment. They expected everything to be fixed for free. Of course that meant everything needed to be documented to the hilt, which actually slowed down the pace of many projects. There is also the issue of resentment that you need to deal with. A lot of management and employees end up with the attitude that your "one of those" (highly paid consultants) instead of "one of them" (a guy trying to make a living). So quite some time ago, I cut my rate in half (has to be at least ten years). As a result, I have a lot less headaches, still make $100K per year, which is quite comfortable for where I live, have never been without full time work, and I have a lot of happy clients that I can deal with easily. There are of course some drawbacks, like never having enough free time to learn new things, etc, but I'm happy enough with the way things are. Jim. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 5:37 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: Re: [AccessD] consulting fees You don't set enough value on your time, Jim. I only offer that kind of a rate to non-profits or special buddies. My normal rate is (was, I haven't done any consulting lately) between $150 and $200 depending on how much they irritate me! LOL Charlotte Foust -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Dettman Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 12:25 PM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] consulting fees I must be cheap<g> as I'm charging $70/hr. Doesn't matter what I do; development, training, doc's, travel time, etc. I charge for my time and not the skill set. Jim. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Susan Harkins Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 1:59 PM To: AccessD at databaseadvisors.com Subject: [AccessD] consulting fees I have a unique consulting opportunity and I want to make sure I don't under/over bid myself -- it's strictly for technical expertise -- not a development or writing project. I'd be reviewing technical content for technical accuracy, comprehension, and advice. This is much more than a technical editor -- they already have that -- but rather, I'd be acting as a technical advisor/collaborator. My consulting fees are $135 an hour, but I'm in Kentucky and no one ever even bats an eye. This company is in Texas. I don't do development work anymore, period. I don't want to be too nosy and ask you guys what you charge. Advice? Opinions? Insight? Susan H. -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com