Course Curriculum Guide Template

Course Curriculum Guide

A self-paced course for independent professionals

Personal Finance
for Freelancers

Master budgeting, taxes, pricing, and investing — even when your income changes every month.

Created by

Nina Vasquez, CFP

Certified Financial Planner · Freelancer Finance Specialist

Modules 6

Lessons 23

Video ~6 Hours

Format Self-Paced

Course Overview

About This Course

What You Will Achieve

By the end of this course, you will have a complete financial system built for how freelancers actually earn money — variably, seasonally, and without employer-provided safety nets. You will understand your taxes, price your services with confidence, build an emergency fund even while managing debt, and have a retirement investment account open and funded.

This is not a course about frugality or cutting lattes. It is about building durable financial infrastructure for a career you love.

6

Modules

23

Lessons

~6h

Video Content

6

PDF Workbooks

Who This Course Is For

✓

Freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors at any income level who want to get serious about their finances

✓

Side-hustlers who recently went full-time freelance and feel financially unmoored by the shift from steady paycheck to variable income

✓

Creative professionals (designers, writers, photographers, developers) who are great at their craft but uncomfortable with money

✓

Anyone who has ever filed taxes as a freelancer and felt completely lost — or has never filed quarterly estimates

✗

This course is NOT for salaried employees. The content is specifically designed for self-employment tax structures and irregular income.

What You Will Need to Get Started

Item	Why You Need It	Free Option
Last 12 months of income data	Module 1 requires calculating your average and minimum monthly income	Spreadsheet or bank statements
Last year's tax return (if available)	Module 2 uses this to understand your prior-year SE tax liability	Download from IRS.gov (free)
List of monthly expenses	Module 1 builds your baseline budget	Bank statement + spreadsheet
Your current service/project rates	Module 3 requires your current pricing to calculate your MVR	Your own notes
A calculator	Several lessons include real-time calculations	Phone calculator or spreadsheet

Curriculum

Module 1 & 2

01

Your Money Baseline

5 lessons · PDF workbook included

~55 min

1.1

How irregular income changes everything

Video

12 min

1.2

Building a baseline budget for variable income

Video

15 min

1.3

The freelancer's essential accounts (and why you need separate ones)

Video

10 min

1.4

Tracking income and expenses — your simple system

Video

10 min

1.5

Module review and workbook exercise: build your first baseline budget

Exercise

8 min

02

Freelancer Tax Fundamentals

4 lessons · Tax savings calculator included

~48 min

2.1

Self-employment tax explained — what it is and why it's higher

Video

14 min

2.2

Quarterly estimated taxes — how to calculate and when to pay

Video

16 min

2.3

The top 12 deductions freelancers miss every year

Video

12 min

2.4

Setting up your tax savings account — the "pay yourself taxes" system

Exercise

6 min

Curriculum

Module 3 & 4

03

Pricing Your Services

4 lessons · Rate calculator spreadsheet included

~50 min

3.1

Pricing models compared: hourly vs. project vs. retainer — which wins?

Video

15 min

3.2

Calculating your Minimum Viable Rate — the floor beneath your pricing

Video

12 min

3.3

How to raise your rates without losing your best clients

Video

14 min

3.4

The pricing script — role-play exercise with sample scenarios

Exercise

9 min

04

Emergency Fund & Cash Flow

3 lessons · 3-account system worksheet

~35 min

4.1

How big should a freelancer's emergency fund actually be?

Video

10 min

4.2

The 3-account system for smooth cash flow between feast and famine

Video

12 min

4.3

Building your emergency fund while still carrying debt

Video

13 min

Curriculum

Module 5 & 6

05

Investing for Freelancers

4 lessons · Retirement account comparison guide

~50 min

5.1

Solo 401(k) vs. SEP-IRA vs. SIMPLE IRA — which is right for your situation?

Video

16 min

5.2

The case for index funds — a beginner's honest guide

Video

12 min

5.3

Setting your first investment allocation: a simple framework

Video

12 min

5.4

Automating contributions when your income is unpredictable

Exercise

10 min

06

Long-Term Financial Planning

3 lessons · 5-year roadmap template

~42 min

6.1

Health insurance without an employer: your real options in 2026

Video

14 min

6.2

Disability and life insurance — what freelancers actually need

Video

14 min

6.3

Your 5-year financial roadmap: putting it all together

Exercise

14 min

Full Course Summary

Module	Topic	Lessons	Duration	Includes
1	Your Money Baseline	5	~55 min	Baseline budget workbook
2	Freelancer Tax Fundamentals	4	~48 min	Tax savings calculator
3	Pricing Your Services	4	~50 min	Rate calculator + pricing script
4	Emergency Fund & Cash Flow	3	~35 min	3-account system worksheet
5	Investing for Freelancers	4	~50 min	Retirement account comparison
6	Long-Term Financial Planning	3	~42 min	5-year roadmap template

Resources & Support

Resources, Instructor & FAQ

Recommended Resources

Book

Profit First — Mike Michalowicz

The book that inspired the 3-account cash flow system in Module 4. Read alongside Module 4 for maximum impact.

Book

The Self-Employed Tax Solution — June Walker

The most approachable guide to freelance taxes. Pairs directly with Module 2.

Tool

QuickBooks Self-Employed or Wave (free)

Use one of these to track income and expenses from Day 1. Wave is entirely free and sufficient for most freelancers.

Tool

IRS.gov — Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center

Free resource. Bookmark the Estimated Tax page and the Schedule SE instructions for Module 2.

Podcast

The Independent Business Podcast — Paul Jarvis

Practical, non-hustle-culture discussions about running a sustainable freelance business. Recommended alongside Module 3.

About the Instructor

NV

Nina Vasquez, CFP

Certified Financial Planner · 12 Years Experience

Nina Vasquez is a Certified Financial Planner who specializes in working with freelancers, creatives, and independent professionals. After spending 8 years at a traditional wealth management firm advising high-net-worth clients, she left to build a practice specifically for self-employed individuals — people who, in her words, "have been completely underserved by the financial advice industry." Nina has taught personal finance workshops at 14 universities, has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and The Freelancer's Union, and manages her own independent practice from Portland, Oregon. She has been a freelancer herself since 2018.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to live in the United States to take this course?

The tax modules (Module 2) are US-specific — covering SE tax, quarterly estimates, and US retirement accounts. All other modules (budgeting, pricing, cash flow, investing principles) are universally applicable. International students: consider the tax modules as frameworks rather than exact rules for your country.

How long do I have access to the course?

Lifetime access. All future updates to modules (for tax law changes, etc.) are included at no extra charge. You will receive email notification when modules are updated.

Is there a community or place to ask questions?

Yes — all students get access to the private community forum where Nina answers questions weekly. You can also ask questions within each lesson's comment section.

I've been freelancing for 5+ years. Is this too basic for me?

Modules 1 and 2 may cover familiar ground. However, Modules 3 (pricing), 5 (retirement accounts), and 6 (insurance) are consistently the most valuable for experienced freelancers who have never systematically addressed these areas. Most 5-year veterans find at least 2 modules genuinely revelatory.