On the Cash: Investing for Inventive Sorts AJ Ayers, November 11, 2026
Artists want budgets, songwriters want to avoid wasting for retirement and anybody who’s right-brained wants to know cash too. Monetary safety permits inventive risk-taking, as nicely.
Full transcript beneath.
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About this week’s visitor:
AJ Ayers is co-founder of BKFi and creator of the ebook, “Inventive Cash: New Monetary Guidelines for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits”
For more information, see:
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TRANSCRIPT:
AJ Ayers on Inventive Cash, Co-Founder, Brooklyn Fi
E-book: Inventive Cash: New Monetary Guidelines for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits
BARRY RITHOLTZ: Are you a inventive one who struggles with their funds? Artists want budgets, songwriters want to avoid wasting for retirement. And anybody who’s a inventive, right-brain particular person wants to know cash additionally, and monetary safety permits inventive threat. That’s a quote from our visitor, AJ Ayers. She’s the co-founder of Brooklyn Fi, a monetary advisory agency. Her new ebook, Inventive Cash: New Monetary Guidelines for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits, was simply printed in November 2026. So I wish to speak just a little bit concerning the recommendation you give to inventive varieties, however I’ve to start out with speaking about your profession. You went from enhancing books about music to serving to folks handle their cash. What did working with artists train you about wealth that Wall Avenue form of misses?
AJ AYERS: What I realized from being in ebook publishing and dealing with musicians was that communication issues. And I believe that’s the place, with Wall Avenue and different monetary advisors, I noticed a niche out there: there are younger people who find themselves making severe cash, whether or not it’s from a document deal or a ebook advance or what have you ever. They usually need monetary recommendation. They want tax recommendation, and so they’re not prepared for portfolio returns. They want a monetary plan. And in order that was the hole I noticed. And once I regarded round at my very own life as a right-brain inventive who by no means did nicely in trig—I by no means took trig—I assumed, “Hey, this monetary recommendation factor is definitely not that difficult. I believe I might do that too.”
BARRY RITHOLTZ: I took math. I went all the best way, and I’ve by no means used trig since highschool. So that you’re not lacking something. So conventional, standard monetary recommendation form of will get issues flawed for right-brained folks. What do you assume the usual playbook misses for somebody who earns cash by way of royalties or commissions or advances or one-time windfalls, and the remainder of the time they’re simply gigging for pocket change?
AJ AYERS: The standard monetary recommendation misses this undeniable fact that revenue is irregular for lots of people. And, I write within the ebook, it’s not simply the hipsters and the hippies anymore. It’s consultants. It’s lots of people in lots of industries, not simply the particularly inventive ones that I name out, which have this irregular revenue. And it’s a must to be rather more disciplined about financial savings. You need to assume extra about cash. You don’t have the luxurious of a paycheck displaying up each two weeks. So it’s a must to take it extra severely. And sadly, these artists and creatives usually don’t, and sometimes they simply disguise from it fully, which units them even additional behind after they have extra, frankly, alternatives to develop into financially unbiased, to get forward.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So that you’re advising these folks construct a predictable monetary life round an unpredictable revenue. What replaces the everyday month-to-month family funds when there isn’t a daily paycheck?
AJ AYERS: The reply to that’s, monetary planning is tricking your self into pondering that you’ve a wage. So within the ebook, I form of lay out, “Hey, there are totally different phases of a enterprise, and also you at all times must deal with your revenue as if you’re working a enterprise.” And I believe folks rely an excessive amount of on others to dole out revenue in common intervals. So I say, arrange your individual checking account, pay your self each two weeks, work out what is sensible to you, and be sure to’re saving first earlier than you’re spending cash. As a result of I believe there’s this—particularly when cash doesn’t present up usually—it’s, “Oh my God, the cash’s lastly right here. I’ve to go do that. I wish to go spend. I wish to go purchase one thing good. I wish to go purchase a home.” When the truth is, you’re truly getting your wage front-loaded for the subsequent three years. So it’s a must to be extra strategic about the way you dole it out to your self.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: You very particularly advise individuals who get a giant windfall like that, when their revenue stream is irregular: “Hey, the very first thing it’s a must to do is pay Uncle Sam.” You need to put cash apart for taxes. Inform us about why that’s such a problem.
AJ AYERS: Properly, the very first thing you need to do while you get a windfall is spend 1% on one thing superior.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: I really like that. We’re going to come back again to that later. That’s in all probability my favourite quote within the ebook.
AJ AYERS: Sure. However I believe it’s step three—I believe it’s step three—the place it’s know what you’re going to owe in tax, and other people simply skip this step. My entire tone within the ebook is, you aren’t a freak. You’re not a weirdo for those who by no means be taught these things. The freaks and the weirdos are the individuals who grew up figuring out about cash, who know what tax brackets are and what have you ever. However taxes is the place inventive folks get into bother. That’s the place, of their first 12 months, they get a giant test, they don’t take into consideration taxes, and so they spend all of it, and so they get an enormous tax invoice, and now swiftly they’re in debt. And that’s actually scary. So within the ebook, I speak so much, within the tax chapter, about simply please have a naked minimal understanding of how taxes work. When unsure, save 50% of each greenback you make. If that sounds loopy, do 30.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: I really like the expression “freaks and weirdos,” however I’m curious: does that entire mythology of the ravenous artist truly damage them? How do you get somebody who simply isn’t snug speaking about cash to debate cash in a manner the place they don’t really feel like they’re compromising their creative integrity?
AJ AYERS: The large secret is that each artist who’s profitable has a enterprise supervisor. And the enterprise supervisor not solely mainly provides them an allowance, however pays all their payments. So artists are sometimes so shielded—and albeit, for my part, infantilized—from truly confronting their funds that they get up and so they’re 40 years previous and so they’ve by no means checked out their checking account, as a result of somebody does it for them. So I form of argue, “Hey, I’m sorry, nobody’s going to do that for you.” And the rationale I wrote the ebook was, “Hey, wink, wink, I was you. I was an artist. I used to do all these items. Now I’m a monetary advisor. Isn’t that insane?” Like, isn’t that an insane factor to do, going from having a dream job in publishing to being a monetary advisor? Perhaps you’ll belief me just a little bit.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So how ought to inventive folks value their work? When your product is your expertise, how do you separate your individual sense of self? It’s virtually embarrassing to ask for too excessive a quantity for some folks.
AJ AYERS: That is the toughest query to reply, I believe, within the ebook. And the best way that I attempt to reply it’s, initially, you may not earn cash out of your artwork. And that may be a actually scary factor for folks. And I form of say, consider your paycheck as your patron. Folks consider, like, the Medici household in Renaissance Italy. It’s like, “Properly, I want I might have a patron so I might simply paint all day.” It’s like, nicely, possibly you could have a well-paying job that offers you medical health insurance and you may paint all weekend, and possibly that’s your ardour and also you’re gifted, however might promoting these work for no matter value truly feed your loved ones? Most likely not. Pricing artwork is completely subjective, proper? And the artwork market itself, whether or not it’s music or tremendous artwork or images or what have you ever, it’s what individuals are going to pay for it. And albeit, dangerous artwork or business artwork is what sells. So it’s a really troublesome factor to equate your inventive output with the worth that you just assume you need to be paid for it.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: Actually attention-grabbing. So let’s discuss when that artist or author or musician lands a giant paycheck, when it lastly arrives. How do you divide that one-time test that exhibits up amongst present spending, future spending, long-term financial savings?
AJ AYERS: So I’ve a chapter within the ebook known as “The right way to Spend a Windfall.” The ebook is stuffed with frameworks, proper? I can’t sit down with you; I’m not your monetary advisor. However let me offer you sufficient frameworks that you would be able to apply these to your life, whether or not it’s a $2,000 tax refund or a $2 million document advance. So the 1st step is do one thing superior. Step two, I believe, is do nothing. Do nothing for a short time. Let it sit. If it’s an enormous windfall, your life goes to alter dramatically. Then it’s pay tax. Then it’s, let’s put some away earlier than we purchase homes, earlier than we take into consideration different inventive initiatives. It is a mistake I see lots of people make: “Oh, I made the windfall. Properly, now I’ve to consider the subsequent one.” It’s like, no, this is perhaps it. We are able to’t depend on this occurring each couple of years. So just be sure you’re investing. One other chapter within the ebook I’ve is “Make investments $10,000 as Quickly as Humanly Attainable,” as a result of I discover so many inventive individuals are afraid of the inventory market. They’re afraid of Wall Avenue, they dislike capitalism, and so they don’t perceive that for those who use capitalism just a little bit to your individual benefit, you possibly can assist extra folks, you are able to do extra artwork. And that’s form of the purpose I’m attempting to make.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So when can somebody afford to stop that day job, the one that really is appearing because the patron subsidizing their artwork? What kind of monetary circumstances should be in place earlier than they will flip that inventive pursuit right into a full-time profession?
AJ AYERS: Each particular person has a distinct tolerance for threat. To me, at a minimal, it’s a 12 months of financial savings to dwell your life—a 12 months of bills. So that you give your self a while to experiment. For most individuals, that’s in all probability extra like three or 5 years to get it off the bottom. Is that reasonable? No. That’s such a troublesome query to reply, as a result of all of us did it, proper? You and I each did it, Barry. You allow regular jobs to go begin companies since you really feel prefer it’s the suitable time. You and I went into monetary advisory, which in all probability has the next success price than creating musical albums. However it’s form of the identical idea. It’s like, while you really feel it’s proper, you give your self runway and you’re taking the leap.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So once I did that, I didn’t have household cash behind me, however I had a partner who was a tenured trainer with paycheck and well being care. So I felt like I might be very risk-embracing. However it raises a extremely attention-grabbing query. Should you come from cash, if in case you have household money again there, how does that have an effect on the economics of a inventive profession? And what kind of recommendation would you give to an artist who does have that monetary security web?
AJ AYERS: Use it. The one cause to not use it’s your personal private disgrace. In case your dad and mom labored actually arduous—and I’m severe—likelihood is they love you and so they need you to do what makes you content. So if you’re ready the place you possibly can’t make a residing from promoting your portraits, however you could have household cash to pay your lease to dwell in New York Metropolis, embrace it, and don’t disguise it. Be open about it. It might influence the best way communities embrace you for being a wealthy child. However I actually assume that the barrier to utilizing that cash is your individual private disgrace.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: Fascinating. So let’s discuss somebody who’s had a profitable inventive profession, however they wish to take into consideration at the least retiring from the working facet, however they don’t wish to cease creating. What kind of recommendation do you give to an individual like that?
AJ AYERS: What an ideal place to be in, proper? To have saved, to have had a significant working life, and to have a lot of life left to dwell, to pursue your passions. I believe that’s form of the good dream of retirement right here in America: “Oh, now I’ve time to go do these items that I’ve at all times beloved.” With my shoppers, and I hope the those that find yourself studying my ebook, I prefer to carry that timeline ahead into our thirties and forties, versus ready till the standard sixties or seventies. So if in case you have that massive windfall—possibly your organization goes public in your thirties—now you get to resolve, “Oh, possibly I can begin that enterprise. Perhaps I can open that diner that I’ve at all times wished to do.”
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So, final query. What kind of strikes would you suggest to a gifted inventive one who’s prevented coping with their funds for years and so they don’t come from household cash? What are the large strikes they need to make proper now to start out getting some monetary progress underway?
AJ AYERS: The large strikes are literally fairly little. And my acronym for that’s ABS: at all times be saving. And I hear from folks, “I can’t save in any respect. I don’t make any cash.” Like, might you save a greenback every week? May you arrange that behavior when occasions are lean? So you might be at all times saving. You’re at all times saving cash, both right into a financial savings account and even immediately into the inventory market, in order that when occasions do change, when your revenue does improve otherwise you get a windfall, you possibly can ratchet up that financial savings. However to show that off, to by no means have that behavior of saving, is how folks find yourself fully divorced from ever discovering monetary success.
BARRY RITHOLTZ: So, to wrap up, for those who’re a inventive one who’s been struggling along with your funds, there are a variety of issues you are able to do to get began. Moreover, you may wish to take a look at the ebook Inventive Cash: New Monetary Guidelines for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits. I’m Barry Ritholtz. You’ve been listening to Bloomberg’s At The Cash.
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