The Thing We Never Talk About
Timothy Iseler
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Top 10 The Thing We Never Talk About Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Thing We Never Talk About episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Thing We Never Talk About for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Thing We Never Talk About episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Franz Nicolay – Musician, Author, & Teacher
The Thing We Never Talk About
05/19/25 • 44 min
Franz Nicolay's new book, "Band People: Life And Work In Popular Music", is all about how working musicians think about their craft, careers, and compensation – a natural fit for this podcast! He is also a working musician, releasing music & touring under his own name, as a member of The Hold Steady, and co-founder of the composer-performer collective Anti-Social Music. It was a pleasure to speak with Franz about life as a musician in NYC, the differences between the music and publishing industries, and more. Franz's question to me: What's the best way for freelance musicians to think about retirement funds?
Key points
- Franz discusses his early experiences in music, influences, and what led him to pursue a career in the industry.
- How his solo work differs from his band experiences, and the creative freedom it allows him.
- His involvement in teaching and mentoring students in the music and writing fields.
- Stories from the road, including memorable performances and the impact of touring on his artistic growth.
- Advice for aspiring musicians or writers looking to break into a scene.
You can learn more at Franz's website or sign up for his newsletter pianofighter.substack.com.
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What's Up With Self Employment Tax?
The Thing We Never Talk About
05/12/25 • 11 min
The annual tax filing deadline is in the rearview mirror, but if you want to reduce your stress for next year's filing, this is actually the perfect time to start thinking about & planning for next year’s taxes. Today we look at a tax that impacts self-employed people called, cleverly enough, Self-Employment Tax. It impacts all sole proprietors, partners in partnerships, LLC members, freelancers, and anyone with a 1099. I'll explain what self-employment tax is, how it gets calculated, what it means when you're both employer & employee, and the impacts of using lots of write-offs to reduce your taxable income.
Key Takeaways:
- Self-employment tax serves the exact same purpose as FICA. It’s not an extra tax on self-employed people; it’s a replacement for the tax that traditionally employed people pay.
- When you’re self-employed, you pay both the employer and employee halves of employment tax. The employer half counts as a deduction for income tax purposes, but you still have to pay it.
- If you’re a sole proprietor, partner in a partnership, LLC member, or freelancer, the only way to reduce self-employment tax is to reduce net profits.
- And finally, while everyone loves saving on the ol’ income tax bill, sometimes writing off a bunch of expenses means less money in your pocket now and less access to Social Security and Medicare benefits later.
Links
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The IRS webpage for Self-Employment Tax
The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator
Blog post: What's Up With Self-Employment Tax?
Case Study: Are You "Good With Money"?
The Thing We Never Talk About
04/28/25 • 11 min
What does it take to be "good with money"? Today we look at a real life financial planning case study to show how self-talk and identity factor into making better financial decisions.
Key takeaways:
- You don't need to wait for permission to begin changing your life, even/especially when it's something really important.
- A key driver in building positive habits is how you self-identify. Identity is at the heart of behavior change.
- Making good decisions with money is rarely about having perfect information. (Does that ever exist?)
- Instead, you should decide the type of person you'd like to be and then start making decisions that fit with that self-image.
Links
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Are You "Good At" Money?
The Robert Rodriguez interview mentioned in this episode
James Clear's Atomic Habits
Jeremy Lemos – Touring Audio Engineer
The Thing We Never Talk About
04/21/25 • 48 min
Jeremy Lemos is a touring audio engineer from Chicago. And he's also one of my best friends! Jeremy and I came up in the independent studio world of early 2000s Chicago and have toured together many times. We talk about how he got started in the music industry, how he decides what gigs to take, and the impact of investing over many years. Jeremy's question for me: What advice to you have about the tax burden on your investments and how to lessen them?
Key takeaways:
- Jeremy discusses his extensive experience as a touring audio engineer.
- He reflects on the differences between working in studio recording versus live sound, highlighting the adaptability required on the road.
- Jeremy talks about collaborating with musicians and the importance of understanding their sonic preferences.
- Jeremy recounts stories of working with well-known artists and the unique dynamics of touring with different personalities.
- He emphasizes the importance of professionalism, preparation, and communication in the world of live sound.
Jeremy's woefully out-of-date website
Jeremy's Discog's page
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What The Hell Is Going On (And What Should You Do)?
The Thing We Never Talk About
04/14/25 • 14 min
Hooooooboy, what’s in the news?!? It’s been totally stressful and fatiguing to follow the wild ups & downs (mostly downs) in the stock market lately. So I thought I’d take a minute to acknowledge a question lots of people are thinking: what the hell is going on, and what should I do?
Here’s the TL/DR:
Don’t sell your investments out of panic
Before you even get to thinking about investments, prioritize saving more money and paying off debt
When the stock market tanks, it means you can buy something valuable at a discount to what it cost a few months ago.
Links:
What The Hell Is Going On (And What Should You Do)
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Related articles:
Ivo Gasparotto – Freelance Software Designer
The Thing We Never Talk About
04/07/25 • 58 min
Ivo Gasparotto is a software designer who recently started working for himself as a freelancer. And he's one of my oldest friends! Ivo and I were roommates when we moved to Chicago together in the early 2000s and remain good friends to this day. We talk about our early days getting by on very little money, the importance of keeping your spending in check, and the cushion that saving & investing provided when he decided to go freelance. Ivo's question for me: Was there anything that brought you joy so far this year?
Key takeaways:
- Early inspirations and how they shaped Ivo's artistic vision.
- His approach to design, aesthetics, and the creative process.
- The importance of working with others and building strong creative networks.
- Managing personal time while staying productive.
- Practical takeaways for those entering the creative industry.
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Let's Talk About Money
The Thing We Never Talk About
03/31/25 • 5 min
Money is weird, right? It touches almost every part of our lives, from the work we do, to our homes, to where our kids go to school. Money plays a part in pretty much everything, but we don’t really talk about it. Something that impacts nearly every part of our lives should not be so off-limits that it prevents us from moving forward in life. Ok, maybe don’t share your bank account balance on social media – but does it really need to be such a stressful topic? So let’s talk about money.
Introducing...
The Thing We Never Talk About
03/20/25 • 2 min
Introducing "The Thing We Never Talk About", a podcast about personal finance for weirdos.
What’s the one thing that you definitely, never, ever talk about in polite company? That’s right, money. Not in public, not with your peers, and lots of times not even at home. And, if you're a creative person, money is absolutely the least cool thing you can care about. Creative people are supposed to do what they do because they love it, right?
But what about if you actually want to, you know, get ahead a little bit? What if you actually DO care about your financial stability and security? And who do you turn to when you have questions?
My name is Tim Iseler. I'm a Certified Financial PlannerTM and I run my own independent advisory business in Durham NC helping creative professionals take control of their money. In a previous life I worked in the music business for 18 years as a recording and touring audio engineer. I know from experience that, when it comes to personal finance, most creative professionals feel like they are on their own.
I started this podcast as a way to talk about the thing you're never supposed to talk about: how to make smart decisions with your money while also living & working outside the mainstream. This isn't going to be a technical, tactical, how-to podcast with lots of numbers and such. Instead, we'll look at the human side of financial choices and how you can take the stress out of complicated topics. I'll share tips & tricks for managing money, conversations with creative professionals and other weirdos, different perspectives on how to think about common problems, and, best of all, answers to listener questions.
John Darnielle – Musican & Author
The Thing We Never Talk About
05/05/25 • 61 min
John Darnielle is the founder & songwriter of The Mountain Goats, as well as the author of three excellent novels and the 33 1/3 series book about Black Sabbath's classic "Master Of Reality" album. We talk about how he got started in both music & writing, how he managed to stick with music for years despite not really making any money, the decision to pursue music full time, the responsibility he feels to the other members of The Mountain Goats and support staff, and balancing writing with touring. John's (tongue-in-cheek) question for me: we're in for four years of markets responding to things posted on social media by political actors. what long positions will give the highest yields in such a volatile environment? Hooboy, let's see how I do with that one!
Key takeaways:
- John reflects on his early life and the development of his musical career. He mentions how creating music often started as a hobby before becoming more serious.
- He talks about his shift from making music to writing novels, stressing the importance of doing something that feels true to oneself.
- John shares insights about balancing art creation with financial pressures.
- He recounts the financial struggles of his early career and how those experiences shaped his commitment to his creative work.
- John emphasizes the importance of maintaining integrity in both his music and writing, and that financial success should never be prioritized over artistic satisfaction.
Links:
The Mountain Goats
John's page at MacMillan Publishers
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Thing We Never Talk About have?
The Thing We Never Talk About currently has 9 episodes available.
What topics does The Thing We Never Talk About cover?
The podcast is about Creative Business, Personal Finance, Podcasts, Education and Arts.
What is the most popular episode on The Thing We Never Talk About?
The episode title 'Case Study: Are You "Good With Money"?' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Thing We Never Talk About?
The average episode length on The Thing We Never Talk About is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Thing We Never Talk About released?
Episodes of The Thing We Never Talk About are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Thing We Never Talk About?
The first episode of The Thing We Never Talk About was released on Mar 20, 2025.
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