Paydirt!

Plenty has been said online about the troubles of making your financial mark on the film industry, but we all know it can be done.  Every year, a handful of people manage to create the circumstances necessary to quit the day job, move to Santa Monica, and start buying real estate.

 

Don't quit the day job.  Don't shack up in Santa Monica.  Don't buy real estate.  In fact, the very moment you start to think you may have found a weakness in the money dam that has been your life until now, get your butt over to a financial planner.  Let them know your goals, and let them know what's happening.  They'll help.

 

Which would you rather have?  A mortgage in Santa Monica on top of all your other expenses, or a salary of $50k a year that comes to you on top of your day job - or even instead of it?

 

There's a lot of theater you could be doing with that time, a lot of auditions you could be hitting, a lot of screenplays you could be writing... whatever.  Almost every artist who strikes it rich is right back where they started inside of two years, and there's no reason for it.

 

I personally use www.grammergroup.com and I love them, but who you use isn't the point.  Get referrals from people you trust, and when you get the inkling that things may pop, set up a meeting.  Make a plan.  That way, the money has a place to go that immediately and directly serves the things most important to your happiness.

 

Artists tend to invest the things they think they SHOULD invest in, rather than just making life easier for themselves.  Talk to someone who knows the difference, and let them help you organize your financial future.