Ray for Freelancers
A financial advisor that gets freelancer income
Irregular paychecks, quarterly taxes, and feast-or-famine cycles make traditional budgeting tools useless. Ray works with your actual cash flow patterns.
The challenge
Income changes every month
You got paid $12k in March and $2k in April. Budgeting apps that average your income give you a number that never existed.
Quarterly tax estimation is a guess
You set aside 30% sometimes, forget other times, and panic every quarter. Underpay and you owe penalties. Overpay and you gave the IRS a free loan.
Business and personal blur together
That lunch was half client meeting, half catching up with a friend. Your bank account doesn't know the difference, and neither does your spreadsheet.
Feast-or-famine cash flow
Big months feel rich. Dry months feel broke. Without a runway number tied to your actual burn rate, you're always guessing if you're okay.
How Ray helps
Income smoothing from real data
Ray calculates your rolling average income, flags months above and below trend, and tells you what your sustainable monthly spend actually is.
❯ what's my average monthly income over the last 6 months?Quarterly tax estimates on demand
Ask Ray what you owe and it calculates estimated taxes from your actual YTD income, factoring in deductions you've told it about.
❯ how much should I set aside for Q2 estimated taxes?Runway tied to your burn rate
Ray knows your savings balance, your average monthly expenses, and your income pipeline. Ask how long you can survive a dry spell and get a real answer.
❯ if I get no new clients, how many months of runway do I have?Spending pattern detection
Ray spots when your spending creeps up during good months so you can build a buffer instead of inflating your lifestyle.
❯ am I spending more in months when I earn more?It's April 10th. You just finished a $15k project but have nothing lined up for May. Rent is $2,400 and quarterly taxes are due in 5 days.
❯ I just got paid $15k but Q2 taxes are due. What should I do?
Based on your YTD income of $38,200, your Q2 estimated tax payment should be around $4,580. After setting that aside, you'll have $10,420 from this payment. Your average monthly burn is $4,820 — so that's 2.2 months of runway without new income. You have $14,300 in savings as a backstop. I'd recommend moving the $4,580 to your tax savings account today and keeping the rest liquid until you land the next contract.