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Planning the year ahead....

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    Planning the year ahead....

    I've always been a little bit anal when it comes to planning the contracting year ahead. As much as I like to be a free spirit of capitalism I do have this rather OCD approach to meticulously planning my finances a year ahead.

    I have just completed this years 'contracting calendar'. And with all plans I can only go to the end of the present contract and place a risk ratio on an extension for another 3 months.

    For this I plan

    1) All of the days presently guaranteed (green)
    2) All of the days most likely based on renewal(orange) with a percentage of it taking place(75%)
    3) Then I put placeholders for holidays(ie red - won't be available)
    4) Then I put blue for 'expected days - either existing contract or a new one' with another percentage (25%)
    5) Then I leave the rest unknown
    6) A summary then calculates the days and an input is left for the 'unknown days' which I can input into.

    I then place my expected take home rate after expenses multiplied by 70% in the take home column.

    This then inputs into a rather complex spreadsheet of bank accounts, investments, other incomes(which may have a sheet of it;s own), interest, bills, taxes, average spending, costs of holidays, pensions, savings for kids etc by month.

    I then key in different numbers into 6 for the days unaccounted for, which filters through and gives me the expected positions (worst case, average, best case) at the year end.

    I then update this monthly all year based on the previous month and adjust accordingly.

    Of the other contractors I know well, all do something similar. What does everyone else do???
    What happens in General, stays in General.
    You know what they say about assumptions!

    #2
    Sounds like a lot of Lotus 123 malarkey.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by AtW View Post
      Sounds like a lot of Lotus 123 malarkey.
      It comes from having a business and a sales background. Tell me you don't do a sales forecast and pipeline plan for the year and next.
      What happens in General, stays in General.
      You know what they say about assumptions!

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by MarillionFan View Post
        It comes from having a business and a sales background
        That's why you are always full of tulip

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by AtW View Post
          That's why you are always full of tulip
          "You must spread some Reputation around before calling AtW a cheeky **** again"
          What happens in General, stays in General.
          You know what they say about assumptions!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by MarillionFan View Post
            It comes from having a business and a sales background. Tell me you don't do a sales forecast and pipeline plan for the year and next.
            I don't. Now I feel inadequate.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by MarillionFan View Post
              "You must spread some Reputation around before calling AtW a cheeky **** again"
              What's your sales forecast for sledges this year?

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Doggy Styles View Post
                I don't. Now I feel inadequate.
                Get a cool avatar to fit in.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by AtW View Post
                  What's your sales forecast for sledges this year?
                  "Zero. But I have forecast £24 Million from my new 'Distributed Computing Project aimed towards building the largest search engine index on the Internet using Distributed Crawlers' company" - Minestrone.
                  What happens in General, stays in General.
                  You know what they say about assumptions!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by MarillionFan View Post
                    "Zero. But I have forecast £24 Million from my new 'Distributed Computing Project aimed towards building the largest search engine index on the Internet using Distributed Crawlers' company" - Minestrone.


                    There is 2 and 4 in my forecast for next FY too! Also - £.

                    Comment

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