This Is How Much I Made As A Full-Time Freelance MMA Writer In 2019
Or Don't Expect Too Much, Folks.
Welcome to the latest C’mon Now, a newsletter focused on mixed martial arts. This is the place where I’ll share my thoughts on all the goings-on in MMA. Those thoughts could range from media criticism to advice for folks looking to get into MMA writing to why certain fighters or managers are not good for the sport.
In this edition I share my income as a full-time freelance writer as well as my expectations in the coming year.
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Oh, I’m Trent Reinsmith, you can follow me on Twitter.
One of the things I want to do with this newsletter is to be honest. And so, now that I have my income figured out for 2019 and a guess at what I'll make in 2020, I want to share that information.
But first, a reminder of why I'm able to cover MMA as a full-time freelancer.
From an earlier blog, "This Is How The Sausage Is Made Or How I Can Make A Living As A Freelance MMA Writer." (This is a small part of the blog, so if you're interested in reading in a lot more detail, click on the link).
When I was 18, I got a job in a warehouse. I worked my way up to supervisor. I banked most of the money I made there and my 401K did well. I bought a house for $55K and when I decided to move to Baltimore, I sold it for $180K. Now I have a nice house in Baltimore on a quiet block of single-family homes. The place has a big yard and a lot of trees, which are great until fall, and the mortgage is manageable between my girlfriend and me.
That warehouse job had me working 10-16 hours a day, six days a week for 15 or so years. With all those hours, all I could do was save money, since I had no time to do anything but work. With that, I was able to build up enough retirement funds that I set myself up. I got lucky and unless the market crashes, I should be okay in the future.
I probably wouldn't work like that now, since I had no life for those years. On the upside, I can write about MMA for a living and I guess that's good.
In 2018, my income was $55,855.68. A significant portion of that was made outside of writing, working on an MMA related project.
In 2019, my income dropped to $39,614.73. Again some of that is related to that project that I mentioned above. If you figure on a 40-hour workweek, I make about $19 an hour. I don't work 40-hour weeks. I usually do between 50-60 when you figure in research and other miscellaneous things. That translates to somewhere between $12-$15 per hour.
My estimated taxes of about 20 percent comes out of that $39,614.73. I will also invest $7,500 of that in my retirement fund. On the positive, the gas for my car is low because I rarely leave the house, but heating and cooling increases because I work from home.
I had to buy a vehicle this year. That purchase took $25K out of my savings for a 2016 Silverado with 33K miles. My car insurance will double in 2020. My savings at this point (not including retirement, which isn't liquid without fees) is about a 9-month cushion. Not ideal for me, as I usually have at least two years in that department.
On the plus side, I carry zero debt and I hope to keep it that way.
I expect to make in the $30,000 range in 2020 if things remain relatively consistent with past years.
Do you know something about UFC, USADA, an MMA manager or a fighter, that I should know? You can email me at trent.reinsmith@gmail.com or contact me via secure messaging on Telegram at trentreinsmith.
I've been doing this type of work for 10 years, so that's something to consider if you're thinking of pursuing this as a (cough) career. Also, I set myself up with a considerable cushion before I made the leap to freelance work. Again, read "This Is How The Sausage Is Made Or How I Can Make A Living As A Freelance MMA Writer" post for the background on that.
On a closing note, I would encourage other MMA writers, either FT or PT to make their 2019 income public, especially those who freelance for a living. While this is not a common practice in the MMA freelance community, it's not rare in the freelancing world as a whole.
Anyway, thanks for reading, now I have to get back to work so I can start rebuilding my financial cushion.
