{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Thing We Never Talk About","title":"Paul Dalen – Tour Manager & Tour Accountant","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3338,"description":"In this episode, Tim sits down with tour manager & tour accountant Paul Dalen for a candid conversation about money, career, and what it actually takes to make retirement a real possibility after decades on the road. Paul traces a career that has taken him from front of house audio engineering to production management to artist management and back to touring, including a period about 15 years ago when he found himself broke and starting over from scratch in his mid-50s. He talks openly about what that reset taught him, how a combination of fiscal discipline and good fortune in the markets turned things around, and why he thinks the touring industry's culture of financial avoidance does real damage to the people in it.\nPaul's question for Tim: When might an S corp or any other corporate entity be worth considering for freelancers?\nKey Takeaways:\nPaul has spent his entire adult life in the music industry, moving across roles from front of house engineer to production manager to artist manager to tour manager — a career arc shaped more by relationships and opportunity than by deliberate planning.\nHis approach to underpaid gigs early in his career was to say yes for a short run while making clear it wasn't his normal rate, a move that consistently led to better opportunities.\nAfter his artist management business failed around 15 years ago, Paul found himself broke in his mid-50s and returned to touring with his tail between his legs. His path back to financial stability was built on basic principles — budgeting, fiscal discipline, and consistent investing.\nHe advises people new to investing to just start somewhere, even imperfectly, rather than waiting until they fully understand how to optimize.\nPaul's approach to spending is experiential rather than material: theater, travel, good meals occasionally, and tickets to shows he wants to see. He also notes that not eating out regularly has been one of the quieter contributors to financial stability over the years....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ij30T8S22oW7oq3h35PBmjsaEjzv6wqJJXFR2goCl8k/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80MWUw/NTk1NDU5NDIxMTc4/N2RlZDJiNGFhZmUx/MDQ0OS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}