-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MONSTER.COM INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL (IP) NEWSLETTER

THIS WEEK: All You Want for Christmas is a Bigger Tax Refund

Monster's IP Zone is your online career home, whether you want to
start a new business, test out a new industry or strike out on your
own. What's up in the Independent Professional Zone this week?

----------------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE: Week of December 13, 1999

-- Free-Agent Guide: IRS Liberalizes Home-Office Deduction
-- IP Newsletter Exclusive: Making Postage a Less Sticky Issue
-- Heard on the Board: Is Virtual Philosophy an Actual Opportunity?
-- Independent Professional Poll: Is Your Home-Office PC Ready for
   Y2K?
-- Monster Talent Market: A Coach Who Can Help You Face a Crowd

----------------------------------------------------------------------
FREE-AGENT GUIDE: Brilliant Deductions, or How to Pay Less Tax Legally

How can you keep more of your hard-earned consulting fees out of the
clutches of Uncle Sam? John Rossheim highlights some favorite tax
deductions for the self-employed and tells you about a revised rule
that makes it easier for many folks to qualify for the home-office
deduction.
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/weeklyarticle

----------------------------------------------------------------------

WEB FREEBIES AND FINDS: E-Postage Gets You Out of Sticky Situations

Do you run a small business that sends out lots of old-fashioned U.S.
mail? New web sites Stamps.com and E-Stamp let you streamline the
mailing process by printing postage directly onto envelopes with your
own PC and printer, at a fraction of the cost of traditional postage
meters. You will pay a service charge of approximately 10 percent of
the value of the postage, and there may be a one-time set-up charge.
http://www.stamps.com/
http://e-stamp.com/

Or maybe you just hate making trips to buy stamps, especially when the
post office is mobbed for the holidays. The United States Postal
Service's new Stamps Online service lets you place an order online for
almost any quantity of postage. The shipping fee is a flat $1.
https://www.stampsonline.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------

HEARD ON THE BOARD:

Last week, Monster.com member Kim wrote: "I recently acquired an
opportunity to be an online philosophy reviewer for Brittanica.com. Is
this position legit?"

The Work-from-Home Coach answered: "This certainly could be legit, and
would be excellent on your resume! Here are some steps to take to see
if it's legit. Do they want money? If so, I would be *very* careful,
especially if it's some intermediate party you're dealing with and not
Britannica directly"

Read the rest here:
http://forums.monster.com/viewmessage.asp?messageid=699372

Got your own question? Post it to one of our two Independent
Professional experts:

Ask the Free-Agent Advisor
http://forums.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=800

Ask the Work-from-Home Coach
http://forums.monster.com/forum.asp?forum=801

or join the group discussions Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET and Thursdays at
9 p.m. ET at
http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/chats/index.asp?redirect=chat.asp

----------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MONSTER.COM INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL POLL: We Ask, You Answer

Last week we asked: Is your home-office PC prepared for the Y2K
glitch?

You said: *
-- All set: 72%
-- Haven't looked into it: 11%
-- Working on it: 8%
-- Millennium doesn't begin until 2001: 7%
*Total votes: 270

This week's question: What's your top year-end strategy for boosting
tax deductions?

Cast your vote here:
http://independentprofessional.monster.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MONSTER TALENT MARKET: A Coach Who Can Help You Face a Crowd

Here are three of the more than 31,000 auctions posted by over 115,000
independent professionals in the Monster Talent Market:

**SPEECH! SPEECH!**
The talent: "Public Speaking Coach"
The target project: "I specialize in helping individuals improve their
presentation skills. I can work with a single person or a group,
helping to single out areas that need improvement and strengths that
can be capitalized on. I have a number of methods available for
diagnosing needs and strengths and can improve your ability to speak
in public."
The desired rate: $50 per hour

**CONSULTING CARTOONIST**
The talent: "Lightwave Animator"
The target project: "Computer art and animation, computer design,
computer repair and training."
The desired rate: $40 per hour

**LIGHT MY FIRE**
The talent: "Fireplace Products Expert"
The target project: "Hearth Products Specialist Services. Twenty years
experience in all aspects of retail and service of hearth products and
chimneys. Strong experience in sales and marketing with ad agency
experience in TV/radio, print, direct mail, web sites. Available to
help design stores, develop marketing programs, implement service
businesses."
The desired rate: $20 per hour

Check out the Talent Market and build your own project or profile:
http://talentmarket.monster.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP

Is your company interested in sponsoring the Monster.com Newsletter or
Poll? Or, would you like to advertise a job in one of the eight
Monster.com newsletters? Then send a message to
mailto:sponsor@monster.com and put the word "Sponsor" in the Subject
area to get more information. Please include your phone number.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To manage your Monster.com newsletter subscriptions, go here:
http://my.monster.com/subs.asp

Comments? Suggestions? Let us know what you think about the Monster
Talent Market, the Independent Professional Zone and Monster.com.
Email your ideas and opinions to: mailto:IP@monster.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1999 TMP Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.