The higher dollar and the writer 
Today, we witnessed something that hasn’t happened in almost 30 years: the Canadian dollar reached parity with the greenback. If, like me, you’re a writer based in Canada then this could have some impact on you.
When I started freelancing oh so many years ago, I wrote almost exclusively for American publications. This was partly because said publications weren’t as snobbish as some of their Canadian counterparts, but mainly because of the money — the U.S. dollar was worth anywhere from $1.25 to 1.40 Canadian. Why write for a Toronto-based magazine and get $100 for the piece, when I could send the same article or essay to a paper in California and make up to $140?
Those days are gone, at least for now. But while my income from American sources has taken a bit of a hit, there are still opportunities if you’re a Canadian who writes extensively for markets south of the 49th. If you can afford to, it’s a good time to put some or all of the proceeds of your writing into a U.S. dollar savings account. With the right account, you can collect interest and when the U.S. dollar recovers you’ve got a little more money in your pocket.
Also, if you want to buy software or hardware for your business, now might be a good time. No matter if you’re buying directly from the manufacturer or off of eBay, you’ll be paying Canadian prices for once. I’m actually thinking of getting one of these sometime soon.
What do you think? If you’re a Canadian freelancer who writes for U.S. publications leave a comment.
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