Mason Holin

I'm a financial advisor who used to compete in collegiate Valorant and streamed for a while. Now I work with esports players and content creators on the financial side of their careers. The money side of this industry is messier than it looks. I help people get ahead of it.

A lot of players have a team salary and additional income on the side. Brand deals, streaming, content creation. Here is where it gets complicated. Your salary gets taxed through the org. Withholding handled. Everything else does not. That money hits your account with nothing withheld. No one is setting aside taxes on your behalf. So you can have a year where your salary looks clean on paper and your outside income creates a surprise tax bill in April.

Orgs generally pay you one of two ways. W2 employee: - Org withholds taxes on your behalf - Potential access to benefits - More legal protections 1099 contractor: - You handle all your own taxes including self-employment tax (15.3%) - No withholding, no benefits, full responsibility - But more flexibility and potential deductions

Getting paid in December vs January can change your entire tax bracket for the year. If a brand deal closes in December, that income lands in the current tax year. If it closes in January, it lands in the next one. For creators with variable income, the timing of when money hits your account matters more than most people realize. A few situations where this comes up: - You had a high income year and want to push a deal into January to spread the tax hit - You had a low income year and want to pull a deal forward into December to take advantage of a lower bracket - You are close to a threshold that triggers a higher rate or affects your safe harbor calculation You usually cannot control when a brand wants to pay. But knowing this exists means you can at least have the conversation before you sign.

Sign one brand deal and you may have quietly locked yourself out of an entire product category for a year. Exclusivity clauses are standard in sponsorship contracts. A gaming chair company pays you to promote their product and includes a clause that prevents you from working with any competing brand in that category. A few things worth knowing before you sign: - What categories are restricted and for how long - Whether the exclusivity is mutual or one sided - What happens if a better deal comes along mid-contract Have someone review the contract before you sign. The upfront cost of a legal review is almost always less than the opportunity cost of a deal you had to turn down.

@Demon1___ Exciting!

Coming soon 👀

Your org covers housing or gives you a housing stipend. Feels like a perk. It might also be taxable income. If a team is paying for housing directly or giving you a stipend to cover it, the IRS may count that as compensation. Meaning the value gets added to your taxable income for the year.

Where you live affects how much of your income you actually keep. States like Texas, Florida, and Nevada have no state income tax. For a creator or player earning $150,000, moving from California to Texas could mean keeping an extra $15,000 or more per year. It is not the right move for everyone. But for people with flexibility on where they live, it is a question worth running the numbers on.

@leaf_cs @FUTesportsgg ntnt

0-2 vs @FUTesportsgg sorry

@valynfps tough loss :/

0-2 FUT such a shitty feeling 1 by 1 all the boys get flu and can’t show what we’re capable of. Feels like a go next , see you in Paris for EWC

@currydtx he's been playing insane

Neon is the best player at VCT Masters London👑

@Zellsis unc still has it

clapped my balls together and did this!

Most people think taxes are due once a year in April. If you are self-employed, that is not how it works. Estimated tax due dates: - Q1: April 15 - Q2: June 15 - Q3: September 15 - Q4: January 15 Miss them and you get hit with underpayment penalties on top of your actual bill. How to avoid penalties: safe harbor. You are covered if you pay either: - 90% of this year's tax bill - 100% of last year's total tax bill - 110% if your income was over $150,000 One more thing: April 15 hits twice. Prior year taxes and your Q1 estimate are due the same day. If you have a W2 alongside self-employment income, your withholding may offset what you owe. Worth checking so you are not caught off guard.

At some point most players and creators ask: should I form an LLC? An LLC gives you liability protection and can make you look more legitimate to brands. It does not automatically save you money on taxes. The structure that actually reduces self-employment tax is an S-Corp election. It generally starts making financial sense somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 in profit, but the right number depends on your state and your situation. If you are in that income range, it is worth having the conversation before the wrong structure costs you.

Most esports players and creators are figuring out the financial side alone. The ones who navigate it well usually have the same thing in common. A small team of professionals working together: - A CPA who understands the industry and how your income is classified - An esports attorney who reviews contracts before you sign them - A financial advisor who connects the dots between income, taxes, and long term planning Not everyone needs all three right away. It depends on where you are in your career. But knowing these roles exist and what each one does puts you ahead of most people in this space.

Won prize money at a tournament? The IRS treats it as ordinary income, the same as a paycheck. A few things most players don't know: - State taxes apply based on where the event was held, not where you live - Win at a LAN in California, you may owe California taxes even if you live in Texas - International tournaments can withhold a portion of your prize before it ever reaches you

@Clyfen_ Bold move. Good luck👍

Gonna start posting my daily P/L on here. Been trading for the last few months and feeling confident to make it a full time thing so I quit my job 2 weeks ago. This is all realized profits YTD. HIYA

@ElitecdogFN not following me? smh. happy bday kid

23🥳

@XnBFN it only goes down from here

18 years old now 🥳. No mysterious shit I had a great year and grew a lot because of the people around me I love everyone

@SilqyFN what’s ur bench kid