Ask Brianna: Is the 'gig economy' all it's cracked up to be?

With the release of every cheekily named on-demand app comes a new way for 20- and 30-somethings to make money on the side.

The explosion of the "gig economy" — the collection of online platforms that let workers sell their services directly to consumers on their own schedules — has lowered the barrier to entry for workers who need money quickly.

The flexibility a gig affords can help you make extra money to pay off your student loans early, for instance, or to pay bills during gaps between jobs.

In March, researchers at Harvard and Princeton found that from 2005 to 2015, the percentage of workers in "alternative work arrangements," defined as online and offline temporary, on-call, freelance and contract work, went up 50 percent, to 15.8 percent of all workers.

The problem is that temporary, contract and other "contingent workers" earn less overall than employees in standard work arrangements, the Government Accountability Office reported last year.

When you work for yourself, it's up to you to find health care (made easier by the Affordable Care Act) and save for retirement beyond what Social Security will provide.

Save for retirement now in an individual account like a Roth IRA to take advantage of compound earnings over time, or set up a free myRA starter account, newly available through the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

[...] lawsuits continue over whether gig economy participants should be classified as employees or as independent contractors.

Some proposals, like one from the Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project, argue they should be considered an entirely separate class of worker so they get certain traditional benefits.

[...] that happens, set up an online savings account; there's no paid sick time if you need some of that Postmates cold medicine for yourself.