Stop Paying Retail – Part 2

This article is the follow up to “Stop Paying Retail – Part 1″ written on Oct. 17, 2006. Building on the concepts discussed in the previous article, the following personal finance strategies are more complex and not necessarily appropriate for everyone:

• Affiliate Programs – Also known as referral marketing, many retailers offer incentives for sending business their way. Normally, if we find a product or service we really like, we’ll tell all our friends and family about it. However, we don’t always receive compensation for that recommendation. The good news is there are several affiliate marketing programs such as Commission Junction, LinkShare.com, and Shareasale.com are free to join and offer lucrative commissions for sales of various products and services (including your own purchases).

  How does this help one avoid retail price? First, using your cash back credit card such as Blue Cash® from American Express, I make a purchase through your affiliation with a retailer such as Petsmart.com.  Not only do I get cash back from my credit card company, I also receive a “rebate” through my affiliation with the retailer.  In other words, I get paid twice!

• Form a Business – Having a business entitles you to additional legitimate tax write offs.  Since I am not a tax advisor, you should consult your accountant or tax advisor to assess applicability to your individual situation.  However, in my case, I can now legitimately write off expenses that were not deductible before I formed a business.  In other words, many of my former personal expenses are now legitimate business expenses of Financial Fintess Pro.

Here’s to your wealth and success!

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