RosalindGardner.com

Learn Blogging & Affiliate Marketing with Rosalind Gardner

BEFORE the Christmas Bills Come Due…

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Did you get a little carried away this Christmas and spend more than you planned? Well, you may be in good company, but you'll be in smart company if you pay those bills on time and avoid the interest charges.

If you don't have the cash readily available, you might want to consider e-filing your taxes early and use your refund to pay your credit card bills.

That's MUCH smarter than paying the bank, and e-filing is a piece of cake. I do it for my personal, business and GST (Canada) filings every quarter.

An astonishing 7.3 million Americans used the Internet to beat the tax deadline last year. Back in March 2006, the IRS reported that efiling from home computers, including both Internet filers and users of boxed software, was up 16.6 percent. In addition, average refunds were up 4.0%, to $2,379, as is Direct Deposit, which had put over $107 billion into the hands of U.S. taxpayers.

“Taxpayers using an online service pay as little as $30 for non-itemized 1040 return, and slightly higher for a return with Schedule A. Online tax preparation provides significant savings compared to walk-in services, comparing very favorably with boxed software sold at retail outlets,” explained Mr. Petz of TaxBrain. “Because the IRS began accepting electronically filed reports way back in January, millions of savvy taxpayers filed early, and now have their refunds to pump directly into the economy.”

TaxBrain is the only web-based tax solution delivering online preparation, filing, professional assistance and representation in all 50 states. TaxBrain.com is a full-service online tax center providing tax advice, tools, and resources all year to help taxpayers manage their tax burden with greater confidence and ease.

Affiliate Business Financing 101

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Don’t have a fortune (or even a few hundred dollars) to set up and run your new business? Here are some tips…

As the old saying goes, ‘it takes money to make money' and although it's relatively cheap to start an affiliate marketing business, the old saying still applies.

First you'll want to learn how affiliate marketing works, and courses run from a low of $47 for my Super Affiliate Handbook to thousands of dollars for full fledged mentoring programs related to internet marketing. Perhaps you want to learn how to build your own website so you can save money in the long run on designers… and there are courses for that too.

Then of course you will want the best of tools to use in your business. Maybe you need to upgrade that old computer that keeps crashing every time you open a big program, or a faster Internet connection to speed up your research.

You'll probably also want to buy tools that make you more productive, and there will be no shortage of tempting offers for software that promise easy ways to build your affiliate empire quickly.

Once you've got your website up and running, you'll want visitors, and the quickest way to get visitors (without waiting months for the search engines to list your site) is to advertise using pay-per-click advertising (PPC). With minimum bids at Yahoo! Search Marketing running at ten cents a click, getting thousands of visitors to your web site can cost a fortune.

But what do you do if you don't have a fortune (or even a few hundred dollars) to spend setting up and running your new business?

Working another job to finance your business is a really bad idea unless you somehow managed to be the only person on the planet who was blessed with a 48-hour day.

There is a better option and it's all about how you manage your finances.

Most of us didn't get any training as children or young adults on how best to manage our money. ‘Save for a rainy day' is the only thing I remember my mother telling me about handling money, and guess what… She was wrong… in part.

I'm richer now than my mother ever dreamed of being and that's because I ignored her advice. From the time I was a teenager, I took a path much less travelled in regards to money management and it has ALWAYS worked like a charm.

I'm not in the financial consulting business, so I won't bore you with the details. However, I do know someone who offers sage advice to those who were led up the garden path on the subject of money matters and are now seeking a better way.

His name is Leo Quinn, and if you're in debt up to your ears and can't even think about how to fund your affiliate business, his advice could put you on the right path. If you are serious about debt relief, Leo prescribes uncommon methods that I know from first-hand experience really work.

Back in 1997, Leo created a program that shows folks how to get control of personal debt and get rid of it.and how it can be done very quickly.

Leo started teaching this at local community colleges in the New York area. The response to this simple but very effective strategy was so great that he was told that he should write a book about it and distribute it online so more people could benefit.

So in 2001, Leo wrote his book, “How To Own Your Paycheck Again!“, and since then thousands and thousands of people have used his strategy to dramatically change their financial well-being. And don't worry… what he prescribes is neither illegal or immoral. 🙂 It is all above board and like nothing you have ever seen before. It's the kind of financial advice that you would have pay thousands to get from a financial planner.

And it's a far better investment than buying an information manual that instructs you to go out and spend even more to build your business, when you don't have it to spend. Why not learn some techniques on how to pay off your debt quicker and more money in your pocket?

Now for a limited time, Leo has agreed to give NPT readers a huge discount on his program. (Even without the discount, it's a great deal, however.)

So, if you need to get out of debt before you can get into business, get Leo Quinn's book, “How To Own Your Paycheck Again!” today!

Those Pesky W-9 and W-8BEN Forms!

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Tax time is fast approaching again and many affiliates have been asked to complete W-9 and W-8BEN forms for their merchant partners.

A few affiliates have expressed concern about what these forms mean, so here is the Ros' Notes version.

If your merchant partner asks you to submit a W9 or W8 form , do so.

In many cases, the merchant will not legally be able to continue paying your commissions without having a completed form.

The forms are quick to fill out and require only the most basic information.

Basic information about the W9 and W8-BEN forms is included below.

W-9 Forms

If you are a U.S. person, including U.S. citizens and resident aliens, you must fill out a W-9.

Your merchant partner needs this form along with your identification number (TIN), or social security number, to report income paid to you to the IRS.

With a completed W9, and if you report all your taxable interest and dividends on your tax return, payments you receive from merchant partners will not be subject to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 29%).

W-8BEN Forms

Foreign person, non-resident alien or foreign national performing working outside the U.S must fill out a W-8BEN.

Foreign persons are not subject to U.S. income tax withholding if performing the work outside the U.S.

If you receive certain types of income, including prize money won in affiliate program contests, you must provide a Form W-8BEN to establish that you are not a U.S. person, and claim that you are the beneficial owner of the income for which Form W-8BEN is being provided.

Forms and further information is available at:

Note: This is not official legal or accounting advice. For more information, please contact either your affiliate program manager or your accountant.

Happy accounting!

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