TruFinancials Affiliate Policy

I started my YouTube channel and this website to help people, and that will always be its primary purpose.

But I’m perfectly happy to have the site pay its own way and even generate a healthy profit, as long as the income doesn’t require me to compromise the values behind the content. 

How does a YouTube channel and website like this earn money?

There are currently two sources of income: standard advertising (the little advertising box you see on the sides and bottom of some pages of this site and ads in front of YouTube videos), and affiliate links. The ad is straightforward – website owners get paid if people click on the ad. On YouTube, I get paid when someone watches an ad. The affiliate links are the part worth explaining.

How I handle Affiliates

Whenever I use and like a product these days, I check if the company has an “affiliate program”. That is, do they pay existing customers or publishers to refer new customers to them. Luckily for me in this area of personal finance, some of them do.

Some of my personal favorites that happen to have an affiliate program include Amazon, Capital One 360, Splash FInancials, Ibotta, and so on. There are a few companies that I haven't personally use but offer a type of service I prefer such as term life insurance (Bestow*) or helping with a 401k (Blooom). Although they haven't been personally used by me, I learn more about these companies and how they can bring value to you. 

If they do have an affiliate program, I’ll make a point of using the right type of link if I happen to mention the product. 

But the key to my own sense of ethics is that I must never let the presence of an affiliate program affect which products I recommend, or which subjects I choose to create content about. In addition, I can only recommend products based on personal research and experience; seeing as there is no value in me talking about things I know little about. Whether or not you believe that sentence really boils down to trust. If you think I can’t handle the potential conflict of interest, you might not get much out of my product and service recommendations, you are welcome to go directly to those products or services without the referral link.

I also from time to time review products that I don't personally use and will always be upfront beforehand about that. In these reviews, I break down from my research on the pros and cons of the given product or service and my personal thoughts.   

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have trust in me to find the best products to help you on your journey.

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase and/or subscribe. However, this does not impact my opinions and comparisons. 

*Bestow policies are provided by North American Company for
Life and Health Insurance®, an insurance carrier rated A+
(Superior) by A.M. Best.