In plain terms: DebtMath is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate DebtMath earns from qualifying purchases.
What an affiliate link is
When DebtMath recommends a book, planner, or tool — mostly on the tools & books page and in the "recommended reading" boxes beside some calculators — the link to buy it is tagged with an Amazon Associates ID. If you follow that link and make a purchase, Amazon pays DebtMath a small percentage of the sale. The price you pay is exactly the same as it would be without the link.
How affiliate links are marked
Outbound affiliate links open in a new tab and carry rel="nofollow sponsored", which is the standard, search-engine-honest way of signaling a paid relationship. Pages that carry these links also state that they're affiliate links directly on the page — you shouldn't have to dig for it.
The commission doesn't buy a recommendation
DebtMath only links to things it would point a friend toward. The commission is the same modest percentage across most products, so there's no incentive to push a pricier or worse option — the picks are chosen because they genuinely pair with the calculators, not because of the payout. Every calculator and article on the site is fully useful whether or not you ever click an affiliate link.
Other advertising
Separately from affiliate links, DebtMath may display standard banner or contextual advertising. How ad and analytics cookies work is covered in the privacy policy.
Questions
Want to know whether a specific link is an affiliate link, or how the program works? Email mjpond@gmail.com or use the contact page.