Konstantin Anikeev, an experimental physicist, gathered everything he needed for an investigation away from his field.
His materials included American Express cards, the government’s view that credit card rewards are not income, and his own desire to spend time buying gift cards and money orders. He extracted the concept from personal finance sites: Exploits the difference between 5% unlimited rewards and lower fees for gift cards and warrants.
“If someone has a theory, they can test it experimentally. Some are easier to test, “said Anikeev. “Others need a big hadron collider or something. But it was a little more affordable. ”
(Especially) it worked.
Mr Anikeev’s financial optimization plan in 2013 and 2014 – including $ 6.4 million in credit card expenses – led to an audit of the domestic revenue service and the finding that he and his wife had more than $ 310,000 in income that should have been taxed.