Funding disclosures

How finbarrow makes money

finbarrow has two revenue sources:

• Display advertising via Google AdSense. AdSense serves contextual ads around articles, calculators, and glossary entries. We are paid per impression and per click. We do not control which specific advertisers AdSense places on any given page.
• Affiliate commissions from financial product issuers — banks, credit card issuers, brokers, lenders — when a reader clicks through an affiliate link on finbarrow, applies for or opens a qualifying product, and is approved. We earn a one-time commission per approved application; we do not earn ongoing fees from your account, and our compensation does not change based on what you do with the product after approval.

finbarrow does not accept payment for editorial placement. We do not publish "sponsored posts" written by an issuer or PR firm. We do not run native advertising. We do not sell backlinks. If we ever did, it would appear with prominent labeling above the fold — and that policy is binding.

Affiliate networks and direct relationships

finbarrow may have affiliate relationships, directly or via third-party networks, with issuers and providers in any of the following categories. The list will grow as we ship more articles; this page is updated when new relationships are established.

• Credit card issuers (via networks such as CardRatings, FlexOffers, Awin, Impact, and direct programs).
• High-yield savings, CD, and money market account providers.
• Online brokers and self-directed retirement account custodians.
• Personal loan, mortgage, refinance, and student loan providers.
• Credit-score, credit-monitoring, and identity-protection services.

Any specific affiliate relationship is disclosed in plain English on the article that references that product. We do not rely on the existence of this site-wide disclosure to substitute for per-article disclosure.

How we keep this from corrupting the rankings

The risk with affiliate compensation is structural: a publisher whose revenue depends on referrals has an incentive to rank the higher-paying products first. finbarrow addresses this in five specific ways.

1. Math first, then ranking. Every recommendation starts from a quantitative model — payoff schedule, APY differential, total cost of ownership, effective rewards rate after categories cap. The model output drives the ranking. The affiliate payout is checked last, only to confirm the link is correct.
2. Per-article disclosure above the fold. When an article mentions a product we earn from, that page carries a labeled disclosure paragraph at the top — not buried in the footer or in microcopy at the end.
3. Non-affiliate alternatives named. Where a top pick has no affiliate relationship with finbarrow, we say so. Where a viable alternative pays us less, we name it anyway.
4. No commissioned-by-issuer reviews. No issuer or affiliate network has, at any time, paid finbarrow to write or modify an article. We do not accept product reviews written by the issuer or their agency.
5. Public methodology. Our methodology explains exactly how rankings are produced, with the data inputs and weights. You can audit it.

Advertising disclosures

Display advertising on finbarrow is served by Google AdSense. AdSense ads are clearly distinguished from editorial content by surrounding "Advertisement" labels or visual separation. Ad placement is governed by AdSense policies; we do not target ads to specific articles based on the issuers mentioned in those articles.

Above-the-fold ad density is capped at two units to preserve readability. We do not deploy interstitials, pop-unders, auto-play video ads, or rich-media ads that obscure content.

Issuer terms control

Any sign-up bonus, APY, APR, fee, eligibility rule, or product feature mentioned on finbarrow is based on the issuer's marketing materials at the time of publication and is subject to change without notice from the issuer. Always verify current terms with the issuer before applying. finbarrow is not responsible for changes the issuer makes after publication.

FTC compliance

The disclosures on this page and the per-article disclosures on every affiliate-linked article are intended to comply with the United States Federal Trade Commission's "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" (16 CFR Part 255). If anything on finbarrow looks like a material connection we have not disclosed, tell us — we want to fix it.

Questions

If you have any question about how a specific recommendation is funded, email [email protected] with [Disclosure] in the subject line. We answer.

Educational content only. finbarrow is an independent editorial publication, not a licensed financial advisor, broker, tax preparer, or attorney. Always verify rates, terms, and eligibility with the issuer or a licensed professional before acting. See disclaimers and funding disclosures for details.