Useful explainers, with 'best' lists steered by affiliate commissions.
What it's really for A personal-finance blog whose rankings are steered by affiliate commissions.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its 'best of' brokerage, bank, and student-loan picks, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
The brokers, banks, and lenders it ranks pay it the most via affiliate and lead-generation commissions, and while the site states partners "can never pay to guarantee favorable reviews," it openly sells "Sponsored Placements" and discloses on its rankings that it "receives compensation from companies whose offers appear on this site," which "may impact how, where, and in what order" products appear.
Source →- Operating since
- 2009 (17 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- It is an advertising-supported financial media site that earns affiliate and lead-generation commissions when readers sign up for the products it reviews, plus display ads, sponsored content, and podcast/video advertising.
- What they do
- It publishes personal-finance reviews and "best of" rankings (brokerages, banks, student-loan and budgeting tools) aimed at students, millennials, and people paying down debt.
- What to watch for
- It earns affiliate/lead commissions from many of the same brokers and banks it ranks, so its "best" lists steer you toward products that pay it, not necessarily the cheapest or best-fit option for you.
- Composite score
- 2.70 / 5.00 → grade C+
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- The site discloses it is an independent, advertising-supported media company that makes money through affiliate relationships, sponsored content, and display/podcast/video advertising; it states it does not accept compensation for reviews but may have affiliate relationships with companies it reviews and earns when leads are generated from a review. Source: The College Investor — How We Make Money →
- Its 2026 best-brokers rankings were built from a Pollfish survey of 600 U.S. adults familiar with investing, combined with hands-on testing, account-feature reviews, and pricing analysis; the page carries a disclosure that the site receives compensation from companies whose offers appear, which may impact how and in what order products appear, though partners cannot pay to guarantee a favorable review. Source: The College Investor — Best Online Stock Brokers 2026 →
- The advertise page lists the products it sells to brands: Affiliate Marketing, Native Advertising, Sponsored Placements, Social Media Collaborations, Video Marketing, and Podcast Placements, with all campaigns disclosed per FTC requirements — confirming the entities it ranks are also paying advertisers. Source: The College Investor — Advertise →