Money Crashers - Bias and Credibility

LEAST BIASED

These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.

Overall, we rate Money Crashers as least biased in terms of political bias because it primarily focuses on financial topics rather than political ones. However, its factual accuracy rating is mixed due to the lack of transparency regarding affiliate relationships and potential biases from partnerships.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: United States
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY

History

Money Crashers, founded in 2009, is a personal finance website addressing topics like money management, investing, and frugal living. Andrew Schrage and Gyutae Park, combining their expertise in finance, investing, blogging, and internet marketing, created the site as a resource to aid people in making better financial decisions. Money Crashers provides readers practical advice and strategies to enhance their financial well-being. Money Crashers, LLC is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada.

Read our profile on the United States media and government.

Funded by / Ownership

MoneyCrashers.com, owned and operated by Andrew Schrage and Gyutae Park, generates revenue through affiliate marketing and advertising with banks and credit card companies. When users use these affiliate links, the website receives compensation. However, the Advertiser Disclosure isn’t prominently displayed, making it less noticeable. It also mentions partnerships with major financial institutions like “American Express, Chase, U.S. Bank, and Barclaycard, among others.” The use of “among others” leaves room for ambiguity regarding the complete list of partners, which may affect transparency.

Analysis / Bias

Money Crashers openly discloses its advertiser partners, which include major financial institutions like American Express, Chase, U.S. Bank, and Barclaycard. This transparency indicates a potential bias towards promoting products or services offered by these partners.

For example, The article titled: “Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review” provides an in-depth analysis of the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. The article maintains a generally positive tone towards the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It emphasizes attractive features such as the sign-up bonus, rewards program, and additional benefits like the annual hotel credit and points transfers. This positive emphasis on benefits can influence readers’ perceptions and create a favorable bias toward the card. In addition, the editorial note stating independence from financial entities contrasts with the advertiser disclosure, which reveals a financial partnership with Chase and other institutions. This contradiction presents a notable difference in the information about Money Crashers’ affiliations and potential influences on its content.

In another article, “Upgrade’s Rewards Checking Plus Review,” at the end, there is a section titled “Disclaimers,” which provides specific details about the rewards and benefits associated with the Upgrade Rewards Checking Plus account. The disclaimers mention the cash-back rewards and account benefits based on different criteria, such as the direct deposit amount and active account status. However, there is no explicit mention of affiliate links or an affiliate relationship in this section or elsewhere in the article. This lack of disclosure regarding affiliate relationships could potentially affect the perceived reliability and transparency of the content.

Further, at the bottom of the page, they have links to banking institutions offering deals. The links contain tracking parameters commonly associated with affiliate marketing, such as this (utm_id=365434199&utm_source=GoBankingRates&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Bank_DPGT_CON_PF_BL_PESA_Q2-23_GBR.) This does not mean the information is not factual, but it could indicate a bias, as Money Crashers earns money based on these clicks.

In summary, readers should approach Money Crashers’ content with awareness of these factors, understanding that while they may provide valuable information, there could be influences from partnerships and affiliate marketing that impact content presentation. Therefore, readers should approach its content critically and verify information from multiple sources, especially when making important financial decisions.

Failed Fact Checks

None in the Last 5 years

Overall, we rate Money Crashers as least biased in terms of political bias because it primarily focuses on financial topics rather than political ones. However, its factual accuracy rating is mixed due to the lack of transparency regarding affiliate relationships and potential biases from partnerships. (M. Huitsing 04/29/2024)

Source: https://moneycrashers.com/

Last Updated on May 19, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check