How we make money
We're a business & personal financing platform, not a lender. That means our revenue comes from connecting people with the right products — not from lending them money. Here's exactly how that works, and what it means for the guidance we publish.
What ClearValue Lending is
ClearValue Lending is a business & personal financing platform — not a lender, broker, or financial advisor. We research financing products, publish plain-English verdicts ranked by fit, and connect people with the best next step for their situation. The actual lending, underwriting, and funding is done by our lender partners and the product providers we link to.
Co-founded by financial educator Brian Kim (@clearvaluetax9382), the platform is built on one principle: the verdict stays honest even when it costs us a referral.
Our two revenue streams
Revenue stream 1
Business financing referrals
When a business owner submits a funding application and their lender partner funds it, the lender partner may pay us a referral fee. The fee comes from the lender, not from the applicant. No application fee is charged to you.
Revenue stream 2
Affiliate links on personal finance products
On product reviews and comparison pages — credit cards, banking, insurance, mortgages, auto loans — some links are affiliate links. If you apply or open a product through one, the provider may pay us a commission at no added cost to you.
Independence firewall
What money can't buy here.
- Ranking order is fixed by the 4-factor rubric — never by partner commission.
- Partners cannot pay for placement, badges, or ratings.
- Same commission across ranks — we earn the same on #1 or #4.
- The published methodology holds final say; partner sales never see it.
What we don't do
- — Pay-to-play placements — no product buys its way into our rankings.
- — Sponsored picks — editorial verdicts aren't for sale.
- — Suppressed verdicts — if a product falls short, we say so, even if it costs us a referral.
- — Hidden compensation — if a link is affiliate, we disclose it.
Why this model works for you
Because our revenue depends on you finding the right product — not on pushing you toward the highest-commission one — our incentives are aligned with yours. A bad referral doesn't pay us twice; a good one builds the trust that makes the platform worth using.