Ethics Policy

Ticker Symbol YOU - Last Updated: Oct 1, 2024

Ethics Statement

For My Viewers:
I value the trust of my viewers above all else. I strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in my work and am committed to being transparent and accountable to YOU by doing the following:

  • Your trust is the most valuable aspect of my business and guides my actions

  • I will never compromise my views on any subject due to a sponsor, ever

  • All promoted products or services are things I already use or have tested for at least 28 days prior to promotion

  • If you feel I've violated your trust, please contact me via email

For Brands & Sponsors:
As a content creator, I'm always looking to partner with brands and companies whose products and services align with my audience. However, I'm also committed to maintaining my ethical standards and upholding the trust of my viewers.To ensure that all sponsored content is ethical and transparent, I have the following guidelines for potential sponsors:

  • Your offer must be a fit for my audience's interests

  • Your product or service must be well-regarded, regulated, and reputable

  • You may review the portion of the video you sponsor but you will not have any editorial control over the content itself

Note, I will not work with the following brands:
Alcohol, tobacco, adult related, gambling, or politics

How I Earn Money

Integrations:
YouTube’s Adsense rates vary wildly, making it an unreliable way to run a business. Most revenue for my research comes from sponsored integrations. These are usually 45-60 second segments talking about a relevant product or service. There is always a clear pop-up at the beginning of a video saying “this video contains a paid promotion” as well as verbal and/or visual call-outs during the integration, itself. These sponsored integrations make it possible for me to build a team and produce quality content.

AdSense:
Although unpredictable and unreliable, a portion of my revenue comes from YouTube AdSense. Because my audience's time is valuable, I typically limit mid-roll ad placements in videos containing integrations.

Affiliates:
Even though affiliate programs can be lucrative, they incentivize me to maintain a rigid stance on the products and services I promote, even when they may not be relevant to my content. Because those incentives don't align with the value I want to bring my audience, I almost never participate in third-party affiliate programs. That means I only make money from sponsors for the integrations themselves and not when someone signs up.

Memberships:
The most reliable source of income comes from memberships such as Patreon and YouTube Memberships. While this is a much smaller source of income than integrations and AdSense, Memberships play a key role in planning and budgeting for the core business. Beyond financial support, members bring two huge intangible benefits - support and ideas -making them a huge asset to my work.

Full Transparency

I'm a long-term investor and shareholder in many tech companies, including but not limited to the ones I cover on my channel. My investments never influence my research, coverage, or opinions in any of my content. For full transparency, I think it's important to call out my larger positions:

  • $QQQ - NASDAQ-100 Index

  • $SMH - VanEck Semiconductor ETF

  • $NVDA - Nvidia

  • $MSFT - Microsoft

  • $PLTR - Palantir Technologies

  • $AMZN - Amazon.com

  • $GOOG - Alphabet (Google)

  • $AMD - Advanced Micro Devices

  • $SPY - SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust