How WhyExplain earns money
WhyExplain is a free resource. We do not charge readers for access to our guides, tools, or newsletter. To sustain the editorial team and the technology behind the site, we generate revenue through a combination of the following:
These revenue streams fund the editorial work that allows WhyExplain to remain free. We are committed to never compromising our editorial integrity to protect them.
Affiliate links explained
An affiliate link is a tracked URL that tells a merchant's website that a visitor arrived from WhyExplain. If that visitor then makes a purchase — or sometimes simply signs up for a free trial — we receive a small commission from the merchant.
What this means for you
Affiliate links cost you nothing extra. The price you pay is identical whether you arrive at a merchant's site via WhyExplain or by typing the URL directly. In some cases, our affiliate relationships enable us to negotiate exclusive discounts for our readers.
Which links are affiliate links?
Any link on WhyExplain that points to a third-party product or service we have an affiliate relationship with is considered an affiliate link. These links are tracked by the merchant's affiliate platform. Where an article relies significantly on affiliate links, we include a disclosure statement at the top of that article.
How affiliate links appear in our content
We do not use deceptive anchor text to disguise affiliate links. A link that says "open a stocks and shares ISA" takes you to a relevant financial product page, not an unrelated affiliate landing page. We treat our readers as intelligent adults who can decide for themselves.
Our promise to you
Affiliate revenue creates a potential conflict of interest that we take seriously. Here is what we commit to, in plain language:
The WhyExplain commercial integrity pledge
How we label commercial content
We follow the guidance of the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on disclosure of commercial relationships.
Article-level disclosure
Where an article contains affiliate links or was produced with the support of a commercial partner, a disclosure note appears at or near the top of that article. Here is an example of how that label appears:
Sponsored content
Content that has been paid for by a commercial partner is labelled with a clear "Sponsored" or "Paid partnership" label. Sponsored content is written to our editorial standards but the topic is agreed with the partner. We retain editorial control over the content itself.
Display advertising
WhyExplain displays advertising from third-party ad networks. These advertisements are selected algorithmically based on factors such as the content of the page and general audience characteristics — we do not personally select or endorse the individual advertisements that appear.
Display advertisements are visually separated from editorial content and are clearly labelled as advertisements. We do not accept display advertising from categories we consider harmful, misleading, or inappropriate for our audience — including get-rich-quick schemes, unregulated investment products, and payday lenders.
If you see an advertisement on WhyExplain that you believe is inappropriate or misleading, please contact us and we will review it.
Sponsored content
Occasionally, WhyExplain publishes content that is paid for by a commercial partner. This is always clearly and prominently labelled as sponsored or as a paid partnership.
Sponsored content must meet the same factual accuracy standards as our editorial content. Our partners agree in writing that they cannot instruct us to make false or misleading claims. If a sponsor requests changes to content that would make it inaccurate or misleading, we refuse those changes.
Sponsored content reflects the partner's perspective, which may differ from our editorial view. We may publish sponsored content that promotes a product or service we would not ourselves recommend editorially — and we will be clear about this when it is the case.
Frequently asked questions
This disclosure was last updated in October 2026. We review it annually or whenever our commercial arrangements change meaningfully. Questions? Contact us.