Ao -
Yes. As disclosed in the original article above:
The members of the Hard Assets Alliance, including Peak Prosperity, receive a portion of the proceeds transacted through the platform. Because the low-cost structure is a major feature of the program, such commissions are very modest and do not affect the prices paid by clients.Just as PP receives a small fee for transactions made through the affiliate links on our site to BullionVault, GoldMoney, etc.
It's important to be aware that bullion is about as pure a "commodity" as something can be. Therefore, the margins are razor-thin.
To put this into perspective, I've just tallied the total affiliate fees received to our organization from BullionVault and GoldMoney for all of 2011. The total comes to ~5% of the amount Chris and I have funded out of our own pockets to launch this upgraded website along with its new features & improvements. Assuming similar transaction volumes in future years, it would take us 20 years to recoup the nominal cost of our investment from these annual fees. While every bit of revenue helps us continue our operations – these small fees from bullion sales are no incentive to adulterate the impartial & empirical insights Chris and the staff here work so hard to bring to you.
estatesavr (and others concerend about conflict of interest) -
Beyond continuing to consistently produce & source the unbiased analysis & commentary you value, I'm not sure what else we can say at this point that will make a difference for you.
As Chris often says about our corporate and government leaders: pay attention less to what they say and more to what they do. We remain committed to producing the highest-quality, data-driven insights about our collective global Three E predicament & how you can prudently position yourself accordingly. But don't simply take our word for it: watch us in our continued pursuit of this mission and judge for yourself.
We hate to see any reader leave in disappointment. But if you judge this site does not deliver what you value, we urge you to follow your convictions. Individuals taking the best action for their interests is at the heart of what we're about.
jkuryan (and others with questions about price) -
I refer you to comment #13 by "Alliance" below. Ed is the General Manager of the HAA and the best one to clarify how its pricing matches up to BullionVault and GoldMoney. It's extremely important to be aware of what the $/oz quoted by each vendor represents (e.g. in some cases it might be for a 1oz coin held in your name, in another it might be for 1oz fractional ownership of a 400oz bar in a pooled account). Also, some vendors charge a 'withdrawal fee' which is not included in the quoted $/oz.
We realize the heterogeneity of the different vendor options is confusing. So, we've put together a matrix that will make it much easier to compare the HAA vs others like GoldMoney and BullionVault. It's in Compliance review right now and should be posted here on the site on Monday.