Editorial Standards
How we review prop firms, brokers, and financial products at Harbinger Insights.
Our methodology for prop firm reviews
Every prop firm reviewed on this site is evaluated against a standard methodology. Where possible, we have personally tested the firm. Where personal testing is not possible (account size limits, geographic restrictions, timing), we are explicit about that limitation in the review.
1. Challenge attempt
For firms whose challenge programs we have personally completed, we report:
– Account size and challenge type tested
– Date of attempt
– Number of trading days to pass (or fail)
– Specific rule challenges encountered
– Reset purchases, if any
2. Funded account performance
For firms where we currently or previously held a funded account:
– Account size
– Funding date
– Trading style used
– Profit milestones reached
– Drawdown breaches, if any
3. Payout testing
For firms from which we have requested payouts:
– Date of payout request
– Amount requested
– Date of payment received
– Payment method used
– Total elapsed time
– Any complications or delays
4. Rule documentation
We document the firm’s rules as they exist on the date of review:
– Profit targets
– Maximum daily drawdown
– Maximum overall drawdown
– Trailing drawdown rules (if applicable)
– News trading restrictions
– Weekend / overnight hold rules
– Consistency rules
– Scaling plan
– Profit split percentages
We note when rules have changed since our previous review of the same firm.
5. Support and operations
We test customer support during normal market hours and record:
– Response time to first reply
– Quality and accuracy of responses
– Resolution of any account issues encountered
– Comparison to previous interactions (consistency)
What we do not do
We do not:
– Accept payment for “expedited reviews” or “promoted placements”
– Allow firms to review or approve content before publication
– Modify previously published reviews based on advertiser pressure (we do update reviews based on factual changes — rule updates, new account types, policy shifts)
– Publish reviews of firms we have not personally tested without explicitly disclosing that limitation
– Remove negative reviews in response to commercial pressure
How we handle factual updates
The proprietary trading industry changes quickly. Firms update rules, change profit splits, modify account types, and occasionally exit the market. When we become aware of a change that materially affects a review:
1. We update the review within 7 business days of confirmation
2. We add a “last updated” timestamp showing the date of the most recent revision
3. We add a brief note at the top of the review describing what changed and when
4. We do not silently rewrite history — previous versions of substantive findings are preserved in the change log when relevant
Conflicts of interest
The author of all reviews on this site is Daniel Hayes (founder, independent trader). Daniel currently or previously has held funded accounts at firms reviewed on this site. These relationships are disclosed within each individual review.
Harbinger Insights has affiliate relationships with several firms reviewed on this site. See our Affiliate Disclosure for the current list and details on the editorial firewall.
Corrections policy
If you spot a factual error in any review, write to [email protected]. We will:
– Investigate within 48 hours
– Correct verified errors within 7 business days
– Add a correction notice at the bottom of the article describing what was corrected and when
We do not silently edit articles to fix errors that have been published for more than 24 hours.