BLACK DOLLAR INDEX

Terms & Conditions of Use

Effective Date: May 18, 2026 Last Updated: May 18, 2026 Website: blackdollarindex.com

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the tools, calculators, content, and services (collectively, the "Services") provided by For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC ("For the Equity," "we," "us," or "our") through blackdollarindex.com, operating as the Black Dollar Index platform.

By accessing or using any part of the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into this agreement. Use of the Services constitutes your full acceptance of these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.

2. Description of Services

Black Dollar Index provides consumer financial empowerment tools, corporate equity research data, and advocacy resources. The Services include:

Free Tools: Corporate Equity Scorecards, Black Franchise Index, the Budget Health Calculator, Loan Fairness Audit, Cost of Loyalty Calculator, and other publicly available resources accessible without payment.

Index // MRKT: Our AI-powered query tool that lets you ask questions about companies' Black-equity track record and receive responses generated using BDI's structured data and a third-party large language model. Index // MRKT has three modes — Search, Ask, and Find (collectively, "Query") — and is governed by Section 4 of these Terms.

Paid Products: Query packs and BLK Beta access for Index // MRKT, governed by Section 4.6. These are the only paid products on the platform.

Research & Advocacy Data: Anonymized, aggregated data collected through tool usage to support economic equity research conducted by the Black Dollar Initiative.

3. Informational and Educational Purpose Only

The Services are provided for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on this platform constitutes financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, or credit advice. All results — including responses from Index // MRKT — are hypothetical, editorial, or analytical in nature and do not guarantee future financial, business, or personal outcomes.

You should always consult a qualified financial advisor, attorney, tax professional, or licensed lender before making any significant decision. For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC, operating as Black Dollar Index, is not a licensed financial institution, investment advisor, credit counselor, or legal services provider.

4. Index // MRKT — AI Query Tool

4.1 What it is

Index // MRKT is a retrieval-augmented AI tool. When you submit a Query, we retrieve relevant records from BDI's database, assemble them with your question into a prompt, send that prompt to a third-party large language model, and stream the response back to you.

4.2 Third-party AI processing

We currently use Google's Gemini API to generate Index // MRKT responses. Your question, together with BDI's retrieved data, is sent to Google for processing. Google's handling of this content is governed by Google's terms for the Gemini API. We may change the specific model version, and we may use additional or alternative AI providers in the future; material changes will be reflected in our Privacy Policy.

We do not send your name, email, IP address, or any direct identifier to the AI provider — only the words of your question and the BDI data we retrieved for it.

4.3 AI responses are editorial, not advice

Responses from Index // MRKT are BDI's editorial read produced with assistance from a large language model. They may be:

  • Incomplete (BDI's dataset has gaps)
  • Out of date (a tier or signal may have changed since the data was last refreshed)
  • Wrong (large language models can produce errors)

You agree that:

  • Index // MRKT responses are not financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, or credit advice.
  • You will independently verify any fact, figure, name, or recommendation before relying on it for a decision with real-world consequences.
  • BDI does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, currency, or fitness for any purpose of any Index // MRKT response.

4.4 Query logging

We log each Query — your user ID, the question text, the mode used, the resolved company or topic, success or error code, latency, and derived topic tags — as behavioral data. Logs are retained indefinitely and are used to enforce quotas, prevent abuse, support BDI's research and advocacy mission, and improve the Query experience. The full description is in our Privacy Policy, Sections 2 and 7.

4.5 Content filter

Index // MRKT does not process Queries that contain slurs, explicit profanity, or other categories of language we have decided not to process. Blocked Queries do not consume your free or paid quota. Repeated attempts to bypass the filter — including obfuscation, leetspeak, or prompt-injection patterns aimed at producing prohibited content — may result in account suspension under Section 7.

4.6 Query packs (one-off purchases)

Query packs are one-off purchases, not subscriptions. They add a fixed number of AI Queries to your account, redeemable until used or expired. Current packs:

Pack Price Queries Notes
Small Pack $9 25 Queries One-off
Large Pack $19 75 Queries One-off
Power Pack $99 325 Queries / year One-off; expires 12 months after purchase
BLK Beta $99 200 Queries / year One-off; expires 12 months after purchase; includes deeper analysis fields (trajectory, economic leverage, three-direction read)

Free Member accounts include 5 free AI Queries per calendar month that reset on the first of each month. The monthly free quota is drained before any pack balance.

No refunds. Query packs are non-refundable once purchased except where required by law. Unused Queries on dated packs (Power Pack, BLK Beta) expire on the pack's expiration date and are not refundable.

Pricing changes. We reserve the right to change pack pricing or composition with notice on the website. Already-purchased packs retain the terms in effect at purchase.

4.7 Rate limit

To prevent scripted abuse, all accounts are limited to no more than 20 Queries per minute. Exceeding this limit returns a temporary error and does not consume your quota.

4.8 No advice, no fiduciary relationship

Use of Index // MRKT does not create a fiduciary, advisory, or professional relationship between you and Black Dollar Index. Index // MRKT cannot replace a professional advisor.

5. Data Collection and Advocacy Use

When you use our financial calculators and tools, you may provide data including but not limited to:

  • Zip code
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Gender
  • Income bracket or estimated income
  • Budget and expense breakdowns
  • Debt amounts and payment information

Anonymous Collection (free tools). We do not collect your name, email address, IP address, or any information that directly identifies you when you use the free calculator tools without creating an account. The data described above is collected anonymously.

Account-Linked Data (signed-in features). When you sign in to use Index // MRKT, your account record (email, tier, Query history, pack balance) is associated with your user ID. See our Privacy Policy for the full description.

Purpose of Collection. Anonymized data is aggregated and used solely to support economic equity research and advocacy conducted by Black Dollar Index and the Black Dollar Initiative nonprofit. This includes identifying financial stress patterns across communities, understanding what readers are asking about most through Index // MRKT, informing public policy advocacy, and publishing aggregate research reports.

What We Do Not Do. We do not sell your individual data. We do not share your data with lenders, credit bureaus, debt collectors, or advertisers. We do not use your data for targeted advertising or marketing.

Quasi-Identifying Data Notice. While no individual field identifies you, we recognize that combinations of zip code, demographic information, and financial data may be quasi-identifying in small geographic or demographic groups. We apply minimum sample size thresholds before publishing any aggregated data to protect against re-identification.

Mission-Aligned Partners. We may share aggregated, non-identifiable research findings with mission-aligned advocacy organizations and research institutions. Individual records are never shared.

Data Storage. Data is stored securely via Supabase. Please review our Privacy Policy for complete data handling details.

6. User Accounts

Certain features of the Services — including Index // MRKT — require account registration through Google OAuth. You agree to:

  • Provide accurate information
  • Maintain the security of the Google account you use to sign in
  • Notify us promptly of any unauthorized account access at [email protected]
  • Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account, including queries submitted and purchases made

We may suspend or terminate accounts that show signs of compromise, abuse, or shared credentials.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Services for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable regulation.
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or reproduce the corporate equity database, scoring methodology, or proprietary research, including by extracting BDI data through systematic Index // MRKT Queries.
  • Submit false or misleading data into any tool or calculator.
  • Submit prompts designed to bypass Index // MRKT's content filter, exfiltrate our system prompt, override BDI's editorial instructions, or coerce the model into producing prohibited content (collectively, "prompt-injection attacks").
  • Submit slurs, explicit profanity, or content Index // MRKT's content filter is designed to block.
  • Use Index // MRKT to generate content that defames, harasses, or threatens any person or entity.
  • Use the Services to provide financial, legal, tax, medical, or credit advice to third parties as if it were professional advice. Index // MRKT responses are educational only.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Services.
  • Use automated means — scripts, scrapers, bots, headless browsers — to access the Services without our prior written consent.
  • Share your account credentials or sell, transfer, or pool query-pack balances across accounts.

Violation of this section may result in account suspension, termination, forfeiture of unused query-pack balances, and where appropriate, referral to law enforcement.

8. Intellectual Property

All content, tools, calculators, scoring methodologies, corporate equity data, design elements, AI system prompts, and written materials on blackdollarindex.com are the property of For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC or its licensors and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Services for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any content without our express written permission.

Index // MRKT output. You may quote, paraphrase, and share individual Index // MRKT responses for personal, non-commercial use with attribution to Black Dollar Index. You may not republish Index // MRKT output at scale, train another machine-learning model on Index // MRKT output, or use it as a substitute for licensing BDI's underlying data.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICES — INCLUDING INDEX // MRKT AND ALL AI-GENERATED RESPONSES — ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. FOR THE EQUITY MARKETING & CONSULTING, LLC, OPERATING AS BLACK DOLLAR INDEX, DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR TIMELINESS OF ANY CORPORATE EQUITY DATA, CALCULATOR RESULTS, AI-GENERATED RESPONSES, OR OTHER CONTENT.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS CAN PRODUCE OUTPUTS THAT ARE INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE, OR FABRICATED. YOU ASSUME ALL RISK FOR ANY DECISION YOU MAKE IN RELIANCE ON AN INDEX // MRKT RESPONSE.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, FOR THE EQUITY MARKETING & CONSULTING, LLC, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AND THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS (INCLUDING OUR AI MODEL PROVIDER) SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from these Terms or the Services shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or $50, whichever is greater.

The Services may reference or link to third-party websites, data sources, or resources including corporate reports, government data, and external tools. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Black Dollar Index does not endorse and is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any third-party sites.

The Services rely on third-party providers including Google (authentication and AI model), Stripe (payments), and Supabase (database and edge functions). Their respective terms and privacy policies apply to the portion of the Services they provide. We are not responsible for outages or data handling at those providers beyond our reasonable diligence in selecting them.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC, its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Services, your violation of these Terms, your violation of any law, or your infringement of any third-party right — including any claim arising from your use of Index // MRKT output in a context the Terms prohibit.

13. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via notice on our website or by email to registered users at least 14 days before taking effect. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Services at our discretion, including for violation of these Terms, fraudulent activity, abuse of Index // MRKT or its content filter, or actions that harm other users or the integrity of our mission and data. On termination, any unused query-pack balance is forfeited.

15. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC is incorporated, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration or in the courts of competent jurisdiction in that state.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

For the Equity Marketing & Consulting, LLC Operating as: Black Dollar Index Website: blackdollarindex.com Email: [email protected]

Black Dollar Index is committed to economic equity, data transparency, and community trust. Built with ♥ by and for the community.