Independent Cost Research Since 2011Alec Pow
Founder, Senior Editor, Economic & Pricing Investigator at ThePricer
Alec Pow is the founder and senior editor of
ThePricer,
an independent cost-research publication established in 2011. He investigates consumer prices, healthcare costs, home projects, technology, travel, public spending, defense procurement and major events.
His work and commentary have appeared in or been referenced by the Associated Press, CBS News, Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo Finance and other national and international publications.
ORCID Profile“I started ThePricer after realizing how scattered cost data was online, and I have been refining the methods ever since.”
About Alec Pow
Alec leads ThePricer’s editorial and research work, including topic selection, source gathering, price verification, cost modeling, mathematical checks, line editing, publication and later updates.
His work combines experience in financial analysis, pricing strategy and economic research with primary documents, public records, vendor information, rate sheets, direct quotations, store pricing and documented reader evidence. The goal is to explain not only the headline price, but also the fees, regional differences, assumptions and hidden costs that affect what people actually pay.
Work at ThePricer
Editorial Leadership
Oversees the full workflow from research pitch and evidence collection through mathematical review, editing, publication and scheduled updates.
Research Methodology
Maintains ThePricer’s evidence standards, including primary-document review, source triangulation, regional adjustments and transparent assumptions.
Price Modeling
Builds and audits price ranges, currency conversions, unit calculations and locality adjustments for consumer and institutional costs.
Quality Control
Reviews critical figures, links and calculations and maintains public methodology, corrections and editorial standards pages.
Professional Experience
Alec developed ThePricer alongside earlier analytical roles in finance, pricing and economic research.
Founder, Senior Editor, Economic & Pricing Investigator
ThePricer, 2011 to present
- Owns the end-to-end editorial workflow, including research, drafting, source review, mathematical checks, editing, publication and updates.
- Maintains ThePricer’s methodology for primary documents, vendor data, regional pricing, assumptions, ranges and uncertainty.
- Builds and audits cost models, standardizes currencies and units and reviews critical figures before publication.
- Oversees transparency standards, corrections, revision logs and evidence submitted by readers and industry sources.
Financial Analyst
2010 to 2013
- Built financial, profit-and-loss, cash-flow and sensitivity models used to support pricing and budget decisions.
- Reviewed vendor contracts and rate sheets to identify cost-reduction opportunities and negotiating leverage.
- Produced monthly management reports, variance analyses and forecast updates across business units.
- Conducted market and benchmark studies to test price assumptions and unit economics.
Pricing Analyst
2013 to 2016
- Built tariff and pricing models for mobile plans, services and add-ons and evaluated revenue and churn effects.
- Worked with procurement teams to align vendor terms and device subsidies with pricing strategy.
- Analyzed promotions, customer cohorts and price points to improve customer acquisition while protecting margins.
- Monitored competitor prices and retail market changes and prepared recurring pricing reports for decision makers.
Economic Research Analyst
2017 to 2019
- Researched prices in energy, telecommunications and transport using official statistics, procurement records and vendor data.
- Prepared policy briefs on consumer prices and the effect of tariffs and subsidies on end-user costs.
- Built documented datasets from tenders, rate filings and public records for reproducible analysis.
- Presented findings to stakeholders and prepared nonpartisan summaries for media and public use.
Studies, Certificates & Professional Training
Economics & Finance
- Studied Economics and Finance, 2006 to 2010.
- Additional coursework in pricing, statistics and data analysis.
- Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, Coursera
- Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate, Coursera
- University of Michigan, Statistics with Python and Applied Data Science, Coursera
- Wharton, Operations Analytics, Coursera
- HarvardX, Data Analysis for Life Sciences, edX
- NIGP public procurement foundational coursework
- CIPS Level 2 and Level 3 units
- Poynter News University fact-checking and ethics modules
- LinkedIn Learning coursework in Excel financial modeling, Power Query and Power BI
Coverage & Research Method
Coverage Areas
- Consumer goods and household expenses
- Healthcare procedures, medications and services
- Home improvement, construction and skilled trades
- Travel, memberships and professional services
- Technology, energy and telecommunications
- Public-sector procurement, defense costs and major events
Evidence Standards
- Primary documents, contracts, invoices, public records and rate sheets
- Vendor quotations, phone and email confirmations and store pricing
- Regional adjustments, currency normalization and unit conversions
- Transparent assumptions, price ranges and uncertainty notes
- Timestamped updates and a public corrections process
Read ThePricer’s full research methodology and corrections policy.
Selected Media Interviews & Expert Commentary
A selection of articles that interviewed Alec Pow, quoted his commentary or referenced his work directly.
Associated Press / CBS News
Add rent to the rising costs bedeviling small businesses
Jul 4, 2022 • The Associated Press interviewed Alec Pow about commercial rent increases, remote work, wages and inflation. The report was also published by
CBS News.
Forbes
These travelers filed a successful credit card dispute. Here’s how they did it
Jul 31, 2022 • Forbes included Alec Pow’s commentary in its reporting on successful travel-related credit card disputes.
USA Today
Looking beyond hotels and Airbnb? Try these summer travel alternatives
Jun 24, 2022 • USA Today referenced ThePricer’s cost research while examining alternative summer accommodations.
GoBankingRates / Yahoo Finance
Why the 50/30/20 budget is unrealistic and what to do instead
Originally published by GoBankingRates and syndicated by Yahoo Finance. The article quotes Alec Pow on inflation and household costs and includes findings from a ThePricer reader poll.
Editorial Standards & Research Profiles
Contact Alec Pow
Journalists, researchers, readers and industry professionals may contact Alec with interview requests, corrections, receipts, quotations, invoices, pricing documents or other cost evidence.