This actually brings up a question for me as a chemistry grad student...how can I find people like the OP that are looking for freelancers? Sounds like an opportunity for a website here.
I think it also depends on if it is a niche market or not. If the site is on the top of its topic, it will be much easier to get ads versus a site that simply just has decent traffic.
Something needs to be done to stop banks from taking advantage of people who don't do their research or people who are going through a crisis and need money.