Editorial standards
These are the standards we hold our content to. They exist so you can trust the numbers and the explanations, and so you can check our work rather than take it on faith.
A named author on every guide
Every playbook carries a byline. Sam Sage writes and is accountable for this site. Sam Sage is not a licensed financial advisor, broker, CPA, or planner, and claims no professional financial credential: nothing here is personalized advice, and we never imply a license, certification, or title we do not hold.
Stated assumptions
Calculators and guides spell out what they assume, and those assumptions are drawn from what the math actually does. If an assumption would change your result, you can see it and adjust it.
Primary-source citations
Figures come from primary sources (the agencies that set or publish the numbers), and we cite them on the page and gather them on our sources page. We prefer the original document over a second-hand summary.
Tested, decimal-precise math
All math runs on one shared engine using decimal precision and is checked against known-correct results to the cent. Correctness is verified by an automated test suite, not by opinion.
Last-reviewed dates and corrections
Pages show when they were last reviewed, and year-stamped figures are reviewed on an annual checklist. When we get something wrong, we fix it and log it openly.
Plain, honest language
We write in plain language, avoid hype, and show the full math rather than a black-box answer. We would rather be clear and modest than impressive and vague.
How we use AI
We use AI tools to help draft and edit copy, organize research, and catch unclear writing. We are telling you this plainly because you deserve to know how the words are made.
What AI does not do here is decide what is true. A human reviews every published page and is accountable for it, and the figures are checked against primary sources. The math is never the product of an AI guess: it runs on our shared engine and is verified by an automated test suite that checks results to the cent. AI assists the writing; people and tests are responsible for the facts.
See also how we build and verify, our sources, and our corrections policy.