Fact-check policy

Before publication

  1. Source check. Each figure is traced to a primary government document. The document URL and the exact quoted text are recorded in our data files.
  2. Second-source check. Where a second official source exists (for example, an SSA fact sheet and the SSA actuarial page), the two are compared. Disagreements are noted in the article.
  3. Automated check. A script confirms that the article's frontmatter is complete, that every dollar or percentage figure appears near a source link or in our verified data files, that the headline contains no banned clickbait words, and that hedging language is kept to a minimum.
  4. Second verification pass. A separate script re-opens every source URL cited in the article, confirms each is still reachable, checks that every figure in the article matches our verified data files or sits next to an official link, and searches each cited document for the exact sentence we quoted. Any failure blocks publication.
  5. Editor review. A named editor reads the full article.
  6. No licensed reviewer. Our articles are not reviewed by a licensed Medicare agent, CPA or financial planner, and each article says so. We publish what the official documents say and link to them; we do not give individual advice.

After publication

What we will not publish