Editorial Policy & Sources

Our Editorial Standards

At BasisPoint, we hold ourselves to high editorial standards to ensure that our calculators and content are accurate, transparent, and helpful. We recognize that financial information falls under Google's "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) category, which demands exceptional quality and trustworthiness.

Content Principles

• Accuracy — All formulas and calculations are verified against standard financial mathematics. We show our work on every calculator page.
• Transparency — Assumptions are always displayed. Limitations are clearly communicated. We never hide caveats.
• Educational Tone — We explain concepts, we don't prescribe actions. We use phrases like "could", "may", and "based on assumptions" rather than definitive financial recommendations.
• Independence — Our content is not influenced by advertisers. Ad placements are separated from editorial content and never placed near interactive elements.
• Currency — Articles and calculator defaults are reviewed periodically to reflect current data (e.g., IRS contribution limits, inflation data).

Fact-Checking Process

Our content goes through the following quality checks:

• Formula Verification — Calculator formulas are cross-referenced with standard financial textbooks and reputable sources
• Default Value Review — Default assumptions (7% return, 2.5% inflation, 4% SWR) are validated against current academic and government data
• Content Accuracy — Article facts, statistics, and tax information are verified against primary sources (IRS, BLS, Federal Reserve, SEC)
• Update Tracking — Every article includes a "Last Updated" date, and we review content when source data changes

Content Template Standards

Every piece of educational content on our site includes:

• Author Attribution — The name and brief bio of the content creator
• Review Status — Whether the content has been editorially reviewed
• Last Updated Date — When the content was most recently verified
• Sources/References — External sources cited in the content
• Disclaimer — Standard educational disclaimer on every page

Sources We Reference

Our calculators and content draw on the following authoritative sources:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for inflation assumptions (bls.gov/cpi)
• Federal Reserve — Monetary policy targets, inflation goals, and economic data (federalreserve.gov)
• IRS (Internal Revenue Service) — Tax brackets, contribution limits for 401(k), IRA, HSA (irs.gov)
• S&P 500 Historical Data — Long-term stock market return data for default return assumptions
• Trinity Study — Cooley, Hubbard, & Walz (1998), "Retirement Savings: Choosing a Withdrawal Rate That Is Sustainable" — Foundation for the 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate
• SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) — Investor education resources (investor.gov)
• NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) — Academic economic research papers

Corrections Policy

If you identify an error in our calculations, content, or references, please contact us immediately. We take accuracy seriously and will investigate and correct any verified errors promptly. Significant corrections will be noted with an update appended to the relevant content.

Advertising Separation

Advertisements on our site are provided by Google AdSense. Our editorial content and calculator functionality are completely independent of advertising. Ad placements are:

• Never placed near calculator inputs, buttons, or interactive elements
• Clearly distinguished from editorial content
• Not influenced by advertisers in any way