Editorial Policy

Our Editorial Mission

MONEYlume's editorial mission is to produce accurate, clear, and actionable personal finance content that helps Americans make better financial decisions. We are editorially independent from our advertising partners. Our content is never written to favor any advertiser.

Who Writes Our Content

Articles are produced by writers and editors with backgrounds in personal finance, economics, journalism, or law. Authors with professional credentials (CFP, CPA, JD, Series 65) are identified in their bylines. All contributors must disclose any financial conflicts of interest before writing about a product or service.

Research Standards

Every article cites primary sources wherever possible. Our primary source hierarchy:

1. Tier 1 (highest priority): CFPB, Federal Reserve, IRS, SSA, SEC, FDIC, government agencies
2. Tier 2: Peer-reviewed academic research, Federal Register, official court records
3. Tier 3: Major financial institutions (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion), established publishers (Bankrate, NerdWallet, Investopedia)

We do not cite anonymous sources, press releases as facts, or user-generated content as data.

Review and Approval Process

1. Writer researches and drafts the article with cited sources
2. Editor reviews for accuracy, clarity, and source quality
3. For complex financial or legal topics, a subject-matter expert (CFP, CPA, or attorney) reviews for accuracy
4. Article is published with author byline, publication date, and last-updated date

Update Policy

Financial information changes rapidly. We review and update articles based on the following schedule:

• Rate-sensitive content (mortgage rates, savings rates, credit card APRs): Monthly
• Tax and regulatory content: Updated immediately when law changes
• Evergreen how-to guides: Reviewed annually

Every updated article shows a "Last Updated" date. We do not backdate changes.

Corrections Policy

We correct factual errors within 24 hours of confirmation. Corrections are noted at the top of the article with the correction date and nature of the change. We do not silently edit factual errors. See our fact-checking process →

Editorial Independence

Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and business teams. Advertisers have no influence over article content, rankings, or recommendations. Product recommendations are based solely on editorial assessment. See our Affiliate Disclosure for how we handle commercial relationships.

How We Make Money

MONEYlume is free to read. We earn revenue through:

• Display advertising (Google AdSense) — ads are served automatically based on content and user context. Advertisers have no editorial influence.
• Affiliate partnerships — when we link to a financial product and a reader applies or signs up, we may receive a commission. This never affects our ratings or whether we cover a product. Affiliate relationships are disclosed on relevant articles and on our Disclosure page.

We never accept payment to publish or suppress specific content. We never guarantee positive coverage to sponsors.

AI-Assisted Content

Some MONEYlume articles use AI writing tools as a drafting aid. All AI-assisted content is reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a human editor before publication. AI is used for efficiency — not to replace editorial judgment, source verification, or subject-matter expertise.