Fact-checking & research methodology

How guides are researched

Guides explaining financing, tax concepts, and investing mechanics are written from publicly available, generally accepted descriptions of how those mechanisms work (how amortization is calculated, how a cap rate is defined, how a loan-to-value ratio is used by lenders). Where a concept is jurisdiction-specific — a loan program, a tax treatment, a stamp duty schedule — we say so explicitly rather than implying it applies everywhere.

How calculator math is verified

Every calculator on this site is a pure function with no hidden rounding: the same inputs always produce the same outputs, and the formula is shown on each calculator's page. The core rental, mortgage, and return formulas are covered by automated tests that check the output against hand-verified reference numbers before any change ships.

What the benchmark marks mean — and don't mean

Calculators like the rental worksheet grade a deal against a benchmark mark (for example, an 8% cash-on-cash return in the US tools). These marks are commonly cited rules of thumb used by buy-and-hold investors as a starting sanity check, not official statistics, not a guarantee of performance, and not personalized to any specific market, asset class, or investor's goals. We say this directly next to the benchmark, not just here.

What we don't claim

• We do not cite specific third-party statistics or studies unless we can identify the actual source.
• We do not present a rule of thumb as a market average or an official figure.
• We do not claim our writers hold professional licenses (CPA, real estate broker, financial adviser, attorney) unless that is independently true and disclosed.
• We do not publish specific pricing or star ratings for third-party software unless we have verified them directly with the provider as of the publish date.

Corrections

If research turns out to be wrong or outdated, see our corrections policy.