These calculators help people make decisions about money, so we hold the content to a clear standard. Here is how it is made and maintained.
Every tool is built on a documented finance formula, not an approximation we invented. The future value, compound interest, APY, and related calculations follow their standard definitions, and each calculator page states the formula in plain language so a reader can reproduce the result by hand.
For definitions and investor guidance we rely on primary, non-commercial sources, chiefly the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and its investor education site, investor.gov. When a page makes a factual claim about how a product or metric works, it links to a source a reader can verify.
Projections use assumptions you control, and we say so on every page. We do not present a modeled return as a guarantee, and we note that real returns vary and that investing carries risk, including possible loss of principal. None of the content is financial, tax, or investment advice.
Content is written by named contributors through Encore Editorial and reviewed before publishing. Our business and finance contributor, Jessica Martinez, checks each calculator's math against a primary source.
If you find an error, tell us through the contact page. We fix confirmed mistakes promptly and update the page so the math stays correct.