Effective date: July 16, 2026 · Last updated: July 16, 2026
The Cents Report is committed to accurate, fair, and independent personal-finance journalism for everyday Americans. These standards govern how we report, write, and correct our work.
1. Our editorial mission
We cover the money topics that affect ordinary households: Social Security and Medicare, retirement, taxes, banking and saving, the cost of living, work and paychecks, and consumer scams. Our focus is service journalism, translating official rules and figures into clear, actionable information.
2. Accuracy and fact-checking
Every article is reviewed before publication. Our accuracy standards include:
- Verifying facts, figures, deadlines, and dollar amounts against primary and official sources, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, CMS and Medicare, the Treasury and TreasuryDirect, the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FDIC and NCUA, the Department of Labor, the FTC, and the CFPB.
- Linking to the original source whenever a fact, figure, or rule is cited, so readers can verify it themselves.
- Keeping links to mainstream-news sources to a minimum and preferring the official record.
- Distinguishing clearly between factual reporting and analysis.
- Saying so plainly when something cannot be confirmed from the public record, rather than guessing.
3. Editorial independence
Our newsroom operates independently of our business and advertising functions. Advertisers, sponsors, and affiliate partners do not see articles before they publish and cannot request, edit, delay, or kill a story. A company being an advertiser earns it no softer and no harsher coverage. Anything paid for is clearly labeled.
4. Sourcing and attribution
We attribute information to named agencies, documents, and officials, and we do not publish fabricated, composite, or invented people, quotes, or scenarios. When we rely on a report, filing, or data release, we identify and link it.
5. Corrections
We fix errors promptly and in the open. When a factual mistake changes what a reader understood, we correct the article and add a dated note explaining what changed. See our corrections policy.
6. Not financial advice
Our reporting is general information and education, not personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. See our disclaimer.