How we compare

How we pick topics

We start with what people and small businesses ask about most. We explain each topic even when we don't have a partner for it. The guide can still help you shop anywhere.

Where our cost numbers come from

• We name every source. Each page lists where its numbers come from, with a link.
• We prefer strong sources. That means government agencies, regulators, and big data sets built from real prices people paid.
• Company price data is labeled. When a typical price only exists in a company's own data, we name the company and say whose customers the number comes from.
• We show how old the data is. If a number is more than a year old, we say which year it's from.
• If we don't trust a number, we don't use one. Some prices vary too much to have a useful average. When that happens, we say so and explain what drives the price instead.
• Ranges, not quotes. Our numbers show what's typical. Your price comes from the provider.

Not every provider is here

We work with a small number of partners. Many companies aren't on this site. That doesn't mean we think they're good or bad.

Payment can affect what you see

Partner payments can change which providers and products you see, and in what order. We explain this near partner links. Any paid spot is marked Sponsored.

How we handle mortgage and home equity providers

We don't rank lenders by how much they pay us. We don't say any lender is the best for you, and we don't steer you to one lender over another. Paid spots are marked Sponsored. Compare rates, fees and terms from more than one lender before you decide.

Our explanations aren't for sale

Partners can't pay for better write-ups. We don't make up ratings, reviews, savings or approval numbers.

How we check and update pages

Our guides explain how a product usually works, not how your own contract works. We review pages when a source updates its numbers, a rule changes, or a partner changes. Every page shows the date it was last updated.

The provider's documents win

If anything here differs from a provider's quote, application, policy, contract or disclosures, the provider's documents control.

Spot a mistake? Tell us.

If something looks wrong or out of date, let us know. Use the "Report an error" option on the contact page and include the page address. We'll check it and fix it.