Editorial policy

Our purpose

We explain how products usually work, so you can ask better questions and make your own choice. Nothing here is personal insurance, legal, tax or money advice.

Who writes our guides

The AssistQuote Editorial Team researches and writes our pages. Our founder, Shannon James Russell, is a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, a former licensed insurance agent, and a mortgage loan originator, and he reviews our insurance and home equity pages. Every page shows when it was last updated and who reviewed it.

Who reviews our guides

We only put a person's name on a page when their own background fits the subject. Everything else stays credited to our team, so we never suggest one person is an expert in every trade.

• Insurance pages and guides: reviewed by Shannon James Russell, a former licensed insurance agent and financial educator.
• Home equity and mortgage pages and guides: reviewed by Shannon James Russell, a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠ (CFEI®) and Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS #1809525. He reviews these pages for accuracy. Reading a page is not the same as getting advice about your own loan.
• Home projects, moving and business services: written and researched by the AssistQuote Editorial Team. Over time we plan to add review by licensed pros in those trades.
• Calculators: built by AssistQuote. The home equity calculator's math was reviewed by Shannon James Russell.

Plain language, on purpose

We write so almost anyone can read our pages: short sentences and everyday words. If we have to use a trade term, we explain it right away. We check each page's reading level before it goes live.

Facts we can back up

• Every number comes from a source we name and link.
• We use the newest data we can find, and we say when it's older.
• If we don't have a number we trust, we say so. We never make one up.

Where our facts come from

We start with the source closest to the rule or the data:

• Laws and regulators first. State insurance departments, state codes, federal agencies like the CFPB, FTC, IRS, FEMA, EPA and FMCSA, and groups of regulators like the NAIC.
• Well-known nonprofit and industry groups next, like the Insurance Information Institute.
• Company data last, and only when nothing better exists.

Prices from other companies

Some typical prices, like small business insurance costs or home project costs, only exist in data published by companies that sell or match those services. When we use those numbers, we name the company, link the source, and say whose customers or data the number comes from. We don't present it as a government figure.

How we check a page before it goes live

• We check that every link works and goes to the page we describe.
• We check each fact against its source.
• We check reading level and cut jargon.
• We make sure the page says what AssistQuote is and isn't, and shows our disclosure.

Clear facts, not pressure

We write to help you understand. We don't use countdowns, scare tactics, or "act now" pushes.

Claims we don't make

We don't promise approval, the lowest price, the best rate, or that everyone can qualify. We don't promise who will call you. We don't say we compare every insurer or lender.

No fake proof

We don't make up reviews, ratings, awards, company counts, approval numbers or savings. We only use company logos when we have permission.

We call things what they are

For example, home warranties are service contracts, not insurance. We say so plainly.

Kept apart from advertising

Payments can affect which partners and products appear, and we tell you that. Payments never decide how a product is explained.

Corrections

When we learn something is wrong or out of date, we fix it and update the page date. You can report a mistake from the contact page.