Editorial policy

Who writes finbarrow

Every article on finbarrow is written or edited by Cristian Corrales, the founding editor. Where the subject matter benefits from licensed professional review — anything tax-, credit-, or fiduciary-sensitive — the article carries a "Reviewed by" line in the byline area naming the licensed reviewer, their credentials, their certifying body, and the date of review.

Reviewers are paid per piece. They have full authority to flag issues and require changes before publication. Reviewer relationships do not include any equity, deferred compensation, or revenue-share tied to finbarrow performance, in order to keep their incentives aligned with the reader rather than with the publisher.

Bylines, dates, and review stamps

Every published article carries:

• An author byline with name and short bio link.
• The original publication date.
• The date of the most recent review (if different from publication).
• Where applicable, the named professional reviewer and the date they reviewed.

These appear above the fold, not hidden in the footer. Readers should not have to scroll to learn who wrote what they are reading and when.

Sourcing standards

Every quantitative claim on finbarrow is anchored to a primary source — see the methodology for the specific source registry. Secondary sources (other personal finance sites, press coverage, forum threads, blogs) are not acceptable as the sole basis for a published number. Where a primary source is genuinely unavailable, we attribute the figure to its best available source and label it as an estimate.

Sources are linked inline at the point of claim. We do not aggregate sources in an end-of-article "References" section and pretend that suffices — link in context, where the reader can verify the specific number.

Information Gain requirement

Before a new article is written, the editor reviews the top US search results for the target query and identifies at least three specific original points that finbarrow can add — math the others did not publish, a primary-source datum the others missed, a perspective the others omitted, an edge case the others glossed over. If we cannot identify three, the article is not published. This rule exists because Google's Helpful Content systems explicitly penalize content that adds nothing new to the search landscape — and because publishing redundant content is a waste of the reader's time.

Use of AI in production

finbarrow uses AI tools for drafting outlines, generating first drafts of specific sections (especially calculator copy and glossary definitions), and editing for clarity. Every paragraph published under a finbarrow byline is edited by Cristian Corrales — not just reviewed at the article level, but read and rewritten where needed at the paragraph level. AI is a productivity tool here, not a substitute for an editor. We do not publish AI-generated content that has not been read end-to-end by a human editor with subject- matter judgment.

Every quantitative claim in every article — regardless of how the surrounding prose was drafted — is verified by the editor against a primary source before publication. AI- induced hallucination is a recognized risk; the editorial process treats every number as suspect until verified.

Independence and conflicts of interest

finbarrow accepts no payment for editorial placement, ranking, or favorable mention. Affiliate compensation never enters the ranking model — see methodology and disclosures. The editor and any reviewers disclose personal holdings in any publicly traded financial-services issuer that finbarrow covers.

Corrections policy

Errors happen. When finbarrow publishes a number that is wrong, the response is:

1. Acknowledge — within one US business day of being notified or self-identifying the error.
2. Verify — confirm what the correct number is, using the primary source.
3. Correct — update the article in place. Do not silently rewrite history.
4. Log — add a dated correction note at the foot of the article describing what was changed and why.
5. Notify — if the original error was material and the reader contact is known, reply directly.

Material errors — a wrong APY, a wrong contribution limit, a wrong APR — are escalated and prioritized. Cosmetic errors (typos, broken links) are fixed in routine maintenance without a correction note.

Updates and stale-content policy

Rate-sensitive articles (HYSA picks, CD picks, mortgage rate articles, credit card sign-up bonus articles) are reviewed monthly at minimum. Concept articles (glossary, explainers, methodology pieces) are reviewed at least every 12 months. When the underlying reality changes between scheduled reviews — the IRS updates contribution limits, the FRB moves rates, an issuer pulls a card — we update immediately.

Severely outdated articles are either updated, redirected to a current article on the same topic, or removed. We do not leave stale rate quotes published as if they were current.

Reader feedback and tips

Reader-submitted corrections, story tips, and questions are welcome and read. The contact page documents the prefixes that route messages to the right queue. Story tips are not paid for, and sources are not named without explicit permission.

What finbarrow will never publish

• Sponsored content disguised as editorial.
• Affiliate-driven rankings dressed up as objective.
• "Best of" lists where the ranking math is hidden.
• Numbers we cannot anchor to a primary source.
• AI-generated articles that no human editor has read in full.
• "Get rich quick" content, MLM endorsements, or speculative crypto promotion.

Appeals and complaints

If you believe finbarrow has violated this policy, write to [email protected] with [Complaint] in the subject line. We log every complaint, respond within five business days, and publish aggregate metrics on substantiated complaints annually.

Educational content only. finbarrow is an independent editorial publication, not a licensed financial advisor, broker, tax preparer, or attorney. Always verify rates, terms, and eligibility with the issuer or a licensed professional before acting. See disclaimers and funding disclosures for details.