Disclosure

We think you have a right to know how a website you read every day pays its bills, and where the words and pictures come from. So here it is, in plain language and without the legal fog. This page is written to meet the Federal Trade Commission guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.

How we make money

Running a news site costs money. Hosting, tools, and the time it takes to write and publish all have to be paid for. We do not charge you to read, and we do not put our articles behind a paywall. Instead we earn from advertising shown on the site and in our newsletter, and from affiliate commissions when a reader buys something through one of our links. Those are the only ways we make money from this site right now. If that ever changes, we will update this page.

Affiliate links

An affiliate link is a normal link with a tracking code attached. If you click one and then buy something, the seller pays us a small share of the sale. You pay exactly the same price you would have paid without clicking our link, and the commission comes out of the seller's side, not yours.

You will find these links most often in our Deals section, and sometimes inside an article where a product is relevant. We are part of affiliate programs run by retailers and networks, and the programs we participate in can change over time. When we earn from a link, we say so on the page or in the section where it appears.

Advertising

We show advertising on this site and in our emails. Some of it is sold and placed by us, and some may be served by an advertising network that fills the space automatically. When a network fills the space, we do not choose or review the individual ad you see, so an ad appearing here is not us recommending that product or company.

Advertisers pay for the ad space. They do not pay for coverage. Buying an ad on this site does not get anyone a favorable article, and it does not protect anyone from a critical one.

Sponsored content

If we ever publish an article, a video, or a newsletter section that someone paid us to run, or that we received a free product or a free trip in exchange for, we will label it clearly at the top so you see it before you read it. We will use a plain word like sponsored, advertisement, or paid partnership. You will never have to hunt for that label or find it buried at the bottom.

Our opinions are ours

Money does not decide what we write. When we say a product is worth buying, that is our honest view based on what we know about it, and we may hold that view about products we earn nothing from. When we criticize a company, we do it whether or not there is a commission at stake. If we have a financial interest in something we are writing about, we tell you inside the article, not just here.

We also want to be straight about the limits of that. We do not test most of the products we link to in a laboratory. A deal in our Deals section means we thought the price or the product looked worth your attention, not that we personally put it through months of use. Read the seller reviews and decide for yourself.

Artificial intelligence in our work

We use artificial intelligence tools alongside human editorial judgment to research topics, draft and summarize text, and create or edit images and graphics. A person decides what gets published and is responsible for it.

What that means for you as a reader is simple. An image on this site may be an illustration made by a computer rather than a photograph of a real event, so please do not treat every picture here as documentary evidence. And because these tools can get details wrong, we check facts before publishing and we correct errors when we find them or when a reader points one out.

Not professional advice

Nothing on this site is legal, financial, tax, medical, or insurance advice, and that includes anything in our Deals section or in a sponsored post. We write for a general audience and we know nothing about your particular situation. Before you act on money, health, benefits, or legal questions, talk to a licensed professional who does.

Products and sellers

Prices, stock, and offers change fast, and a deal that was real when we published it may be gone by the time you click. The seller sets the price, the shipping, the warranty, and the return policy, and your purchase is a contract with that seller, not with us. If something goes wrong with an order, the seller is who you need to contact. We are not able to issue refunds or resolve shipping problems for another company.

Corrections and questions

If you think we failed to disclose something, or you spot a mistake anywhere on the site, tell us through our contact form. We would rather hear about it and fix it. You can also read our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service for more on how this site works.