The short version
Some of the outbound links on our tools are affiliate links. If you click one and go on to buy or sign up for something, the company may pay us a commission. It costs you nothing extra, the price is the same as if you had found them yourself, and it is the only way the tools make money.
The line we will not cross: a commission never changes what a tool recommends, the order it ranks things, or the numbers it shows you. The verdict logic is written first and is identical for everyone. Money cannot move it.
How it actually works
- A tool works out your answer from your inputs alone: the verdict, the ranking, and every figure are decided before any link is shown.
- Where a relevant product or service exists (an insurance quote, an estate platform, a recommended supply), we may link to it.
- If that link happens to be an affiliate link and you buy, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
- If the honest answer is "you do not need to buy anything" or "this needs a professional, not a product," that is what the tool says, even though it earns us nothing.
What a commission never buys
- It does not change the verdict. The same inputs always produce the same result, whether or not there is money behind a link.
- It does not change the ranking. When a tool orders options, it orders them on merit, not on payout.
- It does not change the numbers. The figures come from primary sources and are the same for a paid partner and an unpaid one.
- It does not unlock anything. There is no better answer hiding behind a purchase. What you see is the whole answer.
Why we do it this way
The alternative funding models are worse. Charging for the tools would put the answer out of reach of the people who most need it. Capturing and selling email addresses would break the no-email-required model. Running invasive ads would clutter a decision that deserves a calm, clear page.
Affiliate commissions, kept strictly separate from the verdict, let the tools stay free and honest. It is the model that does the least damage to the thing that matters: an answer you can trust.
Who we partner with
We only name a company here once we have been approved into its affiliate program; we never list one we have merely applied to. Our partners are established providers whose products genuinely fit the decisions our tools help with, including partners such as Amazon Associates, Odie pet insurance, and Choice Home Warranty. The list is representative, not exhaustive, so we can bring on a newly approved partner without rewriting this page.
Per-tool disclosures
Each site in the family carries its own affiliate disclosure with the specifics for that tool, in its footer and on its about or disclosures page. This page is the family-level version of the same promise. If you ever see a link you are unsure about, assume it may be an affiliate link and treat our incentive as fully disclosed here.