Who we are and how we work
Coinscribed is an independent US personal-finance publisher. We write plain-English guides to the money decisions people actually face, build free calculators that show their math, and publish original data studies anyone can check.
Editor: Varun AttriLast reviewed
- In-depth guides
- 34
- Free calculators
- 16
- Primary sources cited
- 42
- Source organizations
- 17
Our mission
Money decisions such as buying a car, choosing a mortgage or paying down a credit card are some of the most expensive choices people make, and the information around them is often written to sell a product. Coinscribed exists to give you the numbers straight: what a choice really costs, where that figure comes from, and how to work it out for your own situation.
Everything we publish is free to read and free to use, with no account required.
Guides, tools and original data
Editorial standards
These are the rules every guide, calculator and study on Coinscribed is held to. They apply to every page, whether it was published this week or last year.
Accuracy from primary sources
Rates, rules and limits come from the organizations that set or publish them: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the IRS, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and FICO and the credit bureaus for credit data. We prefer the regulator or the data publisher over a news story about it, and every source an article relies on is listed under “Sources” at the end of it.
Every number carries a date
Rates, limits and averages change. A time-sensitive figure says when it was true and who published it, and year-specific rules such as IRS contribution limits are re-checked when the new figures come out. Live rates come straight from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED); if a rate cannot be fetched, the page shows a dash, never an old number presented as today’s.
We do the math ourselves
Payment, interest and income tables are computed with standard, published formulas (amortization and compound interest), the same ones our calculators use. An article, a calculator and a data study give you the same answer to the same question.
The answer comes first
Each guide answers its question in the opening lines, in plain English, then shows the trade-offs and the numbers behind them. Terms that need explaining link to our glossary rather than being assumed.
Independent of advertisers
Nobody can pay for coverage, a ranking, a link or a different calculator result. Advertisers and partners never see or approve an article before it is published. See how we make money.
Education, not advice
We explain how things work and what the trade-offs are. We do not know your full situation, so nothing on Coinscribed is personal financial, tax or legal advice. For a decision that is specific to you, talk to a qualified professional. See our disclaimer.
Where our numbers come from
Our guides cite 42 primary-source pages from 17 organizations, mostly US regulators, government agencies and the companies that publish the underlying data. Each source page was checked on .
- CFPB15 pages
- IRS5 pages
- Experian4 pages
- Edmunds2 pages
- FDIC2 pages
- Freddie Mac2 pages
- myFICO2 pages
- American Bankers Association1 page
- Fannie Mae1 page
- Federal Reserve1 page
- Federal Reserve Financial Services1 page
- Harvard Business Review1 page
- HUD1 page
- Investor.gov (SEC)1 page
- National Association of Realtors1 page
- NCUA1 page
- VA1 page
How a guide is made
Start from a real question
We pick topics from what US readers actually ask about credit, borrowing, saving and retirement, and write to answer that question completely.
Verify every figure at its source
Each rate, limit, average and rule is checked on the page of the organization that publishes it, on the day we write, and recorded with its date.
Compute the examples
Worked examples and tables are calculated with the same formulas as our calculators, so the numbers in the text, the tables and the tools agree.
Review before publishing
Before a guide goes live it is checked against its sources and against our other pages, so the site never gives two different figures for the same thing.
Keep it current
Guides are re-checked when rates move or new limits are released. A revised guide shows its "Updated" date next to the original publish date.
Corrections policy
We work hard to be accurate, and when we are not, we fix it. If you think something on Coinscribed is wrong or out of date, email varun@coinscribed.com with the page address and what needs fixing.
- We check the report against the original source.
- Verified errors are corrected promptly, and the page shows its new “Updated” date.
- When a correction changes a figure or a conclusion, the page says what changed, so readers who relied on the old version know.
- Spelling, grammar and formatting fixes are made without a note.
How Coinscribed makes money
Coinscribed is free to read and free to use. The site may earn money from advertising and, where it is clearly disclosed on the page, from affiliate links.
Money never changes what we write. Nobody can pay for coverage, a ranking or a link in our articles, advertisers have no say in our content or how our calculators work, and a partnership never decides which product a guide mentions. The full terms are in our disclaimer.
Who is behind Coinscribed
Coinscribed is independently owned. It was founded by Varun Attri, who edits the site and is accountable for everything published on it.
Founder and Editor, Coinscribed
Varun Attri is the founder and editor of Coinscribed, an independent US personal-finance publisher. He is responsible for every guide on the site, from credit scores and car loans to mortgages, savings, retirement and debt. Each one is researched from primary sources such as the CFPB, the Federal Reserve, the IRS and the credit bureaus, and its numbers are worked out with the same formulas the site's calculators use.
For anything else, use our contact page.
Get new money guides and tools in your inbox
New guides, calculators and data studies when they publish. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.