Editorial policy
Published · Updated · Checked
This is the standard each page is held to. It is written so that a reader, or a reviewer, can test a page against it.
Sources and tiers
- Regulators and tax authorities (the SEC, the IRS, the Treasury, the Federal Register): the only sources for statements about what a securities, tax or reporting rule requires.
- Standards bodies (FASB, the AICPA and similar): the only sources, besides regulators, for what an accounting standard requires.
- Company filings (annual reports and registration statements): the source for how a public company defines and reports a metric, always with the filing date.
- Benchmark surveys: used for typical ranges only. A benchmark is never presented as a rule, and it is named with its publisher, its date and its sample.
- Reference works and press: background only; they never stand alone for a rule, a rate or a legal claim.
Across the 15 pages published now, the 125 distinct sources split as follows: 34 from regulators and tax authorities, 7 from standards bodies, 14 from company filings, 11 from benchmark surveys, 5 from reference works, 54 from vendor guides and press.
Figures and dates
Every number taken from a source is tied to a passage in a saved copy of that source. Worked examples are the exception: they use round numbers chosen by the editors, are labelled as "our arithmetic", and are checked by recomputing them, while each sourced input still carries its citation. Rates, limits and thresholds carry the year they apply to. Each page shows when it was published, when it was last updated and the day each source was read. A date moves only when the content changes.
What we do not publish
- Investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, or any suggestion that a reader should raise, grant, buy or sell anything.
- Rankings or recommendations of funds, investors, brokers, vendors or advisers.
- Forecasts, predictions or company-specific commentary.
- Advertising, affiliate links or sponsored content. No one pays to appear here.
Voice
Pages state a rule or definition directly and keep the source link beside it, instead of reporting what a document "says". Where sources disagree, we prefer the regulator over the standard-setter, the standard-setter over a company filing, and a company filing over a survey; and the newer edition over the older one. We write for a reader who is smart and new to the topic: terms are defined on first use.
Authorship
Pages are published by the Stack Ledger editors. Authorship is collective by design: the checks described on the About page apply to every page equally.
Corrections and updates
A factual error is fixed, dated and recorded on the corrections page. Content updates appear on What changed. To report a problem, use the contact page.
Conflicts of interest
The editors hold no position in, and take no payment from, any company, fund or product mentioned on the site.