Editorial standards
How we research and check our guides.
Every guide on this site explains what the law or an official agency says, taken from that source, and nothing more. Here is where the facts come from and how each guide is checked before it's published.
Where do the facts come from?
From the primary source. The state guides on powers of attorney, health care documents and guardianship are built from each state's own statutes, read on its legislature's website, and from its agencies' and courts' official pages, forms and fee schedules. Where a state publishes its code only behind a commercial publisher's terms of use, the guide uses the laws as enacted, published by the legislature or the secretary of state, and says so.
The general guides rely on federal agencies and other primary sources: Medicare.gov and CMS, the National Institute on Aging, the Administration for Community Living, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Social Security Administration among them, along with federal statutes and regulations as published in the U.S. Code and the Code of Federal Regulations. We don't use law-firm marketing, form sellers or paid placements as sources. Every guide lists its sources at the end.
How is each guide checked?
- Every statement has a source on file. Each guide has a facts file that lists the statements it makes, the page each one comes from and, where possible, the source's exact words.
- Quotes are matched word for word. Anything in quotation marks is checked against a saved copy of the official source before the guide is published.
- The law is checked for changes. We look for recent amendments and for laws that take effect later. When a change is coming, the guide describes the law as it stands and adds a dated note on what changes.
- Comparisons can't drift. The signing-rules card at the top of each state guide and the 50-state comparison tables are built from the same checked data, so they always agree.
- No claims we can't support. A guide doesn't say what “most families” do or what “usually” happens unless a source says so. When we didn't find a rule, the guide says which law we read rather than claiming the rule doesn't exist.
What don't the guides do?
They don't recommend a specific product, plan, provider or firm; naming a kind of professional, such as an elder law attorney in your parent's state, is as far as they go. They don't make legal, medical or financial decisions for you, and they don't promise outcomes. Nothing on the site is paid placement; the about page has the rest of those promises.
Who publishes them?
Every guide is published under the byline of naveen, who builds and runs retirementchecklist.org. Retirement Checklist isn't a law firm, and the guides explain how these documents and processes work; they aren't legal, financial or medical advice.
How are guides updated, and how do I report an error?
Each guide shows the date it was last updated. If you find something wrong, such as a rule that has changed or a link that no longer works, email hello@retirementchecklist.org with the page. We check the report against the official source and correct the guide.