Editorial Policy, ccpayoffcalc.com

Editorial Policy

Last updated: May 2, 2026.

This page describes how we research, write, and review content on ccpayoffcalc.com. The policy is enforced by our editorial team and is reviewed quarterly.

How we research

Every numerical claim on this site is sourced from a primary government source, peer-reviewed academic research, an industry-body publication, or directly from an issuer’s pricing page. Our preferred primary sources:

• Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit , monthly release on credit card interest rates
• CFPB Consumer Credit Card Market Report , annual comprehensive market report
• Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances , household financial data
• NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report , quarterly debt data
• Issuer pricing pages (Chase, Citi, Capital One, etc.) for card-specific APR ranges
• Kellogg School of Management research , peer-reviewed behavioral economics

Sources we deliberately do NOT cite:

• Affiliate-driven listicle sites without primary sourcing
• Marketing pages without disclosure of methodology
• Debt-relief or debt-settlement firm publications

Who reviews content

All content is reviewed by the Soft Crown Editorial Team for:

• Numerical accuracy against the cited primary source
• Compliance with the YMYL disclaimer requirement
• Voice consistency (warm coach, not preachy or shaming)
• Citation completeness (≥2 primary sources per spoke; ≥5 per pillar)

Pages with high-stakes claims (HELOC, bankruptcy, 401(k) loan) carry an additional YMYL disclaimer flagging the legal or retirement risk.

We do not currently retain a credentialed financial reviewer (CFP, NFCC counselor, CPA) on staff. When such a reviewer is engaged, their name, credential number, and credential-board verification URL will be displayed on every reviewed page. Until then, we use the honest “Soft Crown Editorial Team , fact-checked against primary sources” attribution.

What we will NOT do

We will not link to debt-relief firms or debt-settlement firms. This category of business advertises “settle for 50 cents on the dollar” and typically produces worse outcomes than the math they replace. The FTC has a public consumer alert on debt-settlement practices for a reason. We do not refer users into this category, and we do not earn affiliate commissions from any debt-relief firm.

We will not earn affiliate commissions on credit card applications. The credit card affiliate market pays $200-500 per approved application, which creates structural pull on which cards get top placement on most “Best Of” lists across the internet. We do not participate. Our card rankings are based on math (months/fee ratio for balance transfers, lowest APR for consolidation loans, etc.) and verified terms.

We will not earn affiliate commissions on personal loans. Same structural reason. Lender affiliate fees would create pressure on rankings; we do not take that pressure.

We will not run sponsored content. No “advertorial,” no “in partnership with,” no native advertising. Display ads on calculator pages are clearly marked as advertising; editorial content is editorial.

We will not use AI-generated content without human review. All editorial content on this site is written by human writers (currently, the founder), reviewed by the editorial team, and fact-checked against primary sources. AI tools may be used for research synthesis or first-draft suggestions, but no published content passes through without human review.

What we DO

We document our methodology. The methodology page shows the math behind every calculator: daily-balance interest accrual, minimum payment formula, strategy execution logic.

We disclose the funding model. This site is funded by display advertising on calculator pages. Display advertising is served by a programmatic ad network (currently Google AdSense or equivalent). Ads do not influence content; we have no relationship with advertisers beyond the ad network’s standard terms.

We update factual data on a defined cadence. APR averages from CFPB and Federal Reserve are updated when new releases are published. Issuer-specific APRs on programmatic pages are verified daily against issuer pricing pages by an automated checker.

We publish corrections. If we discover an error in published content, we correct it on the page and note the correction in the page’s “Last verified” timestamp. Significant corrections are noted at the top of the page.

We make our research replicable. Our 2026 Debt Payoff Strategy Index documents methodology so that any reader can replicate the findings using the cited source data.

Conflicts of interest disclosure

Author: Aissam Baidi is the founder of Soft Crown and the primary author of ccpayoffcalc.com. Aissam has no commission relationships with debt-relief firms, balance-transfer card issuers, personal loan lenders, or credit counselor agencies. Aissam is not a CFP, NFCC counselor, or CPA. His role is researcher and product owner, not licensed financial advisor.

Site funding: Display advertising on calculator pages. Ad network revenue depends on traffic and ad inventory; we have no per-product or per-card incentive structure.

Other relationships: None at this time.

How to reach us

Editorial questions, corrections, factual challenges: editorial@ccpayoffcalc.com (or our contact page)

We respond to factual challenges within 5 business days. Demonstrably incorrect claims are corrected promptly.

Updates to this policy

This policy is reviewed quarterly. Material changes are noted with the date of revision. The current version (May 2, 2026) is the active policy.

Disclaimer. This site is not financial advice. Calculations are estimates based on the inputs you provide. Consult a non-profit credit counselor (NFCC member) or licensed financial advisor before making major debt-management decisions.

Quick answers

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