Trust & Methodology

Editorial Standards

Last reviewed May 21, 2026.

The Retirement Index publishes in a category where reader trust depends on transparency, rigor, and accountability. This page explains how we choose topics, produce reviews, cite sources, engage reviewers, handle affiliate conflicts, update articles, and correct mistakes.

Our editorial philosophy

We are independent, methodology-driven, transparent about how we make money, and accountable for the claims we publish. We treat readers as intelligent adults making consequential retirement decisions.

We prefer to acknowledge uncertainty instead of manufacturing false certainty. We do not predict markets, promise outcomes, or present a single retirement product as right for every reader.

How we produce reviews

Each review follows a consistent workflow:

1. Topic selection. Topics are chosen based on reader-decision relevance, search demand, category risk, and the absence of clear independent coverage.
2. Primary-source research. Statutory, tax, retirement-account, and regulatory claims are sourced first to primary sources where possible, including the IRS, SEC, FINRA, CFPB, Treasury, GAO, U.S. Tax Court materials, and applicable federal statutes.
3. Methodology drafting. Before companies are ranked, we define the review criteria and exclusion rules for that category.
4. Company research. Company-level claims are checked against public fee schedules, account-opening materials, custodian and trustee relationships, storage and depository documentation, public complaint records, regulatory records, company communications, and direct documentation when provided.
5. Drafting. Reviews are drafted by The Retirement Index Editorial Team against the published methodology.
6. Internal review. Drafts are reviewed against the methodology, original sources, and reader-risk issues before publication.
7. Fact-checking. Numeric, statutory, regulatory, company, fee, and policy claims are re-checked before publication.
8. External expert review when engaged — see the reviewer section below.
9. Publication and ongoing updates.Reviews are re-checked at minimum every six months. Material changes trigger a new “Last reviewed” date and a short “What changed” note.

Our reviewer policy

The Retirement Index has not yet engaged a standing external reviewer. Until a named reviewer is listed on an article, that article should be understood as internally edited and fact-checked by The Retirement Index Editorial Team, not externally reviewed by a credentialed professional. When an external reviewer is engaged, we will list the reviewer’s name, credential, review date, and scope of review on the article. We will not use unnamed, unverifiable, or fabricated reviewer credentials.

Fact-checking process

Every factual claim in a review is sourced to a primary source where one exists. Primary sources may include IRS.gov, SEC.gov, FINRA.org, CFPB.gov, Treasury.gov, U.S. Tax Court opinions, U.S. GAO reports, federal statutes, official company documents, written fee schedules, and regulator records.

Secondary sources, including news and trade publications, may be used when no primary source exists or to corroborate company-level facts. They do not replace primary-source review for tax, retirement-account, or regulatory claims.

Gold IRA scoring rubric

For Gold IRA company reviews, the scoring rubric is:

• Fee transparency: 25%
• IRS-compliance posture: 25%
• Custodian, trustee, and storage-arrangement transparency: 15%
• Product catalog and eligible-metals discipline: 10%
• Complaint and regulatory record: 10%
• Pricing, spread, and dealer-markup transparency: 10%
• Educational quality and sales-pressure signals: 5%

A company can be excluded regardless of score if it promotes personal-possession or “home storage” Gold IRA arrangements, refuses to provide written fee information, uses materially misleading tax claims, pushes high-markup products without clear disclosure, or relies on high-pressure urgency scripts.

Company submissions

Companies may submit written information, fee schedules, custodian and trustee relationships, storage and depository documentation, product catalogs, compliance explanations, and corrections to factual claims.

Submission does not guarantee coverage, ranking, inclusion, favorable language, removal of criticism, or a paid relationship. Vendors may not review or approve editorial conclusions before publication.

Conflict of interest policy

The Retirement Index may earn commissions from affiliate relationships with some companies we recommend. Rankings are determined against the published methodology before any commission discussion takes place. The rate a company pays does not change its rank.

We may review companies with which we have no affiliate relationship. We may also exclude companies that would pay us if they fail the methodology. No company pays for placement, ranking, coverage, or favorable language. Vendor relationships at the individual review level are disclosed in that review.

Affiliate-link policy

Paid provider links are labeled near the link with language such as “Paid link — we may earn a commission.” Paid outbound links use rel="sponsored noopener" attributes.

A disclosure page alone is not a substitute for disclosure near a recommendation or call-to-action.

Corrections policy

We correct factual errors promptly and visibly. To submit a correction request, email corrections@theretirementindex.com with:

• the article URL;
• the exact sentence or claim you believe is inaccurate;
• the reason you believe it is inaccurate;
• the source or documentation supporting the correction;
• your name and contact email.

We aim to acknowledge substantive correction requests within three business days and resolve them within seven business days when the evidence is clear. Complex tax, regulatory, legal, or company-record corrections may take longer.

When we make a substantive correction, we add a dated note near the bottom of the article explaining what changed and update the article’s “Last reviewed” date. We do not treat vendor preference, disagreement with an editorial judgment, or a request to remove accurate criticism as a correction.

Update cadence

Every review is re-checked against current law, company fee schedules, account-opening materials, complaint records, regulator actions, and category changes at minimum every six months. Material changes between scheduled reviews — for example, a statutory change, new regulator action, major company-fee change, new affiliate relationship, or substantial revision of a company’s product — trigger an interim review.

Editorial independence

No company has paid for placement, ranking, or coverage on The Retirement Index. Affiliate relationships exist only with companies that meet the editorial criteria. We will publish critical analysis of an affiliate partner if the criteria require it.

For our full affiliate model, see our disclosure page. For privacy practices, see our privacy policy.