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Editorial Policy

Last updated: September 26, 2026

This page explains what Moneystretching covers, where our facts come from and how our articles are checked, how we handle mistakes, and how advertising is kept separate from what we publish.

What we cover

We write about the recurring costs of later life in the United States: Medicare and Social Security, health care bills, home and auto insurance, mortgages and property taxes, wills and estates, debt and taxes.

We usually start from one question: does this arrive in someone’s mailbox with a number on it and a deadline attached? Rate letters, annual notices, escrow analyses, denial letters, hospital bills. Those are the moments when knowing one line of the rule can be worth real money.

Where our facts come from

Figures, dates and rules in our articles come from primary sources, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission and state insurance departments, and from research organizations such as KFF. The sources an article relies on are listed at the end of that article, so the key numbers can be checked without taking our word for it.

When an official figure for a future year has not been published yet, we say so and label the estimate as a projection, with its source. We do not present a projection as a published rule.

How articles are checked

A human editor reads every article before it is published and checks its figures, dates and rules against the sources listed at the end of it. Responsibility for what we publish rests with our editorial team.

This policy applies to articles published or updated since the site changed ownership in 2026. Articles from 2021 and 2022, written under a previous owner, are marked “Archive.” They have not been reviewed under this policy and may be out of date.

Bylines and pen names

Our articles are published under two pen names: Margaret Linwood (Medicare, Social Security, health care costs, life insurance and estates) and Ray Castellano (home, auto, money and taxes). A pen name tells you which subject area an article belongs to. It is not a claim that a particular credentialed expert wrote the article, and every article is held to the same standards described on this page.

Our bylines do not claim professional licenses or credentials of any kind. Nothing on this site is advice from a licensed insurance agent, financial adviser, tax professional, attorney or health care provider, and it should not be read as such. Messages sent to either byline’s email address reach our editorial team.

Updates

Official figures change on a calendar. The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is announced in October, Medicare premiums in the fall, inflation-adjusted tax figures late in the year, and insurance rate filings throughout the year.

Each article shows the date it was last updated. When a figure we rely on changes, we work to update the article promptly and change the “Updated” date when we do. Until then, the date shows when the article was last checked.

Corrections

If you think we got something wrong, write to corrections@moneystretching.com. Tell us the article, the sentence, and the source that says otherwise.

We check the claim against the primary source. If the article is wrong, we correct it and add a dated note at the end of the article saying what changed. If the article is right, we will tell you which source it relies on.

Advertising and independence

Moneystretching is free to read and is paid for by advertising: display ads and sponsored search listings supplied by Google. Our Advertising Disclosure explains how that works.

  • Advertisers do not see articles before publication, cannot commission or block coverage, and have no say in the figures we publish or the conclusions we reach.
  • Ads are chosen by automated auctions. An ad shown next to an article is not a recommendation.
  • Ad spaces we place are labeled “Advertisement.” Blocks labeled “Related searches” list search terms we choose to match the article; selecting one opens a page of sponsored listings (ads) from Google.
  • We do not publish sponsored articles, accept payment for coverage, use affiliate links or sell reader information as leads.
  • We promote our own articles with paid ads on social media. Those ads lead to the article they describe, sometimes through a shorter introductory page with a button to continue reading.

What we do not do

We do not recommend specific insurance plans, policies, lenders or financial products. We do not answer individual questions about a reader’s own coverage, taxes, legal situation or medical care, and we cannot act on anyone’s behalf with an agency, insurer or lender. For that, contact a licensed professional or the agency directly. Our articles say which one and what to ask.

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