Editorial Policy

Health and money decisions matter. This page explains how we try to earn your trust.

Sources first

Every article is based on authoritative, publicly available sources, chosen in this order of preference:

1. U.S. government agencies (for example SSA.gov, Medicare.gov, CMS, IRS, CDC, NIH and the National Institute on Aging, CFPB, FTC, HUD, USDA).
2. Major nonprofit and academic medical organizations (for example Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, the National Council on Aging, AARP).

Each article lists its sources at the end and links to them in the text. We do not cite anonymous blogs, product sellers or social media posts as evidence.

Numbers and dates

Social Security, Medicare and tax figures change every year. We only state a specific dollar amount, percentage or deadline when it appears on the official source we link to, and our publishing system checks that each such figure appears in the source text. When a figure is likely to change, we tell you where to look it up.

Checks before publishing

Before an article goes live it must pass automated and editorial checks, including:

• every source link loads from the official site;
• specific figures are traceable to a quoted passage in a source;
• no placeholder text, made-up people, testimonials or quotes;
• the topic is not a duplicate of an existing article;
• clear headings, a plain-language summary and an educational disclaimer.

Articles that fail are not published.

Use of AI tools

We use AI writing assistants to help gather information and draft articles. They do not decide what is true: figures must match the linked official sources, and articles are written to point you to those sources and to qualified professionals for personal decisions.

No fake voices

Articles are credited to the Cystay Editorial Team. We do not invent bylines, credentials, expert quotes, reader comments, ratings or reviews.

Not personal advice

Our content is educational. It is not medical, legal, tax or financial advice. For decisions about your health, benefits or money, please talk with your doctor, pharmacist, a licensed professional, or free counseling services such as your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for Medicare questions.

Corrections

If you spot an error or an out-of-date figure, please tell us. We review reports promptly, correct the article, and update its “updated” date.

Advertising

Cystay shows advertising to stay free. Ads are clearly separate from our articles, and advertisers do not influence our coverage.