1. Our editorial mission
GE3's editorial mission is to publish calculators and explainers that are accurate enough to plan around and clear enough to understand without a law degree. We treat every topic — from VA disability ratings to UK ILR continuous residence — as if a real person will make a real decision based on our work, because they will. This means our content must be grounded in primary sources, written in plain English, and updated when the underlying law changes.
We do not chase search traffic with low-quality content. We do not scrape, spin, or rewrite existing articles. We do not publish pages that exist solely to host advertising. Every page on GE3 has a purpose: to give you a number you can trust or an explanation you can act on.
2. Sourcing and primary references
Every calculator on GE3 is built around a primary source. We pull the relevant statute, regulation, agency handbook, or official fee schedule and trace each input field to a specific provision. Our preferred source hierarchy, in order of authority, is:
- Statutes — the U.S. Code (e.g., 38 U.S.C. § 1114 for VA compensation), the United Kingdom Immigration Rules, the Internal Revenue Code.
- Regulations — the Code of Federal Regulations (e.g., 38 CFR § 4.25 for the VA combined-ratings table), the Home Office Guidance, Treasury Regulations.
- Agency handbooks — the M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual (VA), the OPM CSRS/FERS Handbook, the SSA Program Operations Manual System (POMS), the USCIS Policy Manual.
- Official publications — annual rate tables, contribution limit announcements, bend-point updates.
When a rule has been interpreted by case law (such as Federal Circuit decisions on VA rating criteria or Supreme Court decisions on immigration), we cite the case and explain how it changed the rule. We prefer binding precedent over persuasive authority and note the jurisdiction where relevant.
3. Original writing
Every article on GE3 is written from scratch by our editorial team. We do not:
- Scrape content from other websites, government agencies, or Wikipedia
- Rewrite existing articles by substituting synonyms or rearranging paragraphs
- Use AI to generate content without human review and substantive editing
- Syndicate or republish content from other publishers
- Translate content from another language without verification
Our articles are written by humans who understand the subject matter. Each article reflects the writer's synthesis of primary sources, not a regurgitation of someone else's summary. We cite our sources inline so you can verify our work — if we state a dollar amount, a percentage, or a procedural rule, you will find a link or citation to the primary source nearby.
4. Calculator methodology
Every calculator on GE3 follows a documented methodology that traces back to primary sources. The methodology is published on the calculator's page itself — scroll past the form to read it. Each methodology section explains:
- The underlying formula or table, with a citation to the source
- Every input field and what it represents
- Any assumptions or simplifications we have made (and why)
- What the calculator does not account for (and where to find that information)
- A worked example showing the math step by step
If we discover that a calculator is producing incorrect results due to a bug, an outdated formula, or a misinterpretation of the law, we fix it within 14 days of verification and note the correction in the methodology section.
5. Fact-checking
Every article is fact-checked before publication. The fact-checker verifies:
- That every dollar amount, percentage, date, and procedural rule matches the current primary source
- That every citation resolves to the correct provision (not a broken link or a moved section)
- That worked examples produce the stated output when the math is recomputed
- That the article does not overstate certainty where the law is ambiguous
For articles covering rapidly changing topics (annual rate adjustments, immigration rule changes, tax law updates), the fact-checker also confirms that the most recent change has been incorporated.
6. Updates and review cycle
Every article displays a "Last reviewed" date at the bottom. Our review schedule varies by topic:
- Annual rate tables (VA compensation, Social Security bend points, tax brackets, contribution limits) — reviewed each November after the SSA announces the COLA
- Immigration rules (UK ILR, US citizenship) — reviewed quarterly, or immediately after a Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (UK) or a USCIS Policy Manual update (US)
- Procedural guides (probate, estate planning, appeals processes) — reviewed annually
- Evergreen explainers (formulas, methodology, conceptual articles) — reviewed every 18 months
When a major law change occurs (such as SECURE 2.0, the Appeals Modernization Act, or a TCJA sunset), we update all affected articles and calculators within 30 days of the effective date.
7. Corrections
We welcome corrections from readers. If you spot an error — a wrong dollar amount, an outdated citation, a typo in a formula — email contact@ge3.shop with the URL and the issue. We investigate every report and update verified errors within 14 days. Significant corrections are noted at the bottom of the affected article with the date of the change.
We do not silently rewrite history. If an article previously stated a rule that has since changed, we update the article to reflect the current rule and add a note explaining what changed and when.
8. Advertising independence
GE3 is funded by advertising, but advertising never influences editorial content. Advertisers cannot:
- Review, edit, or approve calculators or articles before publication
- Request that we change a formula, conclusion, or citation to favor their product
- Pay for placement in our calculators, articles, or "related" sections
- Suppress content that is unfavorable to their interests
Sponsored content, if we ever publish it, will be clearly labeled as such, separated from editorial content, and subject to the same factual standards as our other work. We do not publish paid reviews or "best of" rankings that accept payment for placement.
9. Conflicts of interest
Our editorial team does not accept gifts, payments, or other benefits from companies whose products we cover. We do not own securities in any company whose product we review (we do not review products — we publish calculators and explainers). If a team member has a personal conflict of interest (such as a family member employed by an agency we cover), they recuse themselves from writing about that topic.
10. Use of AI tools
We use AI tools for research assistance, draft outlining, and copy editing — never for generating final published content without human review. Every article published on GE3 is written, fact-checked, and edited by a human who understands the subject. We do not use AI to generate articles at scale, and we do not publish AI-generated content that has not been substantively reviewed and verified by a human editor.
11. Contact
Questions about our editorial standards? Email contact@ge3.shop.