Editorial Policy

Mission

HansonsBudget helps normal people understand their money and know their next move. We focus on plain-English, educational recommendations that lead to a clear next step — not on building another sprawling budgeting dashboard.

How recommendations are created

We follow a deliberate order so the “why” behind every suggestion is easy to explain:

1. Rule-based logic first. Most recommendations (Next Money Move splits, budget verdicts, debt-payoff order, savings-vehicle guidance) come from deterministic, explainable rules informed by mainstream personal-finance principles.
2. Your data second. Rules are personalized using the data you've already given the app — your accounts, transactions, savings goals, budget targets, retirement inputs.
3. AI third. The in-app assistants explain, summarize, and personalize the output of the rules. They never invent numbers, and they don't recommend specific securities. When a recommendation is borderline, the AI defers to the rule.

Use of your data

Recommendations are grounded in real data — your transactions, balances, goals, and inputs — not generic averages. When a suggestion appears, the app explains what triggered it (e.g., “Your rolling 30-day spending on Eating Out is 22% above your 3-month baseline”). If we don't have enough data to recommend something honestly, we say so instead of guessing.

Your data is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

How products are ranked

When we show a partner product (a savings account, a credit card, tax software, etc.), we rank by what helps the user, not by what pays HansonsBudget:

• Free actions and no-cost steps come before partner products when both are relevant.
• Within a category we weigh fees, rates, eligibility, redemption value, account minimums, and customer service.
• We try to match the product to your situation, not the average reader's.
• If we don't have enough information about you to recommend honestly, we present a comparison instead of a single “winner.”

Commission is never the tie-breaker. If two products are otherwise equivalent and one pays more, we treat that as irrelevant.

What HansonsBudget avoids

• We don't recommend specific stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, crypto assets, or individual securities. General categories only.
• We don't pretend to be a financial advisor, broker, lender, tax preparer, or attorney.
• We don't time the market or suggest you should.
• We don't moralize about your spending. There are no “good” or “bad” categories — only ones that line up with what you said you wanted.
• We don't use scare tactics, false urgency, or fake countdown timers.

Corrections and updates

When we're wrong, we fix it. If you spot a factual error, a stale fee or rate, a broken link, or a recommendation that doesn't hold up, email [hansongrant1@gmail.com] — we'll review it, correct the page, and update the effective date when we do.

Conflicts of interest

HansonsBudget may earn affiliate or referral revenue (see Affiliate Disclosure and How HansonsBudget Makes Money). To keep that conflict from bending what we recommend:

• Commission rates do not influence ranking. Editorial team members making recommendations don't see partner-level commission detail when choosing what to recommend.
• Sponsored content is labeled at the top of the page.
• We will pull or rewrite a recommendation we no longer stand behind, even when it's producing revenue.

Get in touch

Editorial questions, corrections, or tips? Email [hansongrant1@gmail.com].