Last Updated: May 8, 2026
This page explains how Real Cost Report operates editorially, how this site earns revenue, and why those two things are kept completely separate. Transparency on both fronts is a baseline requirement for a site covering financial, legal, and healthcare topics.
Who Runs This Site
Real Cost Report is operated by Dai Luong Ngo, an independent researcher and publisher. Dai is the sole author, editor, and decision-maker for all content published on this site. There is no editorial board, no outside investors, and no parent company. All editorial judgments — what to cover, how to frame it, which sources to cite, which figures to publish — are made by Dai alone.
Full background on Dai’s research experience and credentials is available on the About the Publisher page.
How We Make Money
Real Cost Report earns revenue through a single source:
Google AdSense Display Advertising
Display advertisements on this site are served automatically by Google AdSense. Google’s system matches ads to page content and visitor context using its own algorithms. Real Cost Report receives a share of revenue when visitors view or interact with these ads.
What this means in practice:
- Advertisers do not contact this site directly to purchase placements
- No advertiser knows in advance which pages their ads will appear on
- No advertiser has any ability to request, review, influence, or veto any article
- Ad revenue is not contingent on coverage of any advertiser’s products or services
What This Site Does Not Do
- No sponsored content or native advertising
- No paid reviews or paid placements of any kind
- No affiliate marketing links (no commission on product or service referrals)
- No advertiser-funded research or “white label” content
- No subscription fees or paywalled content
If any of the above changes in the future, this page will be updated and the change will be disclosed clearly within affected articles.
Editorial Standards
Source Requirements
Every factual claim in every article must be traceable to a named primary source before publication. Primary sources accepted on this site include:
- U.S. government agencies and their published data releases (Federal Reserve, CMS, CFPB, IRS, BLS, SBA, CDC, AHRQ)
- State government agencies and court records
- Regulatory bodies (NAIC, FINRA, SEC)
- Institutional research with named methodology (Freddie Mac PMMS, Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Lender-disclosed APRs and insurer-filed rate schedules
Sources not accepted as primary data inputs:
- Press releases from companies or PR agencies
- Vendor white papers or sponsored research
- Other journalism or aggregator sites
- Anonymous or unattributed data
Data Verification Process
Before any figure is published, it is verified directly against its named primary source. Where figures involve calculations or modeling — for example, converting a published interest rate into a monthly payment for a specific loan scenario — the calculation method is documented and the modeled nature of the figure is disclosed in the article.
Disclaimers
Every article on this site carries a category-specific disclaimer appropriate to the legal and liability profile of its content:
- Legal articles: “This is not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state.”
- Insurance articles: “Rates shown are sample averages. Your premium varies by risk profile, state, and insurer.”
- Mortgage articles: “Rates change daily. Figures reflect [Month Year] averages. Contact an NMLS-registered lender.”
- Healthcare articles: “This is not medical advice. Consult a licensed healthcare provider for medical decisions and a licensed insurance agent for coverage decisions.”
- Investing articles: “Past performance does not
indicate future results. This is not investment advice.” - Estate planning articles: “This is not legal
advice. Consult an estate planning attorney licensed in your state
for guidance specific to your assets and family situation.”
These disclaimers are placed at the top of each article, not buried in a footer.
What We Do Not Publish
- Content commissioned, funded, or reviewed by advertisers
- Articles written to support a predetermined conclusion
- Coverage influenced by who is or is not running ads on the site
- “Best of” rankings or recommendations that are pay-to-play
Update & Review Policy
Financial data changes. Real Cost Report maintains a structured review schedule to keep published figures accurate:
- Mortgage rate articles — reviewed quarterly against Freddie Mac PMMS data
- Medicare and health insurance articles — reviewed annually following CMS premium announcements (typically October)
- Legal fee and settlement data — reviewed when
significant new case data or regulatory changes are published - Estate planning and probate articles — reviewed
annually following IRS estate tax figure updates, typically in
January - All other articles — reviewed at minimum annually
The “Last Verified” date shown immediately below each article title reflects when the figures in that article were most recently confirmed against their primary sources.
Corrections Policy
Errors happen. When they do, this site handles them as follows:
- Factual errors — corrected as soon as identified. A dated correction note is added inline within the article: “Correction [Date]: [Description of what changed and why].”
- Outdated data — updated with the new figure and a note indicating what changed and when.
- No silent deletions — articles are not deleted to hide errors. Corrections are documented in place.
To report a correction, use the Contact page. Include the article URL, the specific claim you believe is incorrect, and a link to a primary source supporting the correction. Every flagged correction is investigated before the next publication cycle continues.
AI & Automated Content
Real Cost Report does not publish AI-generated articles. All articles are researched and written by Dai Luong Ngo. AI tools may be used in the production process for tasks such as data formatting, grammar checking, or code generation for data visualizations — but the research, analysis, editorial judgment, and final copy are the work of the human author.
Contact
Questions about editorial policy, sourcing, or corrections:
Dai Luong Ngo, Editor
Real Cost Report
[email protected]