Methodology

The credibility ladder

Every source carries one of five levels. The level is printed next to the source on the article itself, not buried here. Only the top two may be stated as fact in our own voice.

1. Primary source

   Published by the body that produced the data. Treat as fact, and cite it directly.

2. High credibility

   A named, methodologically transparent publisher. Reliable, but the method is the publisher's own.

3. Supporting source

   Useful corroboration. Compiled or aggregated rather than measured — treat as indicative, not exact.

4. Promotional source

   Produced to sell something. Attribute it to whoever paid for it. Never present it as verified.

5. Unverified

   The desk could not trace this to a named publisher. It is repeated here as a claim only.

Risk classification

Project reviews carry one of four classifications, never a score. A classification is a relative judgement about structure — how many ways the deal can go wrong and whether those ways compound — not a forecast of return. Every classification is published with the reasoning that produced it, so you can disagree with the reasoning rather than the label.

1. Lower risk

   Relative to the other structures reviewed here, fewer compounding risks. This is a judgement about structure — not a prediction of return, and not a recommendation.

2. Moderate risk

   Real risks that a prepared investor can assess and price. Read the concerns in full.

3. Higher risk

   Several risks that compound. Suitable only for investors who can evaluate each one independently.

4. Insufficient information

   The desk did not receive enough evidence to classify this. No classification is better than a guess.

“Insufficient information” is a real outcome, not a failure state. Where a developer declines to provide evidence, we publish that rather than guessing — and the refusal is itself information worth having.

What we never do

• Publish an investment score

  A number travels without its reasoning. A classification with an explanation does not.

• Republish a publisher's article

  We store the original headline, a short factual summary, the link and our own analysis. Never the article.

• Present a developer claim as fact

  It gets attributed to whoever made it, every time, however plausible it is.

• Show an unlabelled figure

  Every number states its source and period, or it says it is demonstration data.

• Sell a review outcome

  Advertising buys a labelled placement. It does not buy a conclusion.

• Quietly amend a published figure

  Material corrections are dated and noted. See the corrections policy.

Source register

Every source this portal draws on, and how far each can be relied on. 56 registered.