Our Editorial Policy

Why we have an editorial policy

401k.blog is a retirement education website focused on helping readers understand U.S. 401(k) plans, retirement savings, plan fees, withdrawals, and required minimum distributions.

Retirement rules can be technical and may change over time. Our editorial policy sets out the standards we aim to follow when preparing and maintaining content so readers can better understand what an article covers, where important information comes from, and what they should verify before acting.

How we develop our content

We organize our content around common retirement questions, including how plans work, what different terms mean, and which rules may affect a person's choices.

Sources and research standards

The quality of retirement information depends on the sources used to explain it. When relevant, we aim to prioritize primary and official sources for legal requirements, tax rules, and plan guidance.

Sources that may be relevant to our coverage include:

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) materials on retirement plans, tax treatment, contribution rules, and required minimum distributions.
• U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration resources on employer-sponsored retirement plans and participant rights.
• Official plan documents, participant disclosures, and materials supplied by plan administrators when relevant to the topic.
• Reputable reporting and specialist publications for news, context, and developments that may require further verification.

A source list does not mean every source has been used for every article. Readers should consult the sources linked or cited within the specific article they are reading.

When a topic depends on a particular date, law, plan provision, or regulatory interpretation, we aim to make that context clear rather than imply that one general explanation applies in every situation.

Accuracy and verification

We aim to present factual information carefully and to avoid misleading statements, unsupported guarantees, and conclusions that go beyond the available evidence.

No editorial process can guarantee that every published detail will remain current or be free from error. Readers should verify time-sensitive information with the appropriate official source or plan administrator.

Updates and dated information

Retirement contribution limits, tax provisions, distribution rules, and other requirements can change. An explanation that was accurate at one point may need revision when laws, regulations, or official guidance change.

We aim to review content when a material change or a credible report of an error comes to our attention. Where appropriate, an article may include a publication date or an update date to help readers understand its timing.

A displayed date should not be interpreted as proof that every statement in an article has been independently reverified on that date. Readers should check official guidance for the current rules that apply to them.

Corrections and reader feedback

Reader feedback can help identify unclear explanations, outdated information, broken links, and factual errors. We welcome specific, constructive reports that include the relevant page and the information that may need attention.

Not every disagreement represents a factual error. Some retirement questions depend on plan terms, individual circumstances, or changes in interpretation. We consider the supporting information before deciding whether a revision is needed.

Editorial independence and commercial relationships

Websites may earn revenue through advertising, affiliate links, sponsorships, or other commercial arrangements. Readers should be able to understand when such arrangements may be relevant to the content they see.

Where applicable, we aim to disclose affiliate relationships and sponsored content clearly and in accordance with relevant requirements. A commercial relationship should not be presented as independent evidence that a product, service, or financial decision is appropriate for a particular reader.

Readers should also review our Affiliate Disclosure and Financial Disclaimer for further information.

This policy describes the standards we aim to follow. It should not be read as a claim that every article has been independently reviewed or that every commercial relationship has been evaluated in the same way.

Use of AI and other editorial tools

Digital publishing tools, including AI-assisted tools, may be used to support tasks such as outlining, drafting, editing, formatting, summarizing, or organizing information.

Tools can make content preparation more efficient, but their output may contain errors, omissions, or outdated claims. Important factual statements should be assessed against appropriate sources rather than treated as accurate simply because a tool produced them.

We aim to use editorial tools responsibly and to avoid presenting generated material as an official statement, a direct quotation, or the work of a named expert when that description would be inaccurate.

The use of a tool does not, by itself, establish that an article has received expert review, legal review, or independent fact-checking.

Retirement education is not personalized financial advice

401k.blog provides general educational information. Our content is not individualized financial, investment, tax, accounting, or legal advice, and reading an article does not create a professional advisory relationship.

The right decision can depend on your age, income, tax situation, employer plan, investment choices, retirement goals, and other personal circumstances. Rules and deadlines may also change.

• Review your plan documents and consult your plan administrator about plan-specific provisions.
• Use official sources to confirm current tax rules, limits, deadlines, and distribution requirements.
• Consider consulting a qualified financial or tax professional when a decision has significant personal consequences.
• Do not assume that examples, estimates, or general explanations guarantee a particular outcome.

Questions about our editorial standards?

If you notice a potential factual error, an outdated rule, a broken source link, or an unclear explanation, please contact us with the relevant page URL and enough detail to help us understand the issue.

You can reach us through the Contact page. Please do not include sensitive personal financial information in a general editorial inquiry.