About Invest Smartlys
Invest Smartlys is an independent personal finance publication covering investing, insurance, mortgages, credit and everyday money management for readers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Europe.
We exist because most financial content answers the wrong question. It tells you what a product is, when what you actually need to know is whether it applies to you, what it costs, and where the rules differ depending on which country you live in.
What we cover
Seven areas, chosen because they’re where households make the decisions that matter most:
- Investing — index funds, ETFs, dividends, retirement accounts and portfolio construction
- Insurance — life, disability, home, motor, travel, pet and business cover
- Loans and mortgages — buying, refinancing, remortgaging and borrowing decisions
- Credit cards — rewards, fees, credit building and debt management
- Personal finance — budgeting, emergency funds, saving and household planning
- Crypto and Bitcoin — covered with the scepticism the subject deserves
- Making money — side income, remote work and realistic expectations about both
How we research and write
Three principles shape every article on this site.
We work from primary sources. Where an article states a rule, a rate or a threshold, we link to the organisation that sets or publishes it. Depending on the subject, that means government bodies and regulators such as the IRS, HMRC and GOV.UK, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, HUD and the FDIC; central banks including the Federal Reserve, Bank of England, European Central Bank and Bank of Canada; industry bodies such as the Association of British Insurers; and — for product-specific details — the official terms published by card issuers, insurers, airlines and loyalty programmes.
Not every claim comes from a regulator, and we don’t pretend otherwise. What matters is that the source is the organisation actually responsible for the rule, and that you can click through and check it.
We write for more than one country. A guide to life insurance that only explains the American system isn’t much use in Manchester or Melbourne. Where the rules differ — and they usually do — we say so. Tax wrappers, credit scoring, consumer protections and mandatory cover all change at the border.
We say when something isn’t worth it. Plenty of financial products are sold harder than they deserve. Where the honest answer is “this probably isn’t for you,” that’s what the article says. Where a widely repeated claim is wrong, we correct it rather than repeat it.
What we don’t do
We don’t give personalised financial advice. Nothing on this site is a recommendation for your specific circumstances. We publish information to help you ask better questions and make more informed decisions — then take those decisions to a licensed professional who knows your full position.
We don’t hold affiliate relationships with the products we cover. When we name an insurer, a broker, a credit card or an investment platform, we aren’t paid for it. That’s why our articles tell you to verify current terms on the provider’s own site: we have no interest in which one you choose.
We don’t publish and forget. Rates, allowances and regulations change constantly. Articles covering figures that move — contribution limits, mortgage rates, tax thresholds, regulatory deadlines — are reviewed and updated when those figures change.
Who writes it
Invest Smartlys is produced by a small editorial team rather than by named individual authors. We’ve made a deliberate choice not to attach personal credentials to our articles, because we’d rather you judged the work on its sourcing than on a byline.
That places an obligation on us: every factual claim needs to be traceable to a source you can verify yourself. We think that’s a more useful form of accountability than a photograph and a job title.
Editorial standards and accountability
Who is responsible. Editorial responsibility for everything published here — what we cover, what we conclude, and whether it is accurate — rests with the site’s owner and publisher, who reviews and approves all content before it goes live. Articles are published under the Editorial Team byline because that reflects how the site is actually run, not to obscure responsibility.
We are not licensed advisers. Nobody on this site holds a financial advisory licence, and we don’t claim otherwise. We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA, the SEC, or any equivalent body. We don’t employ a certified financial planner, and we don’t pretend an article has been reviewed by one.
That’s why everything here is framed as general information and why we consistently tell readers to take decisions to a licensed professional who knows their circumstances. We’d rather be honest about what we are than manufacture credentials we don’t hold.
How an article gets written. Each piece starts by identifying what a reader actually needs to decide. We then work from primary sources — the regulator, central bank, government body or provider responsible for the rule in question — rather than from other people’s summaries. Every figure carries the date it applies to and links to where it came from, so you can check it yourself.
How it gets checked. Before publication we verify that each factual claim matches its cited source, that figures are current, that country-specific rules are labelled as such, and that nothing overstates what the evidence supports. Where we’re uncertain, we say so in the article rather than writing around it.
How we handle corrections. If you find an error, tell us through the contact page and we’ll fix it. Substantive corrections are made promptly. We don’t delete articles to hide mistakes, and we don’t quietly rewrite around them. Articles carry a visible “last reviewed” date, and that date reflects a genuine review rather than a cosmetic edit.
What we will not do. We won’t invent author credentials, claim a review process that didn’t happen, publish content produced only to fill space, or accept payment to write favourably about a product. Our Editorial Policy sets these out in full.
If you find something wrong, we want to know. Corrections are made promptly and we don’t quietly edit around mistakes.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or a topic you’d like covered — reach us through our contact page.
Our full Editorial Policy sets out how we research, source and correct our work. Before relying on anything here, please also read our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy.
Invest Smartlys provides general information only. It is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and it does not take account of your individual circumstances. Always consult a suitably qualified and licensed professional in your own country before making financial decisions.