Methodology
The standard you can argue with.
Here's the deal: a comparison is only worth anything if you can see how it was made. So here's ours, written down. This is the standard behind every guide and every comparison we publish. If you disagree with how something lands, you'll be able to point at the exact rule you'd change — which is the whole idea. We're not a licensed agent; this is education, held to a standard we're willing to show you.
The rules, in full
We compare coverage before price
Every comparison starts by getting the coverage right for the situation — the limits, deductibles, and terms that actually protect you. Only then do we compare price across options that match. A lower number attached to thinner coverage isn't a better deal; it's a different product, and we treat it as one.
Same standard, applied the same way
We hold the coverage constant across options and apply the same criteria to each — no option gets a thumb on the scale. If two policies differ, we surface where and why, so the difference is visible instead of buried.
Every figure is named and dated
Any number we publish ties back to a named, dated public source — the NAIC, the Insurance Information Institute, a state department of insurance, the Federal Reserve, or the BLS. We describe the market as those sources measured it, on the dates they measured it. We do not publish a premium or rate we can't source, and we never promise savings.
We don't invent ratings
We don't manufacture star scores or rankings. Where financial strength or complaint history matters, we point to the named third party that measures it — an independent rating agency or a state department of insurance — not to a number we made up.
Independence from revenue
How we explain and compare coverage is walled off from how we earn. Advertising or referral compensation never decides which option we show first, how we describe a coverage, or where it lands in a comparison. If the better-fitting option pays us less, it still wins. How we make money is disclosed on the page where it applies.
Corrections in the open
We get things wrong sometimes — sources revise, markets move, we misread a detail. When we find an error that changes the picture, we fix it and say what changed. The standard is meant to be checked, not taken on faith.
Where our numbers come from
When we cite a figure, it comes from one of these — named and dated on the page:
NAIC
National Association of Insurance Commissioners — auto and homeowners database reports, market and complaint data.
Insurance Information Institute (III)
Industry facts and statistics, aggregated and cited to underlying data.
State departments of insurance
Complaint indexes, rate filings, and consumer guides specific to your state.
Federal Reserve & BLS
Macro context — the Consumer Price Index for insurance categories, and broader economic data.
The wall, restated
Revenue never moves a comparison.
The people who explain and compare coverage don't answer to the people who handle any revenue. Advertisers and referral partners don't preview our comparisons, buy placement, or decide what we cover. If a commercial relationship ever conflicted with this standard, the standard wins. We say exactly how we earn on the page where it applies.
How we make moneyThe disclaimer, stated plainly
ClearValue Insurance is not a licensed insurance agent, broker, producer, or carrier. Our content is educational only — nothing here is personalized insurance advice, and it is not an offer to sell or a recommendation of any specific policy. Coverage, eligibility, and pricing are set solely by the insurer.