How we write these guides
Our editorial principles in full, what we publish, what we refuse to publish, how we're funded, and how to flag a correction.
Six principles every guide is held to
Read these once and you'll know what to expect from any page on the site.
Education first, sales never
Every guide is written to help a borrower make a confident, informed decision, including the decision to walk away from a product. We do not publish lender comparisons. We do not promote individual lenders. We never recommend a product class as universally right.
Lead with the trade-offs
Where a product has downsides, break costs on fixed loans, residual risk on novated leases, balloon-payment shock on car loans, the guide leads with them, not buries them. If the maths is unforgiving, we publish the worked example.
Dated and updated
Every page shows a publish date and a last-reviewed date. Guides are reviewed at least every 12 months and immediately after any material change to ASIC, APRA, or ATO rules. Indicative rates are updated when the broader market moves.
Cite primary sources
Where a number, threshold, or rule is referenced, we cite the primary source, ASIC, ATO, state revenue offices, or the lender's product disclosure. We do not cite other comparison sites as authority.
Disclose conflicts
If a guide is connected to the optional broker match, a referral to our credit assistance partner, we disclose it on the page and in the Credit Guide. Your Finance Guide and the partner are part of the same group of companies. We make this related-party relationship explicit, not implicit.
Corrections, public
If we make a factual error and a reader flags it, we correct it within one business day and add a dated correction note at the bottom of the page. Substantive corrections are kept on the record indefinitely.
How this site is funded
We are upfront about the commercial relationship that funds the site.
Reading our guides and using our calculators is free, with no email gate or paywall.
The site is funded by an optional referral relationship with a licensed credit assistance partner. If you submit the apply form and your enquiry results in a settled loan, the lender pays the partner a commission, and the partner may pay Your Finance Guide a referral fee. These payments do not affect the interest rate or fees the borrower pays. The arrangement is regulated by ASIC and disclosed in our Credit Guide.
Related-party disclosure. Your Finance Guide and the credit assistance partner (The Mortgage Group Pty Ltd trading as ALG Australian Lending Group, Australian Credit Licence 505575) are part of the same group of companies. We make this relationship explicit because it is a reasonable conflict of interest for readers to weigh.
We do not earn commissions from individual lenders. We do not run lender comparison tables. We do not place sponsored content within editorial. If any of that ever changes, the change will be disclosed on this page first.
Sources & methodology
Where the numbers, rules, and worked examples come from.
Regulatory rules. ASIC RG-209 (responsible lending), the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, APRA standards (APS 220, APG 223), and the ACCC's consumer-credit guidance are the primary sources for anything related to lending rules and obligations.
Tax rules. ATO publications (TR 95/25 for novated leases, instant asset write-off thresholds, FBT rules) are the primary source. Tax outcomes are situation-specific, and we direct readers to a registered tax agent before acting.
State rules. Stamp duty, first home buyer concessions, and grants are sourced from the relevant state revenue office. Numbers are reviewed at least quarterly and on every state-budget change.
Indicative rates. Where rates appear, they are indicative only, drawn from public lender disclosures and updated when the broader market shifts. They are not a quote or an offer of credit.
Worked examples. All worked examples use stated assumptions. Where the maths is sensitive to a single input, we include sensitivity bands or alternate scenarios.
Update cadence
When pages get reviewed and re-dated.
Every guide carries a publish date and a last-reviewed date. We update on the following triggers:
- RBA cash rate decisions, where they materially change the rate landscape.
- State or federal budget changes that affect duty, concessions, or grants.
- ASIC, APRA, ATO, or AFCA guidance changes that affect responsible lending, tax treatment, or dispute resolution.
- At least once every 12 months as part of an annual review, even if no external change has occurred.
- Whenever a reader flags a factual issue and the issue is confirmed.
Corrections policy
How to flag an error, and how your broker handles it.
If you spot a factual error in any guide, a number, a rule, a citation, a worked example, please email info@australianlendinggroup.com.au with the URL and a brief note on what's wrong.
We aim to:
- Acknowledge your message within one business day.
- Correct factual errors within one business day of confirming them.
- Add a dated correction note at the bottom of any page where the error materially affected guidance.
- Keep substantive correction notes on the record indefinitely, even if the underlying error has been fixed.
Trivial typo fixes are made silently. Substantive corrections, anything that changes a recommendation, a worked example, or a number a reader might act on, are kept on the record.
Found an error?
Email us. We treat correction reports as a gift.