Our editorial policy in brief
CashPicks publishes guides, FAQs and calculators to help Canadians understand short-term borrowing and decide with confidence. They're there to inform you, and never to pressure you into borrowing.
Who writes and reviews our content
People who focus on Canadian personal finance write our content, and a second team member reviews it before it goes live.
Anything that touches rules, costs or eligibility, the parts that affect your money directly, gets an extra review against the original source before it goes live.
You can read more about CashPicks on our About page. We think you should know who's giving you financial information.
How we research and source
We build our content on primary sources rather than other blogs. When a claim involves law, costs or consumer rights, we trace it back to the original, such as:
- Federal law, including the criminal interest rate rules that set the $14 per $100 cap
- Provincial and territorial consumer protection and payday loan laws
- Government bodies such as the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- The published terms and disclosures of payday lenders
Where we mention a rule or a figure, we try to name or link the official source so you can check it yourself.
Our fact-checking process
Before we publish anything, it goes through these checks:
- We check each factual claim against a current, reliable source.
- We confirm every dollar figure, cost cap and limit against the latest regulations.
- A second team member reviews the piece for accuracy and clarity.
- Claims about rules and eligibility get a final review before publishing.
How the editorial policy keeps content up to date
Lending rules change. Provinces update their rules, Ottawa revises federal regulations and lenders change their terms. Outdated money information can cost people, so we treat keeping content current as part of getting it right.
- We review our main pages, including the calculator, FAQs and guides, at least once a year
- We update pages promptly when the law changes, as we did when the federal cap of $14 per $100 took effect on January 1, 2025
- Policies and guides show a "last updated" date so you can see how current they are
Editorial independence
This is the rule we care about most. A lender can't pay for a more favourable write-up, a better position in our guides, or to have criticism removed.
Our standards of accuracy, clarity and balance come first, even when that means publishing something a business partner would rather we didn't.
Our use of AI
We may use AI tools to help with research, drafting or editing. A person always reviews, fact-checks and approves the result before it goes live, whatever role AI played, and we take full responsibility for everything on the site.
Corrections under this editorial policy
Mistakes can happen. When we get something wrong, we fix it quickly and openly. If you spot an out-of-date figure, an unclear explanation or a rule we've described incorrectly, tell us and we'll review it. Significant corrections get a new "last updated" date.
Your feedback shapes our content
If something on CashPicks confused you, left a question unanswered or didn't fit your situation, we want to hear about it. Reader feedback guides what we write next and how we improve existing pages.
Contact the editors
Have a question about our editorial policy, a correction to flag, or a topic you'd like us to cover?
CashPicks publishes general information, not personal financial, legal or tax advice. For advice about your own situation, speak with a qualified professional. If you're struggling with debt, free help is available from Credit Counselling Canada.