How Track Retirement scores and ranks financial products.
Every ranking, rate, and "best of" pick on Track Retirement comes from a written methodology — not an advertiser bid. Here's exactly how we do it.
Every ranking on Track Retirement is the output of a written scoring rubric. Compensation never moves a product up our list. This page documents the framework; the sub-pages linked below walk through the rubric for each product category in detail.
About the figures shown: the rates, payout figures, and carrier ratings on this site are currently illustrative, representative figures — not a live feed or quote. Confirm current rates and carrier ratings with a licensed specialist before acting.
Our six guiding principles
- Independence over income. No partner can pay for ranking position. Period. Our advertiser disclosure spells out exactly how we earn money and where the wall sits.
- Math, not vibes. Every "best" pick is backed by a numeric score across documented criteria — rate, fees, terms, and carrier strength. The score is reproducible by anyone reading our methodology.
- Primary sources only. A.M. Best, NAIC, IRS, SSA, FINRA, SEC, FRED, PBGC — we cite the regulatory or government source, not aggregators.
- Show our work. Every guide ends with a numbered sources block. Rates, payout figures, and carrier ratings shown on this site are illustrative, representative figures compiled from public carrier and industry sources — they are not a live rate feed, not a quote, and not an offer, and they may be out of date. Confirm any figure with the issuing carrier or a licensed agent before you act on it.
- Update relentlessly. We keep rate-sensitive pages current and re-check guides as regulations and market conditions change.
- Correct publicly. Errors happen. When we find one or readers flag it, we fix it promptly, note the correction at the bottom of the page, and update our corrections log.
How we score products, by category
Each product category uses its own scoring rubric, calibrated to the variables that matter for that decision. The detailed methodology for each lives on its own page:
- How we vet annuity carriers — AM Best + RBC + state guaranty footprint + contract feature depth.
What "best for" actually means
You'll see "best for guaranteed income," "best for safety," "best for older retirees" all over the site. We use these because the right answer genuinely depends on the buyer's situation — there is no single "best annuity." Each "best for" pick is the product that wins the scoring rubric for that specific cohort, not the highest-paying advertiser for any cohort.
What we don't do
- We don't accept payment for ranking position, ever.
- We don't take "sponsored" guides or pretend ad copy is editorial.
- We don't write content optimized for SEO without value — every guide is built around a real reader question we'd want answered ourselves.
- We don't lend, sell, or service financial products. We compare them and point you to vetted providers. They underwrite and price; we keep score.
How to fact-check our numbers
Every guide cites primary sources. Every calculator and decision tool spells out its assumptions inline. Every rate figure shows the date it was last reviewed. It is not a live quote and may have changed since. If a number on our site doesn't add up, email us — we read every message and correct promptly.
Who produces this
Track Retirement's rankings and guides are produced from documented, repeatable scoring rubrics and primary-source research, drafted with the help of AI tools and checked against those sources. Rankings are never influenced by advertiser relationships.