How we rank
Every item is scored out of a hundred with the same six-part rubric. Here is the rubric, the rules around it and how we check what we list.
The rubric
| Max | Part | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Official or independent | Official government or not-for-profit bodies score highest. Independent journalism comes next. Firms that sell a product or advice score lower, and promotional content lowest. |
| 20 | Accuracy and sourcing | Does it name official routes and sources, and does it get the basics right? |
| 20 | Usefulness today | Can you act on it now, with steps that still work? |
| 15 | Freshness | For podcasts, guides and research this is worked out from the publish date, as of the last-checked date. Live official pages we checked score the maximum. |
| 10 | No fee | Free scores the maximum. Free then a fee scores lower. Free to use but run by a commercial firm scores just below the maximum. Unknown terms score lowest. |
| 10 | Depth | Does it go beyond the obvious and cover edge cases like a dead relative, a merged provider or a renamed company? |
Freshness
- Within 6 months scores 15
- Within 12 months scores 13
- Within 2 years scores 11
- Within 3 years scores 9
- Within 5 years scores 6
- Older scores 4
- No date shown scores 9
Cost to you (no fee)
- Free scores 10
- Free to use, commercial firm scores 9
- Free, then a fee scores 6
- Unknown terms scores 4
Rules
- Official free routes always come first in each category.
- Commercial items rank lower, and we say so on the card.
- Our own tools are labelled and never scored.
- Nobody pays to be listed or ranked.
- Links are normal followed links, because we stand behind what we list.
How we check
- Every link is checked before each build.
- Podcast episodes are checked against the show's own feed, because podcast apps return a page even for episodes that don't exist.
- Sites that block automated checks are checked by hand and marked on the card.
What we leave out
- Episodes we couldn't match in the show's own feed.
- Shows whose hosts we couldn't confirm are real.
- Items about opting out rather than finding money.
- Pages that no longer load.
Date of the last full check: 3 November 2026. Author: Frank Marco.
Questions
What does the score measure?
How useful and trustworthy an item is for finding lost money today, using six parts: independence, sourcing, usefulness now, freshness, cost to you and depth.
Can a firm pay to rank higher?
No. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked. Commercial items always rank below free official ones, and their card says so.
Why do you check podcasts against their own feed?
Podcast apps show a page even for episodes that do not exist. The show's own feed is the only reliable proof that an episode is real.
What do you leave out?
Episodes we could not match in the show's own feed, shows whose hosts we could not confirm are real, items about opting out rather than finding money, and pages that no longer load.
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Last checked: 3 November 2026