What We Fact-Check

Every article contains basic facts and material claims. Basic facts establish the subject’s identity and career. Material claims affect the article’s financial conclusion, estimate, range, or ranking position. Both require review, but financial claims receive added attention because an error can change the central result.

Our Verification Process

Fact-checking begins during research rather than after the article is complete. Writers record the source behind each major financial claim and note whether it comes from an official record, company statement, legal filing, interview, credible publication, database, or another type of source.

A reviewer then checks whether the source supports the exact claim. The review considers the date, original context, units, currency, ownership percentage, and any conditions attached to the figure. When sources conflict, the reviewer examines which source is closer to the event, which provides documentary support, and whether later information replaced an earlier figure.

A claim that cannot be verified may be removed, rewritten with clear attribution, or described as uncertain. Unsupported information should not be converted into fact through confident wording.

Our Source Hierarchy

Sources do not carry equal weight. We prefer records and statements that are directly connected to the fact in question. Secondary reports can provide valuable context, but they should not replace an available primary record.

A source’s usefulness depends on the claim. An official company announcement can confirm that an acquisition occurred, but it may not reveal the price. A public figure can confirm participation in a deal without disclosing how much money was retained. We do not extend a source beyond what it actually proves.

Checking Salaries and Contracts

Contract reports often use the largest possible figure in a headline. That number may include options, bonuses, incentives, future years, endorsements, or payments that depend on performance. We check whether the amount is guaranteed and whether it covers one year, several years, or an entire project.

We also distinguish gross salary from the amount retained after taxes, representation fees, business expenses, and other costs. A contract value may support a career earnings estimate, but it does not automatically prove current net worth.

When full contract terms remain private, we describe the known terms and identify the uncertainty. We do not invent a guaranteed amount or assume that every possible bonus was paid.

Checking Business Ownership

Business ownership can be the largest part of a public figure’s wealth. It can also produce the largest errors. A company founder may share ownership with investors, employees, partners, and other founders. Later financing may reduce the founder’s percentage even as the company’s total value rises.

We look for filings, capitalization details, funding announcements, acquisition documents, shareholder disclosures, or credible reporting that identifies the ownership stake. If the exact percentage is not public, the estimate should use a reasonable range and state the uncertainty.

We do not assign the full value of a business to one individual unless reliable evidence supports full ownership. We also distinguish a funding-round valuation from cash received by the founder.

Checking Property and Asset Claims

Property reports are checked against available transaction records, credible property reporting, or public records. A purchase price confirms what a property cost at a certain date. It does not establish current market value or the owner’s equity.

Ownership may be shared, held through a company or trust, or subject to a mortgage and other liens. A property sale may also involve commissions, taxes, renovation costs, and debt repayment. We avoid describing a sale price as profit unless the evidence supports that conclusion.

Claims about vehicles, art, jewelry, aircraft, yachts, and collections receive limited weight unless ownership and material value can be supported. A photographed item does not automatically prove ownership.

Checking Quotes and Interviews

Quotes should preserve the speaker’s actual meaning. When practical, we review the original interview, video, podcast, transcript, filing, or written statement rather than relying on a shortened quotation repeated elsewhere.

We check whether the speaker was serious, whether the quotation was edited, and whether surrounding context changes its meaning. Humor, exaggeration, promotional statements, and hypothetical comments should not be presented as formal financial disclosures.

When only a secondary source is available, we attribute the quotation to that source. We do not present paraphrased language as an exact quotation.

Dates, Currencies and Historical Context

A financial figure has limited meaning without a date. Company values, share prices, exchange rates, and property markets can change quickly. Each estimate should relate to a stated date or update period.

We check the original currency and avoid mixing currencies without explanation. Where conversion is useful, the article should identify the approximate rate or date used. A converted amount may be rounded to avoid false precision.

Historical estimates should use information relevant to the historical period. We do not apply a current business value to an earlier year unless the article clearly explains that it is a retrospective comparison.

Conflicting Information

Reliable sources may disagree. This can happen because they refer to different dates, use different definitions, report gross rather than guaranteed amounts, or rely on different information.

We do not automatically select the highest or most frequently repeated number. We compare the evidence, dates, source proximity, level of detail, and later developments. The article may explain the disagreement and use a range when the conflict cannot be resolved.

AI-Assisted Research and Fact-Checking

Artificial intelligence tools may help organize notes, locate possible research leads, compare article structure, or identify claims that need additional review. AI-generated output is not accepted as evidence.

A quotation, salary, ownership figure, contract value, date, citation, or financial record suggested by an AI tool must be checked against the original source or other reliable evidence. An invented citation or unsupported detail must not be published.

Human reviewers remain responsible for the final article. Automated tools do not make the final decision about a source’s reliability, an estimate’s confidence, or whether a correction is required.

Pre-Publication Review

Before publication, the writer or reviewer should check whether the article supports its central estimate and major financial claims. The review must also ensure that the language matches the strength of the evidence.

• The subject’s identity and profession have been checked.
• Major dates, amounts, currencies, and ownership percentages are consistent.
• Each material source supports the statement connected to it.
• Reported earnings are not presented as retained wealth without adjustment.
• Company value is separated from personal ownership value.
• Estimates and assumptions are clearly labeled.
• Conflicting evidence and important uncertainty are not hidden.
• The central estimate falls within the range supported by the evidence.

Post-Publication Review

Fact-checking continues after publication. New filings, contracts, transactions, court records, or direct evidence may change what is known. Readers and representatives may also identify a source that was unavailable during the original review.

We assess new evidence according to its relevance, authenticity, date, and effect on the article. A meaningful error may require a correction. New information that changes an otherwise accurate article may require an update.

Minor spelling, grammar, formatting, or broken-link repairs may be made without a formal correction note. Material changes that affect the central estimate or a major claim should be handled under our Corrections Policy.

How to Report a Possible Error

Send correction requests to info@therichinsider.com. Include the article URL, the exact statement in question, an explanation of the concern, and a reliable source that supports the proposed correction.

A disagreement with our estimate does not automatically establish an error. The strongest requests provide new evidence, identify a calculation problem, or show that a source does not support the published wording.

We may request additional information or proof of authority when someone claims to represent the subject of an article. Submission of a request does not guarantee a change, removal, or response within a specific period.

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