Disclaimer

The core statement

Everything on Steady Cents is general educational information. None of it is personal financial advice.

This is not boilerplate written to satisfy a lawyer. It describes a genuine and important limit on what any website can do for you.

Why the distinction matters

Financial advice — in the regulated sense of the word — means a recommendation made to you, taking account of your circumstances: your income, debts, dependants, tax position, health, job security, existing assets, timeline, and how you would actually behave if your investments fell 30%.

This website knows none of those things. It cannot. Every article here is written for a general reader, and general is precisely the quality that makes it unsuitable as a decision for any individual.

An article might correctly explain that clearing 22% credit card debt beats investing on a risk-adjusted basis. That is true as arithmetic. Whether it is right for you depends on whether you have a cash buffer, whether your income is stable, whether the debt is negotiable, and a dozen other things this site cannot see.

Use these articles to understand how something works. Do not use them as a substitute for a decision about your own money.

Who writes this site

Steady Cents is written by Shahroz Ali, who is not a licensed financial adviser, registered investment adviser, accountant, tax professional, solicitor, or broker, and holds no professional financial qualification.

The site's method is to explain mechanisms accurately, show the arithmetic, and cite the underlying rules — not to trade on credentials it does not have. That approach is stated plainly in the editorial policy and on the about page.

No professional relationship is created

Reading this site, or emailing us, does not create an adviser-client, fiduciary, or professional relationship of any kind. We owe you no duty of care in respect of your financial decisions, and we are not acting on your behalf.

Accuracy, and its limits

We make a genuine effort to be accurate. Numbers are calculated rather than copied, and rules are checked against primary sources at the time of writing.

Nevertheless:

• Content ages. Interest rates, tax thresholds, contribution limits, benefit rules, and product terms change frequently, sometimes with little notice. An article that was correct on its publication date may be outdated now. Always check the date at the top.
• Rules vary by country and by region. Tax treatment, consumer credit protections, pension structures, deposit guarantees, and bankruptcy law differ enormously between jurisdictions. Where an article uses a specific figure or rule, it may not apply where you live.
• Examples are illustrative. Worked examples use round numbers and simplifying assumptions to make a mechanism visible. They are not predictions and they are not quotes.
• Errors happen. If you find one, please tell us. We correct rather than defend.

We make no warranty, express or implied, that the content is accurate, complete, current, or suitable for any purpose.

Investment risk

Where articles discuss investing, please take the following seriously rather than as formality:

• The value of investments can fall as well as rise. You may get back less than you put in.
• Past performance does not indicate future results. Historical averages — including every long-run return figure quoted on this site — describe what has happened, not what will happen.
• Projections are arithmetic, not forecasts. When an article shows what $300 a month becomes at 7% over thirty years, it is demonstrating how compounding works at an assumed rate. It is not a claim that you will earn 7%.
• Diversification reduces some risks and not others. It does not prevent loss.
• No investment is guaranteed, and higher expected returns come with higher risk of loss. Anything presented to you as high-return and low-risk deserves suspicion.

Not an offer or a recommendation

Nothing on this site constitutes an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any security, financial product, or service, in any jurisdiction where such an offer would be unlawful.

Where a type of product is described — index funds, high-yield savings accounts, balance transfer cards — it is described as a category, to explain how the category works. It is not a recommendation that you should use one.

No affiliate or sponsorship arrangements

We hold no affiliate relationships, referral agreements, or sponsorship arrangements with any financial institution or product provider. We are paid by advertising, and advertisers have no editorial input. The editorial policy sets out the separation.

Advertisements displayed on this site are selected by advertising networks, not by us. Their appearance here is not an endorsement. We do not review, verify, or vouch for advertised products, and you should apply the same scrutiny to them as you would to any advertisement anywhere.

Third-party links

Articles link to external sites for reference. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content, accuracy, or practices. A link is not an endorsement.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Steady Cents, its author, and its operators accept no liability for any loss or damage — direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or otherwise — arising from your use of this site or reliance on anything published on it.

You use this site, and act on what you read here, entirely at your own risk.

Nothing in this disclaimer limits or excludes liability where it would be unlawful to do so.

When to get real advice

Please consult an appropriately qualified and regulated professional before acting, particularly if you are:

• Making a decision involving a large sum relative to your finances
• Taking on significant debt, including a mortgage
• Making decisions with tax consequences you do not fully understand
• Planning retirement, pension transfers, or drawdown
• Dealing with inheritance, divorce, or business ownership
• Facing enforcement action, repossession, or insolvency

Where possible, look for a fee-only adviser — one paid directly by you rather than by commission on the products they sell. That single distinction removes the most common conflict of interest in the industry.

If you are in financial difficulty, most countries have free, confidential, non-profit debt advice services. They are genuinely good and they cost nothing. Reaching one early is almost always better than reaching one late.