Money mistakes are expensive, so here is exactly how this site is made and checked.
Who writes it
Cents to Shares is run by one independent person in Europe, who builds the calculators and writes the guides. There's no team of advisers and no professional review. The site doesn't claim any credentials, and you'll never see invented authors, testimonials or experts here. See About.
What the content is, and isn't
- General education: how things work, explained for beginners.
- Calculations: the maths of a formula applied to the numbers you enter.
- Illustrations: scenarios that show a principle, not a forecast.
- It is never personalised advice and never a recommendation to buy a specific product. See the disclaimer.
How calculators are built and tested
- All formulas live in one shared calculation library used by every calculator. The text on each page is generated from the same code, so the worked examples can't disagree with the tool.
- Every formula is covered by automated tests against standard textbook cases (for example, the annuity formula for loans) and edge cases such as zero interest, zero balance, debts that never get paid off, and rounding of the final payment.
- Every calculator page shows the formula, a worked example, its assumptions and its limits.
- Calculations are deterministic and run in your browser. No AI produces numerical results.
- Monthly and yearly rates are kept separate, and inflation-adjusted figures are labelled as such.
Current calculators: Household budget calculator, Emergency fund calculator, Debt payoff calculator, Loan calculator, Savings goal calculator, Compound interest calculator, Mortgage calculator, Position size calculator, Win rate vs risk reward calculator, Leveraged ETF decay calculator.
Sources
Facts about rules and regulations are checked against primary sources: EU legislation and regulators (for example ESMA for CFD limits, the PRIIPs rules for Key Information Documents, the EU deposit guarantee and investor compensation directives), central banks and official consumer bodies. Rules of thumb (such as 50/30/20 or 3–6 months of emergency savings) are presented as rules of thumb, not facts. Where rules differ by country, the page says so instead of pretending one rule fits everywhere.
Use of AI tools
AI tools help with writing code and first drafts. Every page is then checked by a person: formulas against tests, facts against sources, and wording against the real controls on the page. AI is not used to invent experience, data, citations or results.
Updates and corrections
- Each page shows when it was last reviewed. Pages that depend on rules or rates are reviewed when those change, and at least once a year.
- If you find a mistake, please report it. Confirmed errors are fixed promptly and, if they affected results, noted on the page.
Money and independence
The site is free and has no paid relationships today. If advertising or affiliate links are ever added, they will be clearly labelled, kept away from calculator controls, and they will never change what a guide says. Predatory products (such as high-cost short-term loans) will not be promoted.