SwitchWize Research Desk
Independent financial analysis from a team of banking, lending, and investment specialists with over 20 years of combined industry experience. No conflicts. No black boxes. Every recommendation documented.
Our mission
The average American household loses over $1,800 per year to sub-optimal financial product choices — savings accounts paying 0.5% when 4.8% is available, mortgages with fees that could be avoided, credit cards with rewards programs the cardholder never fully uses.
The SwitchWize Research Desk exists to close that gap. We track over 150 financial products across savings, lending, cards, and alternative investments — scoring, ranking, and updating them with the same rigor we would apply to our own money.
Our specialists
The Research Desk is staffed by specialists with direct industry backgrounds — not generalist writers. Each lead has worked inside the industries they cover.
Former commercial banking analyst · 14 years in deposit products and consumer banking · Covered HYSA, CD, and money market markets across three rate cycles
Coverage areas
Mortgage underwriting background · Licensed in multiple states · 11 years covering mortgage origination, refinancing, and consumer lending markets
Coverage areas
Credit card industry analyst · Former issuer-side product manager · 9 years covering rewards programs, issuer economics, and consumer credit
Coverage areas
CFA charterholder · 16 years in asset management and alternative investments · Covered private credit, tokenized assets, and digital finance
Coverage areas
Editorial standards
How we produce, verify, and maintain the accuracy of every recommendation on SwitchWize.
Data-first methodology
Every product ranking starts with a quantitative score. We pull rate data from provider APIs, regulatory filings, and direct feeds — not press releases. Our scoring weights APY, fees, minimums, FDIC/SIPC status, and brand trust based on category-specific criteria documented in our full methodology.
Affiliate independence
Compensation never influences rankings. We maintain a strict separation between our editorial team and our commercial relationships. Products that pay us referral fees are marked clearly. Our rankings are determined before any commercial relationship is considered.
Daily rate monitoring
Rate data is pulled from provider sources daily by 6 AM ET. When a significant rate change occurs, the affected rankings are re-scored within 24 hours. Our agents flag stale data automatically and alert the research desk for manual review.
Human review on every recommendation
AI assists with data aggregation and initial drafts. Every product recommendation, comparison, and guide is reviewed and approved by a human team member before publication. We do not publish AI output without editorial sign-off.
Primary source verification
We verify rates directly with providers before publishing. When a rate appears unusually high or changes significantly, we call or message the provider directly before updating our data. We do not rely solely on aggregator feeds.
Corrections policy
When we publish incorrect information, we correct it promptly and note the correction at the bottom of the affected article. We do not quietly edit errors. Our editorial standards page is updated when our processes change.
How SwitchWize makes money
When you click through to a financial product provider and open an account, SwitchWize may receive a referral fee. This is disclosed on every click-out page with a clear interstitial.
Referral fees do not influence our rankings. Products that pay us more do not rank higher. Our editorial team scores products independently, and commercial relationships are managed separately. The research team does not know which products generate the highest fees.
Read our full advertising disclosure →Contact the Research Desk
Found a rate error, spotted a missing product, or want to flag a methodology concern? We take data accuracy seriously and respond to every substantive inquiry.