Editorial Standards
WealthScale editorial standards are the rules every page follows before and after it goes live. Pages are written by Sharad Gondaliya, CPA, who checks tax rules, contribution limits and government benefits against primary sources and gives final approval. Investing and account pages are in the review scope of Neha Gupta, CFA, a CFA charterholder who checks fees, account features and investment terms against providers’ own pages and regulator sources. Interest rates are re-checked weekly, fees monthly, and contribution limits each January and whenever a change is announced. Every figure carries a date, and nothing on WealthScale is personal advice.
Written by Sharad Gondaliya, CPA CPAChartered Professional Accountant, CPA Ontario No. 61040184
Our financial reviewer: Neha Gupta, CFA CFA charterholderReviews WealthScale’s investing and account pagesAt a glance
Who writes. Sharad Gondaliya, CPA (CPA Ontario No. 61040184) writes WealthScale’s pages and gives final approval on each one.
Who reviews. Neha Gupta, CFA, a CFA charterholder, reviews WealthScale’s investing and account pages: platforms, brokers, robo-advisors, TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP and bank accounts. Tax rules, government benefits and final approval are Sharad’s.
Review status. Her review line shows a date on a page only after she signs that page off. Until then, it reads “Review of this page scheduled”.
Sources. Primary sources, named in words on each page: the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, provincial governments, providers’ published pricing, CIRO, CIPF, CDIC and the Canadian Securities Administrators.
Re-check schedule. Interest rates weekly, fees monthly, and contribution limits each January and whenever a change is announced.
Corrections. Report a wrong figure through our contact page. A confirmed error is corrected on the page and the page date is updated.
1. WealthScale Editorial Standards: Who Writes and Who Reviews
The writer. Sharad Gondaliya, CPA is a CPA Ontario member (No. 61040184) and a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Washington and Montana, with more than 15 years in accounting and tax. He writes WealthScale’s pages and checks every tax rule, contribution limit and government benefit figure against primary sources.
The financial reviewer. Neha Gupta, CFA is a CFA charterholder based in Winnipeg who has worked in financial markets since December 2005. She reviews WealthScale’s investing and account pages: platforms, brokers, robo-advisors, TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP and bank accounts.
Final approval. Tax rules, government benefits and final approval are Sharad’s. A page goes live only after he approves it.
Named people, credentials you can check. Every page names both people and links to their profiles. The profiles for Sharad Gondaliya, CPA and Neha Gupta, CFA list their credentials and link to the public directories where you can verify them.
| Role | Person | What they check | Credential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer and tax reviewer | Sharad Gondaliya, CPA | Tax rules, contribution limits, government benefits; final approval on every page | CPA Ontario No. 61040184; CPA licences in Washington and Montana |
| Financial reviewer | Neha Gupta, CFA | Fees, account features and investment terms on investing and account pages | CFA charter, CFA Institute (awarded 2023) |
2. Our Financial Review Process, Step by Step
Every page passes through the same human checks. Pages in Neha’s scope add a financial review on top of Sharad’s.
- Write and source. Sharad writes the page and checks each tax rule, limit and benefit figure against the primary source that sets it.
- Date every figure. Each rate and fee is recorded with the date it was checked, and each limit with the year it applies to.
- Work the examples. Worked examples are calculated in full, labelled hypothetical, and shown with their arithmetic so every number can be checked.
- Approve and publish. Sharad gives final approval and the page goes live with both people named in the byline.
- Financial review. For pages in her scope, Neha checks fees, account features, investment terms and worked examples against providers’ own pages and regulator sources, and flags anything unclear or out of date.
- Show the sign-off. Once she signs a page off, her review line shows the date. Until then, it reads “Review of this page scheduled”.
- Re-check on schedule. Rates are re-checked weekly, fees monthly and contribution limits each January and whenever a change is announced.
Why the order matters. A page in Neha’s scope can go live with Sharad’s approval while her review is still scheduled. We say so in the byline rather than hide it, so you always know which checks a page has passed.
3. The Review-Status Line: What “Review Scheduled” Means
Before sign-off. On pages in Neha’s scope, the byline shows a review line next to her name. “Review of this page scheduled” means the page is in her scope and Sharad has approved it, but her financial review of that page is not finished.
After sign-off. Her review line shows a date on a page only after she signs that page off. It then reads “Investment review by Neha Gupta, CFA on” followed by the date of her review.
Pages outside her scope. Tax, benefit and trust pages such as this one name Neha as our financial reviewer and describe her role. That line describes her role, not a review of the page you are reading.
| What the byline shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| Review of this page scheduled | In Neha’s scope; approved by Sharad; her financial review is not finished |
| Investment review by Neha Gupta, CFA on a date | Neha has signed this page off on the date shown |
| Reviews WealthScale’s investing and account pages | A description of Neha’s role on a page outside her scope |
4. Sources and Fact Checking
Primary sources. We check a figure against the body that sets it: the government for a tax rule, the provider for a fee, the regulator for a protection rule. The table shows what each source is used for.
| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) | Tax rules, tax brackets, and contribution limits for the TFSA, RRSP, FHSA and RESP |
| Service Canada | CPP and OAS rules and payment dates |
| Provincial governments | Provincial tax rates, credits and education grants |
| Providers’ published pricing | Commissions, fees, interest rates and account features |
| Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) | Which firms are investment dealers under its oversight |
| Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) | Protection of client property when a member firm fails |
| Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) | Insurance on eligible deposits at member institutions |
| Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) | National securities rules and the list of crypto trading platforms authorized to do business with Canadians |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | US tax rules that affect Canadians, such as withholding on US dividends |
Sources named in words. Each page ends with a checked line that names the type of source in words, such as “Canada Revenue Agency publications” or “each provider’s published pricing”, with the date of the check. We state each figure on the page itself, so you have what you need without leaving it.
When a figure is missing or disputed. If a figure has not been published yet, we say so. If official sources disagree, we do not pick one or estimate. We describe the rule without the number until the figure is settled.
No borrowed figures. We do not copy a figure from another publisher’s summary or recall it from memory. A figure appears on WealthScale only after it has been checked against its source.
5. How Figures Are Dated and Re-Checked
The schedule. Different figures change at different speeds, so each type has its own re-check schedule.
| Type of figure | Re-checked | How it is dated on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Interest rates on savings accounts, GICs and cash | Weekly | “As of” date beside the rate |
| Fees and commissions | Monthly | “As of” date beside the fee |
| Contribution limits | Each January, and whenever a change is announced | The year the limit applies to |
Dates you can see. Rates and fees are written with the date we checked them, for example “as of October 22, 2026”. Limits name the year they apply to, such as “the 2026 limit”.
The checked line. A line near the bottom of every page names the type of source and the date of the check. We update a page when a figure changes.
6. Independence From Advertisers and Providers
No partner links today. WealthScale has no partner (affiliate) links today. Partner applications are in progress. When partner links arrive, each will carry a visible “Partner link” label.
What payment never changes. Payment never changes which providers we include, their score, their order on a list or the style of their button.
Rankings follow the score. Best-of lists are ordered by a published score out of 5. The factors and weights are on our page on how we rate online brokers and robo-advisors. We do not give awards, stars or “editor’s picks” outside that score.
Reviewers’ pay. Our reviewers are paid a flat fee that never depends on which providers we rate, rank or link to. There are no paid reviews and no sponsored rankings. Our advertiser disclosure has the details.
Named providers. Pages about Wealthsimple, such as our Wealthsimple review, state that WealthScale is independent and not affiliated with Wealthsimple.
7. General Information Only: No Advice and No Stock Picks
Why we stay general. Canadian securities rules (National Instrument 31-103) let a publisher give general advice that is not tailored to the needs of the person receiving it. WealthScale stays within that line. We do not know your income, goals, tax position or tolerance for risk, so nothing here is personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
No picks. We do not recommend stocks, ETFs, funds or crypto, and we do not publish model portfolios. When a review names a provider’s own account types, portfolios or plans, that is a description of the product, not a recommendation.
Careful wording. We write that an account “can” help, “may suit” a type of investor or “is built for” a purpose. We never write “you should buy”.
Protection rules, not product choices. When we explain how your money is protected, as in our guide to CIPF vs CDIC, we describe what each plan covers and its limits. That tells you how coverage works at a dealer or a bank; it is not a suggestion to buy any product.
8. How WealthScale Writes
Plain language. We write in Canadian English, in short sentences, with the answer first. Terms are explained in plain words.
Honest examples. Worked examples are labelled “This example is hypothetical.” Every number in them is worked out exactly, with the arithmetic shown.
No invented evidence. We do not publish testimonials, made-up reviews, user counts, screenshots or claims that we “tested” a product.
No “free” without the catch. We never call an account or trade free without naming the costs that remain. A commission-free stock trade can still come with a per-contract options fee or a monthly account fee, and we say so.
9. Corrections Policy: How to Report an Error
How to report. Please use our contact page to report an error. Tell us the page address, the figure that looks wrong and where you saw the correct one. We aim to reply within two business days.
What we do next. We check the figure against its primary source. If the page is wrong, we correct it and update the page date.
Errors we find ourselves. An error found during a scheduled re-check is corrected the same way.
What counts as an error. A wrong or out-of-date figure, a rule that has changed, a broken calculation or a misdescribed product feature. A disagreement with a score is not an error, but the scoring rules are published so you can check them.
10. Updates Log for WealthScale Editorial Standards
Changes to these standards are listed here with the date they took effect.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| October 22, 2026 | WealthScale editorial standards published: who writes and reviews, the review-status line, sources, re-check schedule, independence, general information rules and corrections policy |
Questions About Our Editorial Standards
Who writes WealthScale’s pages?
Sharad Gondaliya, CPA, a CPA Ontario member (No. 61040184) with more than 15 years in accounting and tax, writes WealthScale’s pages. He checks tax rules and government benefit figures against primary sources and gives final approval on every page.
Who reviews WealthScale’s investing and account pages?
Neha Gupta, CFA, a CFA charterholder, reviews WealthScale’s investing and account pages: platforms, brokers, robo-advisors, TFSA, RRSP, FHSA, RESP and bank accounts. Tax rules, government benefits and final approval are Sharad’s. Her review line shows a date on a page only after she signs that page off.
What does “Review of this page scheduled” mean?
It means the page is in Neha’s review scope and Sharad has approved it, but her financial review of that page is not finished. Once she signs the page off, the line changes to show the date of her review.
What sources does WealthScale use?
Primary sources: the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, provincial governments, providers’ published pricing, CIRO, CIPF, CDIC and the Canadian Securities Administrators, plus the IRS for US tax rules that affect Canadians. Each page names its source type in words with the date of the check.
How often does WealthScale re-check figures?
Interest rates are re-checked weekly, fees and commissions monthly, and contribution limits each January and whenever a change is announced. Rates and fees carry an “as of” date, and limits name the year they apply to.
Does WealthScale give investment advice or stock picks?
No. Under WealthScale editorial standards, pages give general information only, not personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice. We do not recommend stocks, ETFs, funds or crypto, and we do not publish model portfolios.
How do I report an error to WealthScale?
Please use our contact page. Send the page address, the figure that looks wrong and where you saw the correct one. We aim to reply within two business days. If the page is wrong, we correct it and update the page date.
Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us and we will check it against the source.
Figures on this page were checked against WealthScale Media Inc.’s editorial policies on October 22, 2026. We update this page when a figure changes.
Meet the Experts Behind WealthScale
Sharad is a CPA Ontario member (No. 61040184) and a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Washington and Montana, with more than 15 years in accounting and tax, a Diploma in Banking and Finance and a Certificate in Small Business Finance. He checks WealthScale content against primary sources. WealthScale is independent of his firm, Gondaliya CPA Professional Corporation, and provides general information only, not personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
- Chartered Professional Accountant, CPA Ontario
- Certified Public Accountant, Washington (No. 57629) and Montana (No. PAC-CPAP-LIC-033176)
- Writing on tax and registered accounts since 2021
- Reader’s Choice Award 2025 Winner, Best Accountant (Toronto)
Neha Gupta is a CFA charterholder based in Winnipeg who has worked in financial markets since December 2005. She has published more than 2,600 investment articles and is Head of Operations and Finance at Whiteland Real Estate. She reviews WealthScale’s investing pages for accuracy.
- CFA charter, CFA Institute (awarded 2023)
- Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (Finance), 2008
- In financial markets since December 2005
- More than 2,600 published investment articles
General information only. Not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. WealthScale is independent and is published by WealthScale Media Inc., 55 Queen St E, Suite 1205, Toronto, ON M5C 1R6. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.