Methodology & editorial standards

KakouCalc publishes free financial calculators covering loans, investing, retirement, credit, and more. Because these are money decisions, accuracy is the whole product. This page explains exactly how the calculators are built, how their math is verified, where the reference data comes from, and how the content is reviewed — so you can judge the numbers for yourself.

Last reviewed July 2026.

Standard, published formulas

Every calculator uses the standard, textbook formula for its problem — not a proprietary or approximated one. Loan and mortgage figures come from the ordinary amortization formula; time value of money uses the same present-value and future-value equations as a financial calculator; option prices use Black-Scholes; stock valuations use the Gordon growth and multi-stage dividend discount models. The math is the math the field already agrees on.

Calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server, stored, or shared — there is no account, and no analytics on your inputs.

Independent, automated verification

This is the part most calculator sites can't claim. Every calculator is checked by an automated test suite that computes each result a second, independent way and confirms the two agree — so a mistake can't hide by agreeing with itself. The independent check is either a formula typed from a finance textbook, a brute-force month-by-month simulation, or a canonical published value.

For example, the Black-Scholes calculator is checked against the textbook benchmark (S=100, K=100, T=1, r=5%, σ=20% → call price 10.4506); loan interest is checked against a month-by-month amortization simulation; and every calculator is confirmed to return a real, finite figure rather than an error on ordinary inputs. The suite currently runshundreds of individual checks, and the site is not shipped unless they all pass.

Reference data & how current it is

A few calculators depend on outside data, which we label rather than let you assume is live:

Inflation (CPI)

US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) annual averages. A year's figure is an annual average, so it only appears once that year is complete.

Exchange rates

Reference rates refreshed at build time and shown with an "as of" date in the Currency Converter. Rates move continuously between updates — treat them as indicative and check a live source before acting.

Tax brackets & RMD tables

US federal figures, stamped with their tax year. Tax rules change annually and vary by state — confirm the current year's figures for your situation.

Review, updates & corrections

Each calculator guide carries a "reviewed" date, and this page carries the site's last-reviewed date (July 2026). When we find or are told about an error, we fix the underlying formula — which the verification suite then locks in so the same mistake can't return — and update the date. Found something that looks wrong? Tell us at contact@serverkakoulabs.org and we'll check it.

Educational information, not financial advice

KakouCalc is a set of tools and explanations for learning and planning. It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and it can't account for your full personal situation. The results rest on the assumptions you enter — real rates, returns, taxes, and fees vary. For decisions that matter, verify the figures and talk to a qualified professional.

Who is behind KakouCalc

KakouCalc is an independent, free financial-calculator publisher. Read more on the About page, or reach the team at contact@serverkakoulabs.org.