Sources & methodology

How we know what we show you

flagwise exists because most offshore advice is generic, undated, and ends in a sales pitch. Our answer is to show the receipts: every claim is either a verified fact with a source and a date, or a community report from real people — and the two are never blended.

Two kinds of information, never mixed

This separation is the whole point. We keep verified facts and lived experience in clearly different layers so you always know which is which.

VERIFIED

A fact we confirmed against an authoritative source — an official bank page, a government or regulator site, primary documentation. It carries the source and an “as of” date. If we couldn’t confirm it, we don’t mark it verified.

COMMUNITY-REPORTED not verified

First-hand experience shared in public communities — what someone actually hit when they tried. We paraphrase it, date it, and count it. Frequency shows consensus, not truth. It is a lead, never a fact.

The credibility ladder

Not all signals carry the same weight. We rank them, and a higher level is never reached just because more people said the same thing — crowd volume stays crowd volume.

Verified
Authoritative + dated
Confirmed against an official/primary source, with a date. The top of the ladder.
Expert-reviewed
Checked by a vetted professional
A practitioner with relevant expertise reviewed the point. Weighed above anonymous crowd reports, below authoritative verification.
Confirmed
Named, first-hand confirmation
A contributor confirms they did this themselves, on the record — stronger than an anonymous mention.
Reported
Anonymous community report
Public, first-hand experience, paraphrased. Useful direction; explicitly not verified.

Freshness

Banking, residence and tax rules change fast, and stale guides are exactly the problem we’re solving. So every verified fact shows an “as of” date, and every community signal shows when it was last seen. If something looks old, the date tells you to double-check.

Where the data comes from

Verified facts come from authoritative, primary sources: official bank and fintech pages, government and regulator sites, and primary documentation — each linked with its date.

Community signals come from public, terms-of-service-compliant communities where people share real experiences. We paraphrase (never copy), strip personal information, and record where and when it was seen. We never present a community report as a verified fact.

Information, not advice

flagwise gives general information to help you orient and ask better questions. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and it can be incomplete or out of date despite our best efforts. Verify anything you act on with a qualified professional and the relevant official source before you rely on it.

Help keep it accurate

Spotted something wrong, outdated, or missing a source? Use the “Report a bug” button at the bottom of any page — corrections reach us directly. Sharing your own first-hand experience (which strengthens the community layer) is coming soon.

flagwise is free and community-supported, operated by a US-LLC. It is not a charity and not a regulated advisor.