How We Rank Financial Products

We use clear, consistent criteria to rank products and providers. We show you what we look at, why it matters, and how our rankings work.

Companies cannot pay for a higher Rose Cove ranking.

What We Look At

We start with five factors. Together, they help us look beyond a single rate, reward or feature.

Reach

How established and widely available is the provider?

We look at factors such as market presence, customers served and where products are available. A larger company does not automatically get a better ranking. Reach is one signal that helps us understand how broadly a provider serves consumers.

Reputation

What are customers and independent sources saying?

We review available customer feedback and trusted third-party sources. This may include ratings, reviews, complaint information and other independent signals.

As Rose Cove grows, we may also use feedback from Rose Cove members who have experience with a product or provider.

Choice

How many useful choices does the provider give consumers?

We look at the range of products, features and terms available. More choices are not always better, so we focus on whether those choices can serve different consumer needs.

Useful Features

What else does the provider offer that could help the consumer?

We look for tools, benefits and services that can make a product easier to understand, use or manage.

We don't give extra credit for technology just because it is new. It should provide real value to the consumer.

Product Value

How strong is the product itself?

This part of our review changes based on the type of product. We look at the rates, fees, terms, rewards, benefits and other features that matter for that financial decision.

What Matters Changes by Product

Not every financial product should be judged the same way.

We use the same core approach across our rankings, then look more closely at the features that matter for each type of product.

Personal Loans

For personal loans, we may consider:

• Rates and fees
• Loan amounts
• Repayment terms
• Funding experience
• Borrower flexibility

We don't assume the lowest advertised rate is the rate you will receive. Your actual rate and terms depend on your financial profile and the lender's requirements.

Home Equity Loans and HELOCs

For home equity products, we may consider:

• Rates and fees
• Borrowing limits
• Available loan or credit-line terms
• Repayment choices
• Access to home equity
• Closing and funding experience

We also consider meaningful differences between a home equity loan and a HELOC when the type of product changes what matters.

Credit Cards

For credit cards, we may consider:

• Interest rates and fees
• Rewards
• Benefits
• Credit requirements
• Product features

We may change the factors we emphasize based on what the card is designed to do.

For example, when ranking travel credit cards, we may put more weight on points, redemption choices, transfer partners, travel benefits and the value received compared with the annual fee.

For balance transfer cards, the introductory rate, length of the offer, transfer fee and ongoing terms may matter more.

How Our Scores Work

We assign points to the factors we review and weight them based on how important we believe they are to the decision. Those weighted factors come together to create a Rose Cove Score out of 100.

Factor & what it measures:

Reach - Market presence and availability

Reputation - Customer and independent feedback

Choice - Breadth of useful products and features

Useful Features - Tools, benefits and added consumer value

Product Value - The factors that matter most for that type of product

The exact weights may differ by product or ranking.

We are constantly improving how we rank financial products. As we learn more, gain access to better information and hear from more consumers, we may add factors, remove factors or change their weights.

When we make meaningful changes to our approach, we will update this page to explain how our rankings work.

How We Use Information

We want our rankings to be based on more than marketing claims.

Depending on the product and the information available, our research may include:

• Public product and provider information
• Market presence and availability
• Rates, fees, terms and product features
• Third-party ratings and reviews
• Regulatory and complaint information
• Independent research and data
• Rose Cove member feedback, when we have enough reliable feedback to use it

Not every source is available for every provider. We use the best reliable information available at the time of our review. We also review our rankings over time because products, prices and consumer needs change.

Our Rankings and Offers Are Different

Rose Cove rankings are based on our research.

Rose Cove also works with marketplace partners to help consumers see financial products and offers that may be available to them. When you choose to see offers, we and our marketplace partner may show products from companies in our network based on the information you provide, eligibility, and other marketplace criteria. Compensation from these companies can affect which offers appear and the order they appear in. Offers may also be ordered using factors like APR, term, approval speed, funding speed, and whether you qualify. This is separate from the Rose Cove Score described above and separate from your Next Best Move℠ described below.

Marketplace offers do not include every product or provider in the market. Rose Cove does not control every offer you may see, and an offer's position in the marketplace should not be confused with its position in a Rose Cove editorial ranking. Rose Cove may earn money when you engage with or choose certain offers.

That compensation does not change our Rose Cove editorial scores or rankings.

A Top-Ranked Product May Not Be the Best Fit for You

A ranking can tell you how a product performed in our research. It cannot tell us everything about you.

Your goals, income, credit, debt, home equity and other parts of your financial situation can change which paths make sense.

That's why Rose Cove looks beyond rankings when helping you think about your next best move.

We start with what you're trying to accomplish. Then we look at your situation, the paths available and the tradeoffs that could matter.

Our goal isn't to push you toward the highest-ranked product. It's to help you understand what to do next.

What Our Rankings Don't Mean

Our rankings are designed to help you research and understand financial products. They are not a guarantee that a product is right for you.

• We don't guarantee approval or eligibility.
• We don't guarantee a rate, credit limit, loan amount or financial result.
• We don't assume an advertised rate is the rate you will receive.
• We don't raise a company's Rose Cove Score because it pays Rose Cove.
• We don't assume our marketplace includes every option available to you.

Financial products and terms can change. Always review the current terms provided by the financial institution before making a decision.

What We Mean by Your Next Best Move℠

Your Next Best Move℠ is a recommendation, not a product. Using your goal and situation, we point you where to look first. That's the first thing you see. After, we show a product that fits. It names what it's good for and what's worth knowing. These come from two different places. The plan is ours, and the product can lead to marketplace offers, ordered using the factors above. A product showing up isn't a guarantee it's right for you, and it isn't scored the same way as the Rose Cove Score.