Methodology

How tools are built

Calculators are written in TypeScript as pure functions inside a shared package (@bedrocka-tools/calc), with Vitest unit tests that cover edge cases: zero-dependent coverage need, high-net-worth liability tier breaks, ISO sub-limit boundary cases, FEMA NFIP coverage caps, and every published worked example we can find from primary sources. The package has no UI and no side effects — if a calculator gives the wrong answer, there's one file to fix and a failing test that tells us it was wrong.

Coverage sourcing — primary sources only

We only cite primary sources. "Most experts recommend" is not a source. Primary sources we use routinely:

• ISO (Insurance Services Office) policy forms — HO 00 03 (homeowners special form), HO 00 04 (renters), HO 00 06 (condo), DP 00 03 (dwelling fire), PAP (personal auto). The actual policy language is the source of truth on what's covered.
• Internal Revenue Code — IRC §101 (life insurance death-benefit tax treatment), §104 (health/accident proceeds), §2042 (estate tax inclusion of life-insurance proceeds).
• NAIC Consumer Insurance Search (naic.org) for state-specific coverage requirements, market-share data, and complaint indices.
• FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for flood coverage limits, deductibles, and zone-based pricing — flood is excluded from every standard ISO homeowners form.
• LIMRA and ACLI research for life-insurance industry benchmarks (10× income rule-of-thumb provenance, ownership rates, average face amounts).
• Fannie Mae Selling Guide §B7-3 for the lender-required minimum hazard insurance levels on conforming mortgages.
• HHS / CMS for ACA-related health coverage rules and subsidy thresholds; state DOI bulletins for state-specific overlays.
• Solomon S. Huebner's 1927 framework on Human Life Value, the economic foundation underneath the modern HLV method.

Secondary sources (Insurance Information Institute briefs, NAIC consumer guides, named industry researchers) are used only where a primary form or statute does not directly answer the question — and always labeled as such.

Review process

1. Draft: calculator logic and explanatory copy are drafted, sometimes AI-assisted, always with the primary source (ISO form, IRC section, NAIC bulletin) pulled up in parallel and every non-trivial number checked against it.
2. SME review: each calculator is reviewed by a named human. For coverage tools, the review is run by Byron Malone in his operator capacity (decade of structuring entity insurance, reviewing personal policies, and stress-testing coverage at the asset-protection layer). YMYL-Insurance review standards in our editorial-standards Section 7 govern any coverage tool that crosses life, health, or disability domains.
3. Citation verification: every URL cited is spot-checked at publish time and every named rule, sub-limit, or tax-treatment rule is re-checked against the source document.
4. Publish: with a Last updated stamp and a dateModified schema.org field on every page.

Update cadence

Every calculator is reviewed on a quarterly cadence. In addition, we update immediately on any of the following triggers:

• ISO publishes a new policy form revision (e.g., HO 00 03 form-year update)
• An IRC §101 / §104 change affects life or health insurance tax treatment
• FEMA NFIP coverage maximums or deductible structures change (last meaningful change: 2014 NFIP reform; ongoing pricing reform under Risk Rating 2.0)
• NAIC adopts a new model regulation that materially shifts state floor coverage
• Fannie Mae Selling Guide §B7-3 revisions affect lender-required minimums
• State DOI bulletins create new mandated coverage in a major-population state

Error reporting

If a calculator gives you the wrong answer, we want to hear. Email info@bedrockatools.com with the tool, the inputs you used, and the output you got. We respond to every report within 3 business days; if the tool is wrong, we fix it and publish a correction note on our corrections page.

Per-category methodology

Each calculator category has a dedicated methodology page covering the primary sources, formula derivations, edge cases, and update protocol specific to that category:

• Life insurance — term-life coverage need (DIME, income multiplier, Human Life Value), tax treatment under IRC §101, beneficiary structuring.
• Property insurance — homeowners (ISO HO 00 03), renters (ISO HO 00 04), condo (ISO HO 00 06), replacement-cost vs ACV, scheduled-items endorsements, flood (FEMA NFIP) and earthquake exclusions.
• Auto insurance — Personal Auto Policy (PAP) structure, state minimum requirements, comprehensive vs collision, uninsured/underinsured motorist tiering. (Anchor calculator launches Day 5.)
• Health insurance — ACA marketplace plan structure (metal tiers, AV, MOOP), employer-sponsored vs marketplace, HSA-eligible plans. (Anchor calculator launches Day 5.)
• Liability insurance — personal umbrella tiering against net worth, professional liability (E&O), commercial general liability (ISO CGL forms). (Stub at launch — full methodology lands when we ship the anchor calc.)

Limitations & non-licensure disclosure

Calculators on this site are estimatesfor educational use. Bedrocka Tools is not a licensed insurance producer, broker, or agent in any state, and nothing on this site constitutes an offer to sell, solicit, or bind insurance coverage. The tools do not account for every feature of every carrier's policy form, every state-specific overlay, or the specifics of your individual circumstances. They are not insurance, financial, legal, or tax advice. Consult a licensed insurance agent in your state and a CPA or attorney for decisions with real dollars attached. The tools are designed to make you a better-informed buyer of professional advice, not a replacement for it.