How AfterKin researches, checks, and corrects its content
Last updated: September 2026
How AfterKin is made
AfterKin is run by one person, Martin. You can read about Martin's background on the About page.
The research, writing, and fact-checking are done with AI tools, working from official sources such as state laws, court websites, and federal agencies. Martin decides what the site covers, sets the sourcing rules below, and approves what is published and corrected.
AI tools can make mistakes. That is why every state-specific fact cites its source for you to check, and why errors are corrected publicly on the corrections page.
Martin is not an attorney or accountant, and no page on AfterKin has been reviewed by one. If a licensed professional reviews a page in the future, that page will name the reviewer and the date of the review.
Which sources we use
For every fact, the research starts from the most official source available, in this order:
- State laws. The current statute text, and the session law when a rule changed recently.
- State courts and agencies. Probate court self-help pages, official forms, vital records offices, and state tax departments.
- Federal agencies. The IRS, the Social Security Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission.
- Professional and nonprofit organizations. Groups such as the National Funeral Directors Association and AARP, mainly for typical costs and common practices.
We use news articles and law firm websites only to find an official source, or when no official guidance exists.
How facts are checked
State-specific facts carry the most risk, so each one goes through the same steps:
- Find the current law and confirm when it took effect, including any yearly inflation adjustment.
- Cite that law on the page, so readers can check it themselves.
- Make the same figure match everywhere it appears: the state guide, the state guides index, the site's tools, and any articles with 50-state tables.
Every article ends with a list of its sources. Many pages also show the date they were last reviewed, and we are adding it to the rest.
Review schedule
- Every January: recheck dollar figures that change each year, such as small-estate limits, estate tax exemptions, and inflation-adjusted allowances.
- Every July: check for new state laws, since many take effect on July 1.
- Anytime: when a law changes or a reader reports a problem, we check it and update the page.
In September 2026 we started a full review of every state guide against current law, beginning with the states our readers use most. The corrections page shows which states are done and what has been corrected.
Corrections
If you think something is wrong or out of date, email martin@afterkin.com. Please include the page and, if you have it, the source you are relying on. We check the claim against the official source. If the page is wrong, we fix it and record the change on the corrections page.
What this content can and cannot do
AfterKin explains how processes usually work so you can understand your situation and take the next step. It is not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice, and it cannot account for every family's circumstances. Probate, tax, and property rules vary by state and by situation. For decisions with real money or legal risk, speak with a licensed professional in your state.
Editorial independence
Some pages include affiliate links, which may earn AfterKin a commission. Affiliate relationships never decide what we recommend or how we explain a process, and pages with affiliate links disclose them. See the affiliate disclosure for details.