Plain Figures Methodology
How Plain Figures chooses formulas, structures assumptions, and distinguishes worked examples from real-world decisions.
How we build pages
Plain Figures is designed around formula-first content. Each calculator page and supporting guide starts with the calculation itself and only then explains how to interpret the output.
That means the site prefers explicit assumptions over broad advice. When a page uses a worked example, the example is there to make the arithmetic inspectable, not to stand in for a personal recommendation.
What we include and what we do not
We include formulas, definitions, scenario assumptions, and practical caveats that affect interpretation. We do not recommend products, wrappers, portfolios, or personal actions on the basis of a generic page.
This boundary matters because finance pages can look more precise than they are. A clean methodology makes it clearer where the maths ends and where user judgment, adviser input, or policy wording begins.
- Formula-led explanations
- Assumption visibility
- Scenario comparison rather than prediction
- No product recommendations inside the calculators
How to use the site correctly
The strongest use of Plain Figures is comparison. Run a baseline case, then rerun a conservative case and a more aggressive case. If the answer is stable across those scenarios, your inputs are probably directionally robust.
If the result changes sharply, the page has still done its job: it has shown which assumption is carrying the answer.