Our Methodology for Reviewing SaaS & Tech Tools

We put every tool through the same process before we write about it here. Our singular goal is to figure out whether the tool actually helps your business run better, save time, or bring in more revenue.

We start by testing it ourselves whenever possible. That means signing up with real accounts, connecting it to the kind of workflows people actually use, and living with it for a while. Demos and sales pages only show the polished version. We want to see where it gets clunky, what breaks under normal use, and how much setup it really takes before you get any value out of it.

Since software is being continuously updated at a rapid pace, our hands-on testing also ensures you get the latest information you need to make an informed decision.

Pricing gets treated like the real expense it is. We break down what you actually pay at different usage levels, not just the headline number. We also try to put a rough value on what the tool saves or earns you. A $50 tool that wastes ten hours a month isn't cheap. A $300 one that lets your team close an extra deal or two can be the better deal even if it looks expensive on paper. The numbers must make sense.

For outreach and marketing tools specifically, we pay close attention to deliverability, warmup performance, inbox placement, and whether the volume limits hold up once you're actually sending. We also look at how well it integrates with the other tools most people already have, how responsive support is when something goes wrong, and how much it scales before you hit friction or need to upgrade.

Our reviews spell out the obvious strengths and the less obvious weaknesses. We say who the tool fits well and who should probably look elsewhere. Not every solution works for every situation. We also note what changed since the last time we looked at it as these platforms are being updated constantly.

The same way we used to lay out every assumption and variable when breaking down net worth numbers, we aim to show our reasoning so you can decide whether the conclusions make sense for your own business.

Our Methodology for Calculating the Net Worth of Public Personalities

Upfront Compensation methodology Variables methodology Annual Personal Expenditures methodology

Notes

  • Every estimate you see on NetWorth Explained (NWE) is a "at least worth this number," not a "could be worth up to this number" because NWE takes a conservative approach to maximize accuracy.
  • 6.5% investment ROI, instead of the S&P's average annualized return of 9.4% over the last 50 years
  • Film studio box office retention of 40% instead of 50%
  • Business manager and agent commission of 15% instead of 10%
  • Generous withdrawal amount of $7.4M
  • Excluding income from pre-breakthrough roles
  • The maximum annual withdrawal and maximum upfront pay is inflation adjusted, which removes the effect of price inflation
  • Some budget and box office data is unavailable especially when content is produced for a streaming platform like Netflix. Those have been adjusted conservatively to comparable films.
  • All film data from Wikipedia. Consumer Price Index data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Why We Show Our Work

Before we created this publication, there wasn't a single website that showed exactly how someone's net worth was calculated. Even major publications refused to disclose their methods, hiding behind vague claims of a "proprietary algorithm." Math is not a secret; it's simply a shield from scrutiny.

That's why our math and reasoning is always transparent. That's NetWorth Explained.

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