An editorial site about refinancing your home.

Why this site exists

Most refinance calculators online are owned by lenders or aggregators. They optimize for getting your contact information so a lender can call you. Sometimes the math is fine. Often the methodology is hidden, the closing-cost defaults are vague, the state-specific rules are ignored, and the result is technically correct but practically useless for making a decision.

HearthLoan's premise is narrow: every page that uses a number shows where that number came from. Every calculator shows its formula and its assumptions. Every state-specific behavior is documented. The result is a tool that helps you arrive at your lender already knowing what to ask.

What we publish

The first vertical is mortgage refinancing. The starting catalog:

• Refinance Calculator — full PITI, cash-out, FHA / VA, state-specific defaults for all 50 states + D.C.
• Breakeven Calculator — when closing costs are recouped
• Closing Costs Calculator — itemized fee breakdown
• Refinance guides (when to refinance, FHA streamline, VA IRRRL, PMI removal, appraisal process, closing-costs primer)

Adjacent areas (home equity, cash-out specifics, first-time buyer affordability) will follow once the refinance vertical is well-established. We will not stretch into unrelated finance topics (credit cards, auto loans, investing) on this domain.

Who runs it

HearthLoan was founded in 2026 by Artem Rodionov, who serves as founder and editor. Artem does not hold a U.S. mortgage license and does not publish lender-specific guidance under his own name — that content is reviewed by NMLS-licensed mortgage professionals.

The editorial team currently has open positions for:

• Licensed mortgage reviewer — NMLS-licensed professional, part-time consulting basis
• Certified Financial Planner reviewer — CFP® for adjacent topics on the trade-offs of refinancing

Open positions are listed visibly on relevant pages. Until those seats are filled, content that requires those credentials stays unpublished.

What we hold ourselves to

The full editorial standards live on three pages, all linked from every other page:

• Editorial Policy — sourcing, review, corrections
• How We Make Money — revenue sources, current and planned
• AI Disclosure — where we use AI, where we don't

Pages have a visible Last reviewed date that we keep current. Material errors are corrected publicly. Reviewers have real credentials we can prove.

Get in touch

The fastest way to reach us is email:

• Editorial questions, story tips: [email protected]
• Corrections: [email protected]
• Partnerships, press: [email protected]

The full contact page has more detail.

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Thanks for reading. The web doesn't need another financial-content site that pretends to be neutral. It does need one that makes the math transparent and lets you do your own analysis. That's what we're building.