Below are the policies I follow in regard to everything on this site. I think of them as being sort of revolutionary in many ways.

Overall Independence:

• I conduct all business on this site under my own name legally (rather than as a corporation). Experts have occasionally advised against this because it heightens my legal risk in the event something goes wrong. I, however, believe shielding myself from potential liability would be an injustice to society and would give clients good reason to suspect my integrity. I trust that God will not allow me to be unjustifiably punished when things go wrong.
• This same concept applies to my insurance coverage: I have none for my business operations. If a potential customer cannot trust me to be fair, honest, ethical and safe without the “protection” of insurance, then I advise him or her to simply not do business with me.
• I may occasionally strike deals in which I am paid for referrals to certain products or services, but I will always be clear about that on the site (and in conversation), and I will make referrals only if I legitimately believe if they are in the reader or client’s best interest.

Common Courtesy:

• In this day of automated telephone systems, spam, ignorant customer service people, belittling fine print, and uptight security, common courtesy is usually fleeting. I vow to never to never subject clients and readers to any of those things. I promise to never become too busy to respond to personal messages personally, and my rule of thumb is, always, The Golden Rule.

Privacy:

• You can give me your contact information with the assurance that I will not abuse it. A lawyer would probably want me to be more specific about what I mean by “abuse.” But I think most people know what abuse means even if they can’t precisely define it. For almost as much specificity as I believe is needed, I refer you to my Common Courtesy policy above.  But here is one bit of specifics that might give a lawyer a warm feeling inside: I will send out occasional “newsletter” emails to current and former clients and others who have expressed interest in my operations. If you are inclined to think of those as spam and would rather not receive them, all you have to to is let me know, and I’ll take you off my list right away.)
• Going along with this idea, clients (or prospective clients) can expect me to keep the details of what they discuss with me confidential unless they give me permission otherwise. (The journalist in me believes it’s important to point out that there may be rare exceptions to this policy. If a client tell me something about which I  believe the public’s need to know strongly outweighs the client’s need for privacy, I reserve the right to share the information publicly. I am speaking of the same ethical predicament in which  doctors, clergy and counselors occasionally find themselves when a client, say, confesses to a crime. I will not necessarily be bound by this policy in such cases.)

Accuracy:

• I vow to never intentionally make a false claim on this site or via my work. If you should discover that I’ve said something in error, I hope you will bring it to my attention and expect that I will make a fast and prominent correction if necessary.

Public Comments:

• The comments section of this site is open to anyone who has access to the internet, and, while the comment form asks for a name and an email address, it is impossible for me to verify those. So, readers should keep in mind that posters may not always be who they say they are.
• On that same note, readers should keep in mind that not all facts posted by anonymous commenters are necessarily accurate.
• I vow that censorship of comments will be rare, but I do not guarantee to forgo censorship all together. If I find your message to be unreasonably objectionable (for whatever reason), I may just remove it. But, generally, speaking, I won’t do that. When it comes to Free Speech, I’m a big believer, even when I don’t necessarily have to be. (As you may or may not know, citing the First Amendment when screaming about being censored on a site like this is actually pretty silly. The First Amendment has no legal bearing on a site not run by the government. So, actually, it’s my First Amendment right to censor anything you want to say on this site for any dang reason. Fortunately, I won’t exercise that right very often, though.)
• This site uses software that removes most “spam” messages automatically (don’t ask me how the program works, but it does!), but it is possible that your message may inadvertently get caught in that filter. If that happens, please accept my apology and know that I check my filter just about every day and will very likely make your message active just as soon as I’ve realized that it’s not really spam.

Finances:

• I’ve never made much money in my life, (never more than $30,000/year), and my wife and I live a modest lifestyle.  But, occasionally, people have assumed that I am richer than I am, and that has led to problems. (One humorous example:  a woman once sued me in small claims court for money she wasn’t entitled to because she’d seen something I written “under copyright.” She assumed that, if I had the money to “copyright” something, I must have a lot of cash at my disposal. I tried to explain to her that “to copyright” something actually costs $0. In America, everything is “copyrighted” automatically, the moment that it’s written, whether it has a “copyright” symbol or not. I am occasionally in the habit of putting “copyright” symbols stuff  I write, just as a formality, to let people know that I reserved the right to enforce my copyright if need be. The woman didn’t believe me. But she ended up learning the hard way.) So, if you should ever be curious about how much money I make — for whatever reason — please know that I have never agreed with the American tradition of keeping our incomes secret. (Though I certainly respect the rights of those who do choose to follow the tradition.) Upon request, I will gladly share with you my latest tax return, my bank statement, or whatever other financial records you desire from me.