Guides

Explainers on IFSC codes, ZIP codes, CMS ratings, nursing homes, dialysis and airport codes.

• How to find an IFSC code (and what each part means) — What an IFSC code is, how the eleven characters break down, and how to look up any Indian bank branch's code safely before a transfer.
• What a US ZIP code is (and what it is not) — ZIP codes are postal delivery routes, not legal boundaries. What the five digits mean, why ZIPs and counties do not line up, and how to resolve one.
• How CMS hospital star ratings work — What the five CMS measure groups are, how the overall rating is built, and three things the rating does not tell you.
• Choosing a nursing home: what the CMS rating does and does not tell you — Health inspections, staffing and quality measures behind the CMS nursing-home rating — and what to ask when you visit.
• Dialysis facility ratings explained — The measures behind the CMS five-star dialysis rating, and the practical details worth checking when choosing a centre.
• Airport codes explained: IATA vs ICAO — Why airports have two codes, how each is built, and how to look up an airport with its runways and nearby alternatives.
• How to compare US colleges on net price, not sticker price — Sticker price tells you little. Average net price — tuition and living costs minus grant aid — is the number that matters, and the gap between colleges is large.
• The money calculators worth bookmarking — Loan payments, mortgage costs, retirement withdrawal, debt payoff, take-home pay and compound growth — each with the formula shown, so you can check the answer yourself.
• North American area codes: overlays, splits and how to look one up — How NANP area codes work, why one city can have several, and how to find where a phone number is from.
• US places, counties and ZIP codes: which geography answers your question — Places, counties and ZIP codes are three different maps of the same country. Using the wrong one is the most common data mistake.