Everything you need to understand Got Receipts, explained like the reader is smart but new. No jargon left unexplained. No condescension.
Every filing gets a score from 0 to 100. Not a finding. Not an accusation. A number that measures how many public-record signals are present and how strong they are. A score of 95 does not mean any law was broken. It means the timing, committee access, market movement, and disclosure delay are all pointing the same way at once. That is a receipt. What you do with it is up to you.
Baseline
Every disclosed politician trade receives a baseline score. Public disclosure creates inherent public interest.
Committee overlap
Politician sits on a committee that oversees the sector they traded in. Requires committee data from congress.gov.
Committee chair
Chair (not just member) of a relevant committee. Chairs receive more detailed non-public briefings.
Trade size
Larger disclosed amounts score higher. Ranges from 3 pts ($15k+) to 20 pts ($1m+).
Bipartisan cluster
Both parties buying the same ticker within 30 days, which suggests a broader non-public signal.
Senator
Senators receive more committee briefings and have broader policy influence than House members.
Repeat trader
5 or more prior trades in the same ticker by the same person. Pattern of activity in one name.
Spouse or family account
Trade disclosed in a spouse, dependent, or joint account. Raises the kitchen-table question.
Every score includes: “This is a signal score, not a legal finding.”
In plain English
A small slice of a company you can buy or sell. Owning stock means owning a piece of the business, including whatever drama comes with it.
Definition
A security representing ownership in a corporation, entitling the holder to a proportion of assets and profits.
Example
If Apple issues 1 billion shares and you own 1, you own one-billionth of Apple.
In plain English
A stock's nickname. Apple is AAPL. Tesla is TSLA. Nvidia is NVDA. Finance people did not have time for vowels.
Definition
An abbreviation used to uniquely identify a publicly traded company on a stock exchange.
Example
Nancy Pelosi's husband bought call options in NVDA (Nvidia) in 2021, shortly before the CHIPS Act advanced in Congress.
In plain English
Trading stocks on information the public does not have yet. Like knowing the exam answers before everyone else, except the exam is the stock market and the consequences are federal.
Definition
Trading a security while in possession of material, nonpublic information in breach of a duty of trust or confidence. It also covers passing that information to others, including family members.
Example
A senator on the Banking Committee who buys bank shares three days before a vote has not done anything proven by that fact alone. The timing is just notable.
In plain English
Information important enough to move a stock price, but not yet known by the public. Knowing the plot twist before everyone else buys cinema tickets.
Definition
Information not available to the general public that a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision.
Example
Knowing a company is about to win a major government contract before it is announced is MNPI.
In plain English
The law that says US politicians must tell the public about their trades within 45 days. Shorter than the average Netflix season. Longer than most people's patience.
Definition
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (2012). Prohibits members of Congress from using nonpublic information for personal gain. Requires disclosure of securities transactions over $1,000 within 45 days.
Example
A senator who trades $50,000 in energy stocks and files the disclosure on day 44 is technically compliant. Got Receipts will note it anyway.
In plain English
The form US politicians file when they trade stocks. A receipt they are legally required to leave on the counter.
Definition
A disclosure required under the STOCK Act for covered officials to report securities transactions exceeding $1,000 within 45 days.
Example
The House Clerk publishes PTRs online. Got Receipts ingests and scores them daily.
In plain English
A group of politicians assigned to oversee a specific area: defence, banking, energy, health. Sitting on one means access to briefings and information the public does not have yet.
Definition
A subdivision of a legislature tasked with studying and making recommendations about bills or areas of policy. Members receive non-public briefings and attend closed hearings.
Example
A senator on the Armed Services Committee who buys Lockheed Martin stock before a defence budget vote is standing very close to the calendar.
In plain English
How many days between when the trade happened and when the public found out. The STOCK Act gives 45 days. Some politicians use all of them.
Definition
The number of calendar days between the transaction date and the date the disclosure was filed. Longer delays score higher on the Receipt Index.
Example
A trade on January 1 filed on February 14 has a 44-day delay. Technically allowed, but eyebrow-adjacent.
In plain English
A basket of stocks you buy as one thing. Like ordering a mixed platter instead of individual dishes. Often used as a defence: "I just bought the whole sector ETF."
Definition
A fund that tracks an index, sector, commodity, or other asset and is traded on a stock exchange. Broad ETF exposure weakens the signal score.
Example
Buying a defence-sector ETF is less suspicious than buying Lockheed Martin specifically. The receipt score accounts for this.
In plain English
A politician hands their investments to a manager and says "don't tell me what you're buying." In theory, removes conflicts of interest. In practice, depends heavily on how blind it actually is.
Definition
A trust in which the beneficiary has no knowledge of the holdings and no ability to influence investments.
Example
A politician who claims blind trust protection but retains the right to remove the trustee has a trust that is not very blind.
In plain English
When someone is supposed to make a decision in the public interest but their personal finances have an opinion on the outcome.
Definition
A situation in which a person has competing interests or loyalties, such as holding financial interests in industries one regulates or makes policy about.
Example
A health committee member who owns pharma shares and votes on drug pricing legislation has a conflict of interest, even if they disclose it.
In plain English
Got Receipts' signal score. Not a finding. Not an accusation. Just a number that says: this trade and this policy event are standing very close together at the party.
Definition
A signal score from 0 to 100. Factors and max points: baseline (15), committee overlap (30), committee chair (10), trade size (20), bipartisan cluster (15), senator status (10), repeat trading (8), family account (8). Individual factors can total more than 100, but the score is capped at 100. Disclosure delay is scored separately as a friction score.
Example
A score of 82 means multiple signals are present and the timing is notable. Not a finding. Just a receipt.
In plain English
If the trade is in a spouse's account, the public-record question is whether policy information could have travelled across the kitchen table. Very different. Still awkward.
Definition
Under the STOCK Act, spouses and dependent children of US officials are covered by disclosure requirements. UK and Australia partially disclose family interests.
Example
Paul Pelosi's trades are in his own accounts, not Nancy Pelosi's, but are subject to disclosure because she is a covered official.
Read the full methodology
Sources by country, data pipeline, scoring model, and what Got Receipts cannot prove.