Blog Posts Tagged with Franchises, Business Opportunities, and Investments

Love at first sight may (or may not) be a real thing, but when it comes to investing your money, it’s unwise to fall for a franchise without first subjecting it to tough-minded scrutiny. The third in...

No one would try to run a marathon with just a few days of preparation. It takes months of rigorous training before you can step up to the starting line with confidence. Of course, the process of...

For many people, buying a franchise has proven to be a good choice, but like any other financial decision, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “Is a franchise right for me?” Buying a...

Spend time on social media and video streaming platforms and what will you find? Photos from friends’ vacations, aspirational kale salads, the latest dance fads – and ads for bogus health products...

Here’s an essential truth about essential oils: There is no sound science that demonstrates they can treat, prevent, or cure COVID-19. The FTC announced three settlements with distributors for Utah...

There are prime numbers, irrational numbers, and Fibonacci’s numbers – but from a consumer protection perspective, no number is quite as sobering as the dollar amount that people reported losing to...

It’s a match that should have been made in Home Improvement Heaven: consumers looking for service providers and service providers looking for new clients. But the FTC alleged in a 2022 complaint that...

“I’ll show you how you can potentially make $24,840 dollars – or more – every single week. With … quick simple … trades that require zero market knowledge or trading experience.” A peek at a weekly...

Ask someone to picture the typical person who has experienced a scam and they may think of an older consumer taken in by a fast-talking fraudster. Regardless of the image they create, the results of...

Many people – including older consumers – find themselves tied to pricey timeshares that no longer meet their needs. They were sold on the idea of idyllic getaways, but now need to get away from those...

It’s rare that we’d liken an FTC complaint to a pizza with the works or an everything bagel, but the breadth of violations alleged in the FTC’s action against DK Automation, Kevin David Hulse, David...

Whether you’re a gig worker, work at a business that relies on gig workers, or enjoy the benefits of their labor, the FTC just announced a policy statement about the gig economy that merits your...

We often talk about homes, cars, and education as the largest purchases people will ever make. But for many consumers, the cost of buying a franchise is the financial commitment of a lifetime. Some...

You’d like to think you can count on your bae to treat you right, but not if you’re doing business with an outfit called Grant Bae. According to the FTC and the State of Florida, Grant Bae and its...

Let’s call it The Recliner Interval – the time it takes for an obscure niche product to start running prime time TV commercials. It’s a made-up metric, of course, but a few hours in front of the TV...

Scammers often target job seekers and prospective entrepreneurs with bogus employment and money-making offers. We know that because the FTC has investigated and stopped many of them. But scammers are...

The FTC’s latest credit repair case alleges that the creators of The Credit Game falsely promised to help people quickly boost their credit scores and misled them to think they could make millions by...

The FTC is returning more than $149 million to people who lost money to AdvoCare International, a former multi-level marketer that the FTC says operated a pyramid scheme disguised as a business...

For people looking to gain a financial foothold, promises of $100,000 or more in “verified profits” in “under 45 days” are understandably alluring. But all too often what begins as a Siren’s Song ends...

For people trying to gain a financial foothold, the promise of “$10,000 per week” is a heavyweight representation. But all too often, they wind up losing their life savings to the promoters of bogus...