Business Blog

It can take a lot of shoe leather to investigate housing options for older relatives.  So entrepreneurs have stepped in to help make those transitions easier.  But according to the FTC, two unrelated businesses that offered free online placement services for people looking for long-term care facilities didn’t live up to their claims that they researched each location thoroughly.  The settlements offer compliance insights for other companies, too.

Coleadium, Inc.  The corporate name sounds like tropical foliage or a precious metal on the Periodic Table of Elements.  But the moniker more familiar in the world of affiliate marketing networks — Ads4Dough — puts the FTC’s law enforcement action into perspective.

There are lots of good reasons for infomercial marketers and other retailers to abide by truth-in-advertising principles.  But for people who insist on a dollars-and-cents rationale, the Court-ordered $478 million price tag for violations related to national ads for money-making systems makes legal compliance look like a bargain.

Earlier this year, the FTC settled five law enforcement actions against companies making allegedly deceptive energy savings claims for their replacement windows.  Now the FTC has sent letters to 14 window manufacturers and one window glass manufacturer, warning that they may be making unsupported energy savings representations for their products.

The FTC’s multimillion dollar settlement involving the Ab Circle Pro exercise device is great news for consumers.  But what does it say to businesses?

As back-to-school time approaches, children may be thinking about meeting up with friends to share stories about their summer adventures.  But when it comes to personal information, parents and kids need to be careful about sharing too much.  These days the casual use of sensitive data (like a Social Security number on a registration form, permission slip, or health document) can lead to child identity theft, a serious crime that impacts thousands of kids each year.  Parents can take steps to protect their children from ID theft — and your business can help by sharing free FTC resources in

When it comes to the FTC’s Jewelry Guides, we’re looking for your pearls of wisdom, your sterling opinions, and other flawless feedback about how the standards affect consumers and businesses.  Back in June, we told you that the Jewelry Guides were getting another look as part of the FTC’s systematic review of its rules and

There’s been a lot of talk about breaking records these past few weeks.  But here’s one you won’t see on the sports pages:  the FTC’s $22.5 million settlement with Google, the largest civil penalty ever against a single defendant.  The penalty stems from FTC charges that Google didn’t give users of Apple’s Safari Internet browser the straight story about the use of tracking cookies.  That, says the FTC, violated the terms of Google’s 2011 privacy settlement.

Last year, U.S. pet owners spent over $50 billion on their pets.  That’s a lot of puppy chow, chew toys, and rhinestone collars.  But it also reflects significant expenditures for pet health products and services, including veterinary office visits and medicines.  In fact, in 2011 American consumers spent nearly $7 billion on pet medications alone.