Home Equity Agreements: What Shared-Appreciation Cash Really Costs
Home equity agreements trade cash now for a share of your home's future value — no interest, but a balloon settlement and no IRS mortgage-interest deduction.
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Consumer Protection
Consumer protection laws, unfair trade practices, and customer rights compliance
Chile Killed the Paper Receipt for Printerless Businesses: Your 2026 Guide to Digital Boleta Delivery Rules
Since 1 March 2026, printerless Chilean businesses must deliver every boleta electrónica by email, SMS, WhatsApp or QR — fines reach 500% of the sale.
Your Chatbot Is Now Breaking EU Law Unless It Introduces Itself: A Small Business Guide to the AI Act's Transparency Rules
Since August 2, 2026, EU AI Act Article 50 forces chatbots to disclose they are AI and deepfakes to carry labels — US sellers with EU customers included.
Kuwait's Digital Commerce Law: How Instagram Sellers Register with MOCI
Kuwait's Decree-Law No. 10 of 2026 requires every social-media seller to register with MOCI, issue Arabic e-invoices, honor a 14-day return window, and keep influencer records five years — penalties reach KD 10,000 or a year in prison.
Buying on Contract? How a Contract for Deed Works — and the Federal Protections Most Buyers Never Hear About
In a contract for deed, the seller keeps legal title until your last payment while you pay the taxes, insurance, and repairs. Since the CFPB's 2024 advisory opinion, covered sellers must assess ability to repay, disclose the APR, and face limits on balloon payments.
Your Deli Scale Is Regulated: NTEP Certification, Inspection Cycles, and Net-Weight Rules
Retailers selling by weight must use an NTEP-certified scale, register it with their weights-and-measures authority, and reinspect annually — New York charges $20 to $100 per scale and requires requests 60 days before expiration. Selling by gross weight instead of net weight is a misdemeanor in California, with fines up to $1,000 per illegal transaction.
Calling Your Product Green? What the FTC Requires You to Prove First
The FTC's Green Guides require competent and reliable scientific evidence before an environmental claim runs — an unqualified "recyclable" needs facilities available to at least 60% of consumers, "biodegradable" needs complete breakdown within one year of customary disposal, and California's AB 1305 adds a public disclosure page for carbon-neutral claims at up to $2,500 per day per violation.
Colorado's Honest Pricing Law Is Now in Effect: What HB25-1090's All-In Price Rule Means for Your Business
Colorado's HB25-1090 took effect January 1, 2026, requiring any business that advertises a price to Colorado customers to show the maximum total including every mandatory fee, displayed more prominently than any other price. Violations are deceptive trade practices under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act — up to $20,000 per violation, treble damages in private suits, and 18% compounded interest on unlawful rental fees.
When "Free" Isn't Free: What the FTC's $60 Million Instacart Settlement Means for Your Pricing, Guarantees, and Free Trials
The FTC's December 2025 Instacart settlement priced three common practices at $60 million in refunds — "free delivery" with a mandatory service fee, a satisfaction guarantee paid out in credits, and trials converting without express consent — and this checklist maps each allegation onto disclosure, guarantee, and ROSCA subscription rules small businesses must follow.
Layaway Is Quietly Back for Holiday 2026: A Retailer's Guide to Deposits, Fees, State Rules, and the BNPL Math
Offering layaway for holiday 2026 lets retailers keep the full ticket price instead of paying 4-6% BNPL merchant fees — but deposits must be booked as liabilities until pickup, every fee disclosed in writing before the first payment, and sales tax timed to delivery. This guide covers the accounting entries, state disclosure rules, and the layaway-versus-BNPL math.
Your App Doesn't Have to Be 'for Kids' to Owe Kids Privacy: A Small Business Guide to COPPA in 2026
The FTC's amended COPPA Rule, finalized in January 2025 with compliance required by April 2026, reaches any app or website with actual knowledge of users under 13, not just products built for children. It requires a separate opt-in parental consent before sharing a child's data or serving targeted ads, a published retention schedule that bars indefinite storage, and a written security program, with civil penalties above $50,000 per violation. This guide lays out who is covered, which consent methods the FTC accepts, and a seven-step checklist a small team can run without a privacy department.
Your Product Warranty Is a Federal Case: Full vs. Limited, Implied Warranties, and As-Is Sales Under Magnuson-Moss
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act applies to every written warranty on a consumer product costing more than $10, requiring a full or limited title, forbidding blanket disclaimers of implied warranties and brand-name parts requirements, and mandating pre-sale access to the terms above $15. A small-seller guide with a 10-point compliance checklist.