As a business owner, there’s a chance that you’re sharing insights about money, investing, or personal finance through your content depending on your industry.
And if so, you might not realize that you need a financial advice disclaimer on your website and throughout your content in order to be covered legally.
This is one of those legal topics that many business owners, service providers, and bloggers don’t understand and honestly I get it – knowing whether or not you’re legally required to use a financial advice disclaimer isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.
So in this blog post we’re going to break down the confusion and help you better understand what a financial advice disclaimer does and when it’s legally necessary to protect your business!
But if you're short on time, here's what you need to know:
- A financial advice disclaimer states that your content is educational, not personalized financial guidance.
- You need one if you discuss money, investing, budgeting, or business finances in your content, courses, or coaching.
- A disclaimer protects you by setting clear expectations, but it only works if your content is genuinely educational (not individualized advice).
- Place it on your website footer, at the top or bottom of blog posts, and in any paid content or downloads.
What Counts as Financial Advice vs. Financial Education?
Before we get into disclaimers, it helps to understand what actually crosses the line into "financial advice."
Generally speaking, financial advice is when you provide a specific recommendation tailored to someone's individual financial situation. Think: "Based on your income, you should open a Roth IRA and contribute the max this year."
Financial education, on the other hand, is sharing general information, strategies, or concepts without telling someone what they specifically should do. For example: "Here's how a Roth IRA works and who it might be a good fit for."
The distinction matters because a disclaimer is designed to reinforce that your content falls into the education category. But here's the part most people miss: if your content actually crosses the line into personalized advice, a disclaimer alone won't protect you. You can't tell someone exactly what to invest in and then slap a "this isn't financial advice" label on it and call it a day.
For most online business owners, bloggers, and course creators, your content will fall squarely in the education category. A disclaimer just makes that crystal clear to your audience (and, if it ever matters, to a court).
What is a Financial Advice Disclaimer?
So what is a financial advice disclaimer, exactly? A financial advice disclaimer is a statement that clarifies the information you're sharing is for educational or informational purposes only, not personalized advice.
The goal of this disclaimer is to protect you from legal liability in case someone takes your content as professional guidance and experiences a financial loss.
Essentially, it sets the expectation that while you may provide helpful insights or general strategies, you’re not offering individualized financial planning, investment advice, or legal, accounting, or tax guidance.
Without a financial advice disclaimer, your content could be misinterpreted, leaving you more vulnerable if someone claims they relied on your content and experienced a financial loss.
A well-crafted disclaimer typically:
- Clearly states that the content is informational only
- Advises readers to seek professional advice for their specific circumstances
- Limits your liability for the use of your content
Even if you’re not a licensed financial professional, a disclaimer like this helps protect you when discussing topics like budgeting tips, investment strategies, or tax insights.
When Do you Need to Use a Financial Advice Disclaimer?
Knowing what a financial advice disclaimer is is a good first step, but knowing when to actually use it is the next step that probably matters even more!
It’s sometimes a misconception that everyyyy blog post or social post needs to include the disclaimer, but that’s actually not always the case.
While it never hurts to err on the side of caution, here's a few key scenarios where using one is essential:
- You discuss financial products or strategies – any mention of investments, stocks, retirement accounts, or business finances could be interpreted as advice.
- You provide step-by-step guidance or tutorials – even simple "how-to" content, like setting up a budget or choosing a credit card, can be mistaken for individualized advice.
-
You’re creating paid content or consulting – if you’re offering courses, coaching, or guides on financial topics, a disclaimer protects both you and your clients.
Using a financial advice disclaimer in these scenarios simply acts as a safeguard for you and your audience so that they fully understand the context of the information you’re providing!
If you want a closer look at some common scenarios where a disclaimer is necessary, CLICK HERE!
How to Properly Use a Financial Advice Disclaimer
Once you’ve determined when you need to use a financial advice disclaimer, often comes the question, HOW do I use one properly? What does it look like in action?
Placement and wording are just as important as having a disclaimer in the first place, so here are some of the best practices to follow:
Make it visible
Probably the most important part of using any kind of disclaimer in your business is putting it in a spot where it’s clearly visible to your audience. Don’t make them search for it!
Common locations for your disclaimers are in your website footer, the top or bottom of blog posts, or on landing pages for courses or guides.
Be clear and concise
Next, be sure to avoid vague or overly complicated language. The goal is for your audience to understand the limitations of your content.
Include all content types
If you share financial tips in videos, emails, social media posts, or downloadable PDFs, it’s important that each format includes the disclaimer!
Review and update regularly
Lastly, laws and regulations are everchanging, so make sure your disclaimer is up-to-date and reflects your current offerings.
Overall, a properly placed disclaimer does more than protect you legally – it sets clear expectations for your audience and maintains trust in your content.
One more thing: if you ARE a licensed financial professional (like a registered investment advisor or CPA), your disclaimer obligations may be more specific. Regulatory bodies like the SEC and FINRA have their own disclosure requirements that go beyond a general website disclaimer. If that's you, make sure your disclaimers align with your regulatory obligations, too.
Standard vs. Specific Business Disclaimers
Though the context of this blog is to help you better understand financial advice disclaimers specifically, it’s important to note that when it comes to business, there are two main types of disclaimers to consider: standard and specific.
Standard disclaimers, often referred to as general disclaimers, are broad statements that cover all of your content.
You can have a General Disclaimer displayed in your footer and use language like, “this content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice” in your content itself.
Specific disclaimers, on the other hand, are tailored to particular services, products, or content types and a financial advice disclaimer is an example of that.
Other specific disclaimers can be health and wellness, earnings, legal, etc. Overall, specific disclaimers can offer more targeted protection, particularly for niche content or paid offerings.
Many businesses use a combination of both – standard disclaimers for general protection and specific disclaimers on high-risk pages or content!
Disclaimer Examples
To get a better idea of what disclaimers can look like in action, here are a few examples:
Standard Financial Advice Disclaimer
“The content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. The author is not a registered investment advisor or financial planner. Please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your financial situation.”
Specific Disclaimer for a Blog Post
“The strategies and examples discussed in this post are for educational purposes only and are not personalized investment advice. Individual results may vary. Always consult with a licensed financial professional before making financial decisions.”
For Paid Courses or Coaching Services
“While this program provides financial education and resources, it is not intended as personalized financial advice. Participants should seek guidance from a licensed professional before making any investment, business, or tax decisions.”
You can adapt the language of these disclaimers to fit your brand voice and the type of content you provide, whether casual, professional, or technical.
Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Advice Disclaimers
What is a financial advice disclaimer? A financial advice disclaimer is a statement on your website or content that clarifies your information is for educational purposes only and is not personalized financial, investment, or tax advice.
Do I need a financial advice disclaimer if I'm not a financial advisor? Yes, if you share content about money, investing, budgeting, or business finances. You don't have to be a licensed professional for someone to claim they relied on your content. A disclaimer helps set expectations and reduce that risk.
Where should I put my financial advice disclaimer? At a minimum, include it in your website footer and on any page or content where you discuss financial topics. For courses, coaching programs, or paid guides, include it in your terms of purchase or on the sales page.
Will a disclaimer protect me from getting sued? A disclaimer reduces your risk and strengthens your legal position, but no disclaimer is a guaranteed shield against a lawsuit. The best protection is making sure your content stays in the "general education" lane and a disclaimer reinforces that boundary.
Get The Disclaimers That Your Business Needs
Overall, using a financial advice disclaimer isn’t just a legal formality – it’s part of running a professional, trustworthy online business. It helps set clear expectations, manage risk, and protect you from misunderstandings or potential liability.
If you’ve been operating your business without having the appropriate disclaimers in place, now’s the time to fix that!
The Boutique Lawyer Contract Shop has various disclaimer templates tailored to service providers and online business owners that make it simple to add clear and effective disclaimers to your website, blog, and other content.
CLICK HERE to browse the disclaimer contract templates and grab the one that best suits your business!
And when in doubt, remember – a General Disclaimer is a great place to start. But if you’re unsure what disclaimer your specific business needs, I’m always here to help!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, AMBER GILORMO – ATTORNEY AND FOUNDER OF THE BOUTIQUE LAWYER
Amber Gilormo is the cool lawyer behind The Boutique Lawyer – a one-stop contract template shop for creative entrepreneurs, online business owners, coaches, and service providers.
From client agreements to digital product terms and everything in between, our lawyer-drafted templates take the guesswork out of staying legally protected online (no legal jargon required).
Here’s how you can stay connected:
🖋️ Let’s be pen pals! Subscribe to my email list to receive all of my best biz tips and behind the scenes goodies to keep your business bringing in sales (legally of course).
📄 Binge the blog to get all of the legal information you need about running a business in a way that actually makes sense to your non-legal brain.
👋 Come hang with me on the ‘gram! I often do AMA’s on stories, so you can submit your specific questions when they come up.