Checking a coach or course in the US: your rights and the public records
In the United States the rules bite hard on deception and barely touch the product. The Federal Trade Commission can act against deceptive earnings claims under Section 5, a Fake Reviews Rule has carried penalties of over fifty thousand dollars per violation since October 2024, and every state has its own unfair-practices statute. What no federal rule does is force a coach to prove their method works before selling it. The Business Opportunity Rule that might have covered this carves out pure coaching, and the move to extend it has stalled. The public records here are the weakest of the six countries this guide covers, so the checks matter more, not less.
What the law covers, and the gap it leaves. Section 5 reaches deceptive and unfair acts, the Endorsement Guides make an advertiser liable for what their endorsers claim, and the Fake Reviews Rule targets bought and fake reviews. None of it requires a seller to disclose, before you pay, what their typical customer actually earned.
The advertising and earnings rules. Under the Endorsement Guides, a testimonial showing an unusual result needs clear disclosure of what is typical, and the advertiser, not just the endorser, is on the hook. A business-opportunity seller covered by the rule must hand over a one-page disclosure document, but most coaching falls outside it, which is exactly the gap.
Check the public record. There is no single national company register. Look at the state Secretary of State where the business is formed, search SEC EDGAR if it is a public company, check FINRA BrokerCheck for anyone offering investment services, and search PACER for federal lawsuits. The limit is real: several states allow anonymous LLCs, and sole proprietors are invisible. A clean search proves very little here, so lean harder on references you can call and outcome data you can see.
If it teaches investing. Trading, crypto and "investing for returns" courses move you into Securities and Exchange Commission and state blue-sky territory, with the Howey test deciding what counts. Check the relevant regulator and stop.
If it goes wrong. Pay by credit card. The Fair Credit Billing Act and a card chargeback are your main levers, since there is no direct equivalent of a joint-liability rule. Report deceptive sellers at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state Attorney General.
Then run the method that works on any seller: proof you did not make yourself.
Common questions
- There is no national company register in the US. How do I check a seller?
Look at the Secretary of State where the business is formed, search SEC EDGAR if it is a public company, check FINRA BrokerCheck for anyone offering investment services, and search PACER for federal lawsuits. Several states allow anonymous LLCs and sole proprietors are invisible, so a clean search proves little. Lean harder on references you can call and outcome data you can see.
- Does the FTC make a coach disclose what students actually earn?
Not for most coaching. Section 5 reaches deceptive earnings claims and the Endorsement Guides make an advertiser liable for what their endorsers claim, but the Business Opportunity Rule that requires a disclosure document carves out pure coaching. That carve-out is exactly the gap you have to close yourself.
Sources
- Section 5 of the FTC Act reaches deceptive and unfair acts, and the Business Opportunity Rule requires a disclosure document for covered sellers but carves out pure coaching. · FTC Business Opportunity Rule, 16 CFR Part 437Checked 4 June 2026
- Public-company filings can be searched on EDGAR; there is no single national company register, so checks fall to the state of formation. · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, EDGARChecked 4 June 2026
- Anyone offering investment services can be checked on FINRA BrokerCheck. · FINRA BrokerCheckChecked 4 June 2026