Stay Safe
Practical tips for the moments when people most often lose money: signing, buying, borrowing, hiring and going online. What to look for, the warning signs, the questions to ask, and when to stop and get a lawyer.
Series · Before You Sign
A recurring series on everyday documents: the clauses that matter, the wording that shifts risk quietly, and the questions that expose an unfair term before you commit.
A document is in front of you and someone is waiting
The four questions that apply to every document you are ever asked to sign, and the point at which you should stop and get professional advice.
You are about to commit to a home and a year of rent
Renting is covered by your state's law and by the agreement itself. The agreement decides most of what happens — and you sign it when you have the least bargaining power.
An offer letter has arrived and you want to accept
The offer letter and the contract behind it decide your pay, notice, restrictions and what happens if the job ends. Everything is easier to negotiate before you accept.
A partnership is forming on trust and a handshake
Business partners rarely fall out over how things started. They fall out over what nobody wrote down: who put in what, who decides, how someone leaves, and who keeps the customers.
All guides
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A document is in front of you and someone is waiting
The four questions that apply to every document you are ever asked to sign, and the point at which you should stop and get professional advice.
You are about to commit to a home and a year of rent
Renting is covered by your state's law and by the agreement itself. The agreement decides most of what happens — and you sign it when you have the least bargaining power.
An offer letter has arrived and you want to accept
The offer letter and the contract behind it decide your pay, notice, restrictions and what happens if the job ends. Everything is easier to negotiate before you accept.
A message, invoice or offer arrives and it looks legitimate
Most online fraud in Nigeria follows a small number of repeated patterns. Recognising the pattern is more useful than recognising the sender.
A deposit is being requested and the seller is in a hurry
Most people who lose money on land in Nigeria were not tricked in clever ways. They paid before checking — who has the right to sell, the history of the papers, and the land itself.
Money is about to move between people who trust each other
Loans between friends, family and small businesses fail on the same points: no written terms, no record of repayment, and guarantors who did not understand what they signed.
A partnership is forming on trust and a handshake
Business partners rarely fall out over how things started. They fall out over what nobody wrote down: who put in what, who decides, how someone leaves, and who keeps the customers.
Already in it?
If the document is already signed or the money has already moved, start from the rights guides or the guided pathway instead.
