Guides
In-depth guides on financial planning — care types, costs by state, funding strategies, and family planning checklists.
How to Read a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): A Practitioner's Guide
A practitioner walkthrough of the FDD Items that actually matter — 5, 6, 7, 12, 17, 19, 20, 21 — with red flags, cross-references, and what to do when an Item is missing or vague.
Franchise ROI: Why Franchisor Pro Formas Overstate Returns (and How to Correct Them)
The four corrections experienced franchise buyers apply to any franchisor pro forma: Item 7 × 1.15, Year 1 at 55% of Item 19, 6 months working capital, and fee stack as annual dollars.
Franchisee Validation Calls: The 15 Questions That Separate Good Brands from Bad
How to find franchisees to call, what to ask, how to interpret the answers, and the questions that consistently surface hidden problems — from the IFPG, Franchise Sidekick, and Emergent Growth Advisors practitioner consensus.
SBA Financing for Franchises: Default Rates, Lender Criteria, and Brand Vetting
How SBA 7(a) financing works for franchise purchases in 2026 — directory requirements, equity injection, credit score floors, per-brand default rates, and the red flags that make a brand SBA-ineligible.
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