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Agony Aunt Financial and Other Advice Caveats: Let the “Expert” and the Reader Beware

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Many of us love “agony aunt” and other Q&A columns where we get to read about other people’s problems and the relationship, ethics, financial, and business advice the Agony Aunt/Uncle dishes out.

Many of them are also quite good, in a daily horoscope sort of way, where the advice is drafted to provide maximum encouragement and minimum (actionable) harm, with a strong dose of common sense.

However, if you plan to take the “advice” and act on it, please, please be a smart consumer and consult a lawyer (or other appropriate professional) when the answer seems too good (too easy, too glib) to be true, and especially if it could affect your health, finances, family, etc.

It doesn’t take much to read between the lines and see there might be a legal problem, with a parent, a spouse, a “friend,” a borrower, a lender, a collector, etc.

A very good example is provided in this Nolo Blog post: “The New York Times Ethicist Should Start with the Law

You can read other Nolo Blog posts at their website.

Please note that we are only able to provide guidance for legal research. For legal advice you may want to contact the Oregon State Bar Lawyer Information and Referral Service. The first in-office consultation with an attorney referred through the service is $35 or less.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for research purposes only.  We do not provide legal advice, nor do we endorse any person, product, or company.

Disclaimer: It is against state law for library staff members to engage in any conduct that might constitute the unauthorized practice of law (ORS 9.160, 9.166 and 9.21).  They may not interpret statutes, cases or regulations, perform legal research, recommend or assist in the preparation of forms, or advise patrons regarding their legal rights.  They may, however, assist patrons in locating materials or links that would aid in individual research.

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