LinkedIn post, one-pager, blog, email, or pitchbook slide — any length, any format.
0 words · 2,000 word cap on free
Every flag ships with a rule citation.
to keep your preflight history and generate exam-prep exports. Signed-out sessions are not retained.
§1

How this reads a piece

The tool walks the piece against each subsection of 17 CFR § 275.206(4)-1 and the SEC's published Marketing Rule risk alerts. Every subsection below links to its canonical eCFR entry — click through and read it yourself.

  1. 01
    §206(4)-1(a)(1)
    Anything untrue or that leaves out a material fact.
    eCFR ↗
  2. 02
    §206(4)-1(a)(2)
    Any material factual claim you can't substantiate on demand — testimonials to "best", metric claims, statistics.
    eCFR ↗
  3. 03
    §206(4)-1(a)(3)
    Anything that implies SEC endorsement or regulator blessing.
    eCFR ↗
  4. 04
    §206(4)-1(a)(4)
    Benefit claims without paired disclosure of material risks/limits.
    eCFR ↗
  5. 05
    §206(4)-1(a)(5)
    Cherry-picking of specific investment advice without balance.
    eCFR ↗
  6. 06
    §206(4)-1(a)(6)
    Performance windows or exclusions that flatter the picture.
    eCFR ↗
  7. 07
    §206(4)-1(a)(7)
    Anything otherwise materially misleading (catch-all).
    eCFR ↗
  8. 08
    §206(4)-1(b)
    Testimonial/endorsement disclosures — client status, comp, conflicts.
    eCFR ↗
  9. 09
    §206(4)-1(c)
    Third-party ratings — due-diligence, methodology, dates.
    eCFR ↗
  10. 10
    §206(4)-1(d)
    Performance — gross+net, prescribed periods, hypothetical restrictions.
    eCFR ↗
§2

A worked example

A fictional LinkedIn post you'd see any day of the week. Every phrase gets a flag and a citation. This example is illustrative — not from any real firm.

Delighted to share that our clients earned consistent alpha of 4.2% above the S&P last year — a result of our proprietary quant process. As one client put it, "They're the smartest team on Wall Street." Named a Top 100 RIA by Advisor Weekly. DM me to learn more.
§3

What the SEC said in Dec 2025

The Division of Examinations Marketing Rule Risk Alert flagged three recurring deficiency patterns. All three are baked into the preflight — with the same citations exam staff use.

Risk Alert item 1
sec.gov ↗
Testimonial disclosure deficiencies
Recurring deficiency: testimonials and endorsements presented without the required disclosures being 'clear and prominent' — disclosures buried in small footnotes, hidden in linked pages, or omitted entirely from short-form social posts.
Risk Alert item 2
sec.gov ↗
Third-party rating due-diligence gaps
Recurring deficiency: advisers referencing 'Top RIA' or similar third-party ratings without a documented reasonable basis for believing the survey methodology is not designed to produce a predetermined result.
Risk Alert item 3
sec.gov ↗
Hypothetical performance to non-qualified audiences
Recurring deficiency: hypothetical, back-tested, or model performance shown on public websites and LinkedIn without policies designed to limit distribution to intended audiences per Rule 206(4)-1(d)(6).
§4

Frequently asked

Is this a substitute for outside counsel or my CCO?▸
No. Backup Ledger is a preflight aid. It flags likely issues under Rule 206(4)-1 and cites the exact subsection. Every flag involving judgment is labelled "Uncertain — CCO must decide." In an SEC exam, what matters is your CCO's documented decision — this tool exists to make that decision faster and cited, not to replace it.
What happens if the SEC asks how I made a call?▸
Every preflight generates a date-stamped report with the piece hash, the rule text quoted verbatim, and the eCFR/SEC.gov canonical link for each flag. On paid tier you can export the full archive as CSV or ZIP — that IS the documentation your CCO shows exam staff.
Do you keep my drafts? Who can see them?▸
If you are signed in, we store your submissions and findings against your Clerk user ID so you can see your session history and generate exam-prep exports. We do not use your drafts to train models. If you are signed out, nothing is retained after the browser tab closes.
Does it work for LinkedIn video scripts?▸
Yes — paste the script. Note that under the Marketing Rule, the video is the advertisement, so any disclosures (testimonial status, third-party rating methodology, performance) must be in the video or an accompanying static disclosure in the same view. The tool will flag when disclosures appear likely to be delivered in a linked pinned comment rather than the piece itself.
What about Reg S-P and Reg BI?▸
Out of scope. Backup Ledger reviews against 17 CFR § 275.206(4)-1 (the Marketing Rule) plus the SEC's published Marketing Rule FAQ and the Division of Examinations Risk Alerts. Reg S-P (privacy) and Reg BI (broker-dealer standard of conduct) are separate frameworks with separate review workflows.
How does this differ from COMPLY, Smart-RIA, or RIA in a Box?▸
Those are full-suite RegTech platforms that bury pre-publication review inside larger workflows and are priced (and configured) for larger firms. Backup Ledger does one job: pre-publication Marketing Rule review, cited to eCFR line-item. Solo CCO plan is $49/mo. No sales call.