Every day we're confronted with fine print.  It's in advertising, credit card agreements, service agreements, not to mention the junk mail and spam offers that we’re overloaded with.

But, have you ever actually read the fine print? 

Legalese, boilerplate and fine print are intended to clarify the terms of the agreement.  But would you actually sign an agreement to "monitor your credit" if you knew that the real cost to you was $360 a year even though you can do it yourself three times per year for no charge?  Would you transfer a balance to a new credit card knowing that you have to pay a 4% fee for the privilege of giving your money to the new company AND that your interest rate skyrockets to 42% after the 2.99% initial rate expires in three months?  Would you sign up for an online offer that requires you to agree that the company can sell your personal information to anyone they choose?  Probably not. 

But know this:  the actual terms of the deal are often spelled out in the fine print.

Lots of people don't bother to read the fine print because they say it's a hassle.  Yep, and that's exactly what the people who wrote it are counting on.   Why do you think there's so much of it and it's so small?  Makes it physically harder to read. 

Often, people don't bother to read the fine print for fear of being ridiculed for not understanding it.  Yep, that’s exactly what they're counting on.  Most people don't ask and, therefore, don't know what they’re really agreeing to. 

Here's what happens when you just sign something without reading it:  you give away all your rights to the other party.  If you have a conflict later on, you lose.  All the other party needs to do is whip out the document with your signature on it and point to the clause in dispute.  It's right there in black and white.  You can't say you didn't know about it or didn't agree to it, your signature indicates that you read, understood and agreed to the whole document… or you would not have signed it!

If you don't understand something, ask what it means.  If you cannot get a clear, straight answer, then you might consider clicking delete, feeding the deal to your shredder or walking away and taking your business elsewhere. 

There is no reason to fear fine print or documents with fine print.  What you do need to fear is ignorance and complacency, because they can get you into lots of trouble.    

It's up to you to read the fine print before you click or sign on the dotted line.