---
title: "Non-negotiable hard stops"
slug: "scorecard/non-negotiable-hard-stops"
section: "Scorecard"
description: "Adviser receives transaction contingent pay for investor introductions or offers to negotiate securities without a clear registration/legal analysis. [Brok"
internal_only: false
---

# Non-negotiable hard stops

- Adviser receives transaction-contingent pay for investor introductions or offers to negotiate securities without a clear registration/legal analysis. [Broker-Dealers — US SEC](https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/capital-raising-building-blocks/broker-dealers)
- Refuses to identify investors, referrals, equity holdings, client-side reporting or implementation revenue relevant to the decision.
- Cannot contractually define confidentiality, retention and disclosure to sponsors; coaching ethics place particular importance on these duties. [ICF Code of Ethics, effective 1 April 2025](https://coachingfederation.org/credentialing/coaching-ethics/icf-code-of-ethics/)
- Claims guaranteed valuation, financial return, fundraising success or certainty about a commercial outcome.
- Pressures the founder to delegate a legally retained governance decision to them.