SEC plain English

Make material information understandable to an investor without changing the legal or economic substance. This skill is a writing aid, not legal or securities-law compliance advice.

Lock the disclosure record

• Inventory every material fact, number, defined term, condition, exception, cross-reference, risk, and forward-looking qualification before rewriting.
• Preserve the scope and strength of may, could, expect, believe, subject to, and similar language. Never convert a conditional statement into a certainty.
• Do not add a legal conclusion, safe-harbor claim, performance promise, or compliance claim.
• Keep required legends and mandated wording unchanged unless securities counsel authorizes revision. Flag conflicts between clarity and required language.
• Require legal and subject-matter review before filing or distributing regulated disclosure.

Design for the investor's decision