what is an endorsement 
an endorsement may be a signature authorizing the legal transfer of a negotiable instrument between parties or it can be an amendment to a contract or document such as a life insurance policy or a driver s license a public declaration of support for a person product or service is also called an endorsement investopedia paige mclaughlinunderstanding endorsementswhile endorsement has several distinct meanings many of them have to do with the concept of approval or authorization in business or legal matters an endorsement refers to a signature or an equivalent stamp that authorizes payment or a transfer of funds or other financial transaction it also refers to a note amendment or clause to an official document or contract that modifies or specifies terms in a more general context an endorsement is an act of saying or showing that you agree with or support something or someone the endorser may or may not be compensated for example a wnba basketball player may endorse a pair of nike brand shoes in a commercial or an actor might endorse a political candidate appearing at campaign rallies or making speeches types of endorsementsa signature is an endorsement for example when an employer issues a payroll check it authorizes or endorses the transfer of money from the business account to the employee the act of signing the check is considered an endorsement which serves as proof of the payer s intent to transfer funds to the payee in a financial transaction where one party pays with a check the person receiving the funds must endorse the check with a signature a signature on the back of the check indicates that the transaction is complete and allows the transfer of money ordered by the check if more than one person is listed as a payee on the check then the endorsement requirements differ depending on how the names are written for example if the check is written out to john doe and jane doe both people must sign the check if the check is written out to john doe or jane doe then only one signature is required 1signing the back of a check to be cashed is called a blank endorsement anyone can cash or deposit a check with a blank endorsement even if the check is not written to that individual insurance endorsements are amendments in the form of modifications or additions to the original policy for example a policy provision continuing monthly income to a beneficiary after the death of the insured is an example of an endorsement and is also known as a rider typically this type of endorsement increases the policy premium due to the added benefits to the policyholder and beneficiary and the increased risk to the insurer 2license endorsements add rights or privileges to a driver for example a motorcycle endorsement on a license gives a driver permission to operate a motorcycle on public roads license endorsements also refer to the types of authorized vehicles or to the type of cargo a vehicle may carry the opposite of a license endorsement is a restriction which forbids certain behavior when driving for example someone with a corrective eyewear restriction isn t allowed to drive without glasses or contact lenses 3endorsements and promotingendorsements can also represent a show of support or a form of approval a person or entity may make a public declaration of support for a person product or service most commonly such an endorsement occurs when a government official an influential person or an organization expresses their support for a political candidate in the u s one of the earliest sports celebrities paid endorsers was honus wagner national league batting champion in 1900 1903 and 1904 in 1905 he signed a contract to promote louisville slugger baseball bats he began his career playing for the louisville colonels wagner went on to endorse other products like gum soda and razors 4 but when american tobacco created a baseball card with his likeness on it to put in their cigarette packs he asked them to stop although wagner chewed tobacco he did not want children buying smokes to get his card 5for example a newspaper may recommend that readers vote for a particular person who is running for office in an upcoming election publishing an editorial that explains the reasons for their support the paper is said to be endorsing that candidate in the field of marketing supporters or promoters of products are sometimes called influencers often times influencers leverage social media to market the objects of their support 6