.- clearXchange initiated via clearxchange.com, or Popmoney initiatd via popmoney.com using recipient's email or phone number: I have not read the terms of service, but I would assume that this essentially initiates an ACH debit on the sender's bank account, leaving the landlord vulnerable to relatively easy reversals.

People in those situations are vulnerable. 

And the big data space is even more vulnerable because most of these companies dont make any money.  

You do not want to have to pay for a house in flames out of pocket.5.

Then I'm vulnerable to lawsuits.

@Mehdi Khachani the biggest issue is security as your site would need SSL and even then having another payment site run within an iframe on your site isn't secure as iframes are vulnerable.  

I've also seen a phenomenon where people who make a bunch of money in some unrelated biz get the wild idea that it would be cool and fun to open a restaurant/bar and make a bunch of money while having a blast. 99.9% of the time, they seem to end up going down in flames!

He did not think I was vulnerable enough.

Please help, unsure what I can do or who else to try without paying an arm and a leg or leaving myself vulnerable for years to come? 

• Going straight to step #3 means I’m putting a lot of trust in the family friend and will be more vulnerable given my lack of experience.