Investor Alerts and Bulletins

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC’s) Office of Customer Education and Outreach, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), the National Futures Association (NFA), and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) are issuing this Investor Bulletin to provide investors with information for World Investor Week 2024, a global campaign promoted by the I

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) warns investors that scams involving stock recommendations may be conducted through social media. Never make investment decisions based solely on information from social media platforms or apps.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) is providing tips for investors in the Thrift Savings Plan to help protect against fraud.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach (OCEO), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) are issuing this Investor Alert to warn investors about relationship investment scams, where fraudsters — including criminals and other bad actors — often hide their true identities, reach out to unsuspecting targets (often online or through text messages), gain their trust over time, and then defrau

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) urges investors to weigh carefully the potential risks and benefits if considering any investment product that provides exposure to the price of bitcoin or ether. Investors should understand that bitcoin and ether are highly speculative investments. This includes when exposure is gained through an exchange-traded product (ETP). Investors should consider the volatility of the price of bitcoin and ether.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) wants to educate investors about investing in SPACs. You may have heard the term SPAC recently referred to in the financial or other news.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) is issuing this Investor Bulletin to inform investors about how they may be able to recover money if they have been harmed by a violation of the federal securities laws.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this updated Investor Alert to warn investors about investment scams that purport to offer investors the opportunity to buy pre-IPO shares of companies, including social media and technology companies such as Facebook and Twitter. SEC staff is aware of a number of complaints and inquiries about these types of frauds, which may be promoted on social media and internet sites, by telephone, email, in person, or by other means.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert because fraudsters continue to exploit the popularity of crypto assets to lure retail investors into scams. Crypto assets may include assets commonly referred to as cryptocurrencies, crypto, coins, and tokens.

From time to time, the SEC seeks comment from the public on a number of matters, including on the SEC’s rulemakings. The Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help explain the rulemaking process and to help promote greater individual investor input in Commission rulemaking proceedings.

On February 15, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rule amendments to shorten the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions from “T+2” to “T+1,” subject to certain exceptions.  The compliance date for the rule amendments is May 28, 2024, at which point the standard settlement cycle will be T+1.  The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) is issuing this Investor Bulletin to explain the new “T+1” settlement cycle and how it will affect certain transactions you place with your brokerage firm.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert to warn investors about potential investment schemes in which fraudsters send fake Forms 4 to investors who paid for the purported purchase of shares.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert to help law enforcement professionals and others identify if an older investor has been a victim of investment fraud, and to explain how to report it to appropriate authorities. First, identify whether there may be investment fraud. Here are some tell-tale signs:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are jointly issuing this Investor Alert to make investors aware of the increase of investment frauds involving the purported use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. Individual investors should know that bad actors are using the growing popularity and complexity of AI to lure victims into scams.

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate individual investors about mutual fund and ETF shareholder reports.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to inform investors about the potential risks of some certificate of deposit accounts (CDs). When looking for a low-risk investment for their hard-earned cash, many investors turn to CDs. In combination with recent market volatility, advertisements for CDs with attractive yields have generated considerable interest.

Service members or dependents may receive one-time lump sum payments for injuries, loss of life, insurance, or lawsuit proceeds. These payments can replace lost future income, so it’s important to take steps to ensure they provide a long-term benefit for your family, such as by reducing debt or bolstering savings and investments.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the National Futures Association (NFA), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) are issuing this Investor Bulletin to provide investors with information about the three themes of World Investor Week 2023, a global campaign promoted by the International Organization of Securiti

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors about ABLE accounts.

An increasing number of investment advisers are charging clients subscription-based fees, rather than more traditional asset-based fees, for their investment management services. Many of these advisers are robo-advisers who market their services to new investors who may not yet have an investment account or may only have a small amount to invest. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors, especially new investors, about these types of fees.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to provide investors with background information on 529 plans. Please also see our companion Bulletin for a few questions to consider before opening a 529 plan account.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to answer questions that may arise when investing in a 529 plan account. Please also see our companion Bulletin, An Introduction to 529 Plans, for background information on the plans.

The SEC staff and FINRA are issuing this Alert because we believe individual investors may be confused about the performance objectives of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) urges investors to be on the lookout for scams related to the recent Hawaii wildfires. Bad actors may use natural disasters, including the recent Hawaii wildfires, to lure victims into investment scams.  These frauds may directly target individuals receiving money from insurance companies or other sources.  They can take many forms.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, along with the Office of the Chief Accountant, is issuing this Investor Bulletin to alert investors in the crypto asset markets of the risk of relying on audits not conducted following SEC rules and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) standards.