With 2025 ending, the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance is highlighting 10 important Investor Alerts and Bulletins. These resources, all available on Investor.gov, can help you make informed investment decisions and avoid investment fraud. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at help@sec.gov, our online question form, or on our toll-free investor assistance line at (800) 732-0330.
Target date funds are investment funds that hold a mix of investments, such as stock, bond, and other investments. They are designed to make investing for retirement or other goals more convenient by diversifying your money among different investments and by changing the investment mix or asset allocation over time.
As with anything you buy, there are fees and expenses associated with investment products and services. These fees may seem small, but over time they can have a major impact on your investment portfolio. When choosing an investment or an investment professional, make sure you understand and compare the fees you’ll be charged.
Relationship investment scams involve a “long con” where fraudsters build trust through friendship or romance over time and then convince you to put money into phony investments. Fraudsters often initiate contact online or on social media platforms — including professional networking, dating, and messaging websites/apps.
Fraudsters seeking to lure investors into scams may impersonate investment professionals or impersonate firms that are registered with a state securities regulator, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), or the SEC. Impersonators may go to great lengths to conceal their identities in investment scams.
You should consider adding a “trusted contact person” to your brokerage accounts. A “trusted contact person” is like an emergency contact – a person you authorize your brokerage firm to contact in limited circumstances, such as if your investment professional has trouble reaching you or has a reasonable belief that your account might be exposed to possible financial exploitation.
Stock recommendations you receive through social media may be part of an investment scam. Fraudsters may promote a stock anonymously or while impersonating someone else and then profit at your expense.
Learn how to identify if an older investor has experienced investment fraud, how to report it to the appropriate authorities, and how to stay alert for ongoing investment fraud.
Mutual funds and ETFs are both popular options to help investors save for retirement and other financial goals. While mutual funds and ETFs are similar in some ways, they also have some important differences you should understand before deciding which is best for you.
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs. There are two types of 529 plans: education savings plans and prepaid tuition plans.
Military service members and dependents may receive a one-time lump sum payment for injury, loss of life, insurance, or lawsuit proceeds. This payment may be replacing future income, so make the most of that payment for you and your family by reducing debt and bolstering savings and investments.
