Investor Alerts and Bulletins

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) and Division of Enforcement Retail Strategy Task Force are providing tips for investors in the Thrift Savings Plan to help protect against fraud.

You may have recently read in the financial press about the phase-out of LIBOR.  You may be affected by the transition away from LIBOR if you hold securities, financial instruments or financial products that have exposure to LIBOR.  The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) wants to help you understand how the transition away from LIBOR could impact your investments and financial situation, and where you can go for additional information.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy continues to urge investors to be cautious if considering an investment involving crypto asset securities. Investments in crypto asset securities can be exceptionally volatile and speculative, and the platforms where investors buy, sell, borrow, or lend these securities may lack important protections for investors.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy warns investors that websites promoting High-Yield Investment Programs are likely scams.

This Investor Bulletin discusses only ETFs that are registered as open-end investment companies or unit investment trusts under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). It does not address other types of exchange-traded products that are not registered under the 1940 Act, such as exchange traded commodity funds or exchange-traded notes.

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 is issuing this Investor Alert to warn investors of risks associated with self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts (self-directed IRAs).  Self-directed IRAs allow investment in a broader—and potentially riskier—portfolio of assets than other types of IRAs.  While a broader set of investment options may have appeal, investors should be mindful that investments in self-directed IRAs raise risks including fraudulent schemes, high fees, and volatile performance.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, along with the Office of International Affairs, the Office of the Chief Accountant, the Division of Corporation Finance, and the Division of Trading and Markets, are issuing this Investor Bulletin to highlight for investors of affected companies the consequences under the HFCAA.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert to provide investors with important steps to take regarding their investment accounts if they become victims of identity theft or a data breach.

In recent years there have been changes in the technology used for communications between advisers and clients/prospective clients, the expectations of investors shopping for advisory services, and the nature of the investment advisory industry. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help investors understand what to expect in advertisements from advisers, especially in online reviews or on social media, in this changed landscape.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to advise investors about the inflation-adjusted increase in the investment limits for securities-based crowdfunding.

Historically, an initial public offering, or IPO, has referred to the first time a company offers its shares of capital stock to the general public. Under the federal securities laws, a company may not lawfully offer or sell shares unless the transaction has been registered with the SEC or an exemption applies...

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors about a new investing   opportunity in the form of securities-based crowdfunding.

For World Investor Week 2022, investors, investment professionals, teachers, parents, researchers, and others are encouraged to make a special effort to promote investor resilience and sustainable finance.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors about investment performance claims.  If you are in the market for an investment, you will likely come across sales and marketing materials that describe an investment’s performance.  You should know that performance information can be presented in many different ways.  Before making a decision, always make sure you understand how any performance claim is calculated and presented – and whether or not the claim is reliable and applies to your particular circumstances.  Here are a few…

Fraudsters often use social media to scam investors.  The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy encourages you to be skeptical and never make investment decisions based solely on information from social media platforms or apps.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors about investing in unregistered securities offerings, sometimes called private placements, under Regulation D of the Securities Act. 

As a teacher, you have a number of choices to make when investing for retirement. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help teachers make informed investment decisions, including about 403(b) and 457(b) plans -- tax-advantaged retirement savings programs often offered to teachers of public educational institutions.  More information for teachers is available in our A Guide for Teachers: Saving and Investing for K-12 Educators.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help educate investors about the arbitration and mediation processes involving a customer dispute with a broker-dealer. 

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help educate investors about extended-hours trading for stocks. Extended-hours trading, refers to trading that occurs outside of regular trading hours. Regular trading hours for stocks traded on exchanges and certain other markets are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Extended-hours trading sessions may occur before or after regular trading hours. The duration of extended-hours trading sessions varies between markets and trading venues. Investors should contact their brokerage firms to…

Investors should be aware that false statements may be made -- including in company press releases, promotional materials, and social media posts -- about a company offering or developing products that prevent, detect, or treat COVID-19, in order to inflate the value of a company’s stock.  Fraudulent stock promotions of these companies also may be made through “research reports” that make predictions of a specific “target price.”  Never invest in a company based solely on information in a press release or stock promotion.

One of the best ways to build wealth is by saving and investing over a long period of time. The earlier you start, the easier it is for your money to grow. Opening your first investment account is a key step in beginning your investment journey. As a college student, you may receive offers to open an investment account. These offers could come from your bank, from someone you or your family know, or even at a campus coffee shop. They also can include incentives, like free stock or cash to invest, as a way to entice you to sign up.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Bulletin to help investors ask informed questions about the interest a brokerage firm charges for margin accounts.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Division of Enforcement’s Retail Strategy Task Force are issuing this Investor Bulletin to educate investors about risks with accounts that pay interest on crypto asset deposits.

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this bulletin to help investors understand what happens when a fund closes and distributes its assets, or “liquidates.”