For many Americans, retirement can be an alluring stage of life—a time when many hope to finally have the time to try new hobbies or travel. But retiring comfortably and being able to do the things you dream about requires a steady stream of income that lasts as long as you do. The earlier you retire, the more important it is to manage your retirement assets wisely.

The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy is issuing this Investor Alert to help educate investors, including individuals receiving lump sum payouts from the federal government in connection with the $3.4 billion Indian Trust Settlement, about potential investment frauds that target recipients of lump sum payouts.

Individual investors who are considering participating in the foreign currency exchange (or “forex”) market need to understand fully the market and its unique characteristics. Forex trading can be very risky and is not appropriate for all investors.

The SEC is warning investors about a website that falsely claims that $1.3 billion in Madoff money has been found in Malaysia and encourages individuals to submit information to verify that they are on a refund list. The website was created as a fake mirror image of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation’s (SIPC) website.

The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received credible information suggesting that an individual named Eric Bartoli, who was previously sued by the SEC for securities fraud, may currently be located in Peru and engaged in securities solicitations of investors, using the alias Enrico Orlandini.

The staff of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is issuing this Investor Alert about an entity calling itself the “U.S. Securities and Equities Administration” and other similar names, including the “U.S. Securities Administration” or the “U.S. Securities Bureau.”