Investor education

Investor education is a term used to describe programs and information to help individuals make informed investment decisions. Much of this information is designed to help investors better understand:

# personal investment goals and risk tolerance
# investment risk
# characteristics of different financial products
# different types of investment fraud
# the importance of choosing a proper financial adviser

Investor education is available from a number of organizations and associations, such as government (through its agencies such as securities regulators), self-regulatory organizations, non-profit groups, companies and individuals.

Need for Investor Education

With increasingly complicated financial products available to investors and electronic financial transactions becoming the norm, people need to learn how to make wise financial decisions. Educating investors about financial products, capital markets and common types of investment fraud can contribute to the economy and benefit society as a whole.

Well-educated investors can drive innovation and competition in the capital markets, demanding new products and services that suit their needs or expectations. Educated investors are also better equipped to recognize investment fraud and protect themselves against it. Finally, investors who are able to invest wisely and protect their savings will create less stress on a country’s social safety net in their non-working, retirement years.

Studies and Research

In 2006,Canadian securities regulators commissioned two national investor surveys [ 2006 CSA Investor Index [http://www.csa-acvm.ca/pdfs/CSA_Investor_Index_October_18.pdf] ] [ 2007 CSA Investor Study [http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/uploadedFiles/news/publications/2007InvestorStudy_FullReport.PDF] ] to gauge people’s knowledge and experience with investments and fraud. The results from both studies demonstrated there is a need better to educate and inform investors about capital markets and investment fraud. Education in this area is particularly important as investors take on more risk and responsibility of managing their retirement savings, and a large baby boomer population enters the retirement years across North America.

In 2005, The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) funded the Eron Mortgage Study [ "Eron Mortgage Study", Neil Boyd, Professor and Associate Director, School of Criminology Simon Fraser University, March 31, 2005 [http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/uploadedFiles/Eron_Research_Study.pdf] ] . It was the first systematic study of a single investment fraud, focusing on more than 2,200 Eron Mortgage investors. Among other things, the report identified that investors approaching retirement without adequate resources and affluent middle-aged men were vulnerable to investment fraud. The report suggests investor education will become even more important as the baby boomer generation enters retirement.

Other regulators and self-regulatory organizations in the U.S., U.K. and Australia have also funded investor education studies. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says there is much to do and learn about financial education programs. In a 2005 report, it called for increased awareness to emphasize the need for financial literacy among all age groups and income levels.

Investor Education programs

Investor education programs often categorized such information into the “3 Knows” an investor should understand in order to make an informed investment decision. They are:

# Know Yourself
# Know Your Investment
# Know Your Adviser

Agencies involved in investor education

Australia
* Australian Securities & Investment Commission

Canada
* Canadian Securities Administrators
* Alberta Securities Commission
* British Columbia Securities Commission
* Canadian Securities Administrators
* Manitoba Securities Commission
* New Brunswick Securities Commission
* Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Government Services
* Northwest Territories Registrar of Securities
* Nova Scotia Securities Commission
* Nunavut Legal Registries
* Ontario Securities Commission
* Prince Edward Island Securities Office
* Québec Autorité des marchés financiers
* Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission
* Yukon Territory Registrar of Securities

United States
* North American Securities Administrators Association
* United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

United Kingdom
* Financial Services Authority

References

External links

* Alberta Securities Commission Investor Education - [http://www.albertasecurities.com/Investors/Pages/default.aspx For Investors]
* Australian Securities & Investment Commission Investor Education - [http://www.fido.asic.gov.au FIDO]
* British Columbia Securities Commission InvestRigtht - [http://www.investright.org InvestRight]
* Financial Services Authority Investor Education - [http://www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk Money Made Clear]
* Ontario Securities Commission Investor Education - [http://www.investored.ca/en/Pages/default.aspx?aid=osc InvestorED.ca]
* SEC Investor Education - [http://www.sec.gov/investor.shtml SEC Office of Investor Education]