The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) has unveiled a new public service campaign aimed at enhancing investor protection and promoting the use of free resources available on Investor.gov. The campaign, titled “Is This Right?”, emphasizes a multi-generational approach to educating investors about fraud protection and the importance of monitoring investment accounts.
Campaign Highlights
The “Is This Right?” campaign includes two TV spots and resources pages in both English and Spanish. The campaign focuses on educating investors about:
- The importance of monitoring investment accounts.
- Conducting background checks on investment professionals.
- Avoiding unsolicited investment pitches that could be scams.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler on Investor Education
SEC Chair Gary Gensler emphasized the importance of informed investing: “Informed investors are better investors. With this public campaign, Americans can learn more about how to meet their financial goals and invest for a strong financial future. I encourage everyone to take advantage of our resources on Investor.gov.”
Multi-Generational Knowledge Sharing
Lori Schock, Director of the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, highlighted the campaign’s focus on multi-generational knowledge sharing: “This year’s public service campaign shows that although different generations may have various kinds of knowledge when it comes to investing and recognizing scams, they can each learn from one another. Sharing knowledge and having a conversation with your family members can make talking about finances more comfortable and can also encourage younger members to become interested in saving and investing at an early age.”
Investor.gov: A Valuable Resource
Since its launch in October 2009, nearly 70 million new users have accessed Investor.gov. The site offers a variety of tools and resources for investors, including monthly quizzes to test investing knowledge. This month’s quiz, available at Investor.gov/quiz, incorporates messages from the new campaign focused on investor protection.
TV Spots: Key Messages
The campaign’s TV spots use relatable family scenarios to highlight essential messages about investor protection.
Mother/Husband/Daughter/Granddaughter [English, Spanish]
This spot underscores the importance of being wary of unsolicited investment pitches, ensuring interactions with registered investment professionals, and diligently monitoring investment accounts.
- Scenario: A mother, daughter, and teenage granddaughter are at the kitchen island, with the mother’s husband nearby. The mother shows her daughter an email from an influencer pitching a “once in a lifetime” investment, asking, “Does this look right?” The daughter suggests checking Investor.gov to see if the individual is registered. The daughter then notices a “weird fee” on her retirement statement and asks her mother, “Does this look right?” The mother appreciates her daughter’s vigilance and advises her to call and verify the fee. This interaction introduces the teenager to important investment discussions.
Father/Son/Aunt [English, Spanish]
This spot emphasizes the necessity of conducting background checks on investment professionals and identifying potential scams.
- Scenario: A son is on his phone holding an infant, while his father is on a laptop in the living room. The son receives a message from an “investment guy” promising a 15 percent return with zero risk. He asks his father, “Does this seem right?” The father warns that it sounds too good to be true and suggests ignoring the message and conducting a background check. The father then receives a random message from his investment firm asking to wire money and asks his son, “Does this seem right?” The son identifies it as a scam and advises against it. An aunt witnesses the exchange, highlighting the shared learning experience.
Both TV spots end humorously with the message: “No matter your age, we can all learn something about investing. Explore our resources at Investor.gov/NeverStopLearning.”
Conclusion
The SEC’s “Is This Right?” campaign is a significant step towards empowering investors with the knowledge and tools needed to protect their investments. By promoting multi-generational education and encouraging the use of Investor.gov, the campaign aims to foster a more informed and vigilant investing community.
For more information and to explore the resources available, visit Investor.gov/NeverStopLearning.