SEC Spotlights Due Diligence During World Investor Week 2023

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced it will highlight the importance of investor education and protection during World Investor Week (WIW) 2023, which takes place October 2-8. Arising technologies and new digital tools are making it easier and quicker to invest. Taking time to do due diligence can help investors avoid fraud and make better informed investment decisions.

This marks the seventh year of WIW, a global effort promoted by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) that brings together regulators on six continents to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and investor protection. As in previous years, the SEC is serving as the national coordinator in the U.S., working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Securities Investor Protection Corporation, National Futures Association, and North American Securities Administrators Association. Together with these organizations, the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) issued a joint Investor Bulletin today to promote WIW's key initiatives.

During WIW, SEC staff throughout the country will host outreach events highlighting the importance that investors: conduct their own research on investment opportunities; create a risk-appropriate, long-term, and diversified investment plan that can help them weather changing economic conditions and market fluctuations; establish an emergency fund; and learn how to spot fraud.

“Investor protection is at the heart of everything we do at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and World Investor Week provides an important opportunity to advance our mission,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “During the week, SEC staff will engage with investors from a wide range of communities, including students, teachers, older investors, military service members, and underserved communities. I encourage all investors to take advantage of the resources on Investor.gov and participate in our outreach events.”

“A key part of investor protection is education, and we encourage investors to never stop learning. Before making any investment decision, every investor should ask questions, verify the answers, only invest in opportunities they fully understand, and learn how to protect their hard-earned money,” said OIEA Director Lori Schock. “Our Investor Alerts and Bulletins help educate investors about current investment topics and inform them about the latest scams and our new public service campaign has resource pages and informational videos to help them learn how to avoid fraud and to make better informed investment decisions.”

For World Investor Week, Ms. Schock posted a new Director’s Take article, “Protecting Your Retirement Money,” which provides investors with tips on how to protect their hard-earned money, such as checking the background of their investment professional, asking questions about investment opportunities, knowing the red flags of fraud, and avoiding unsolicited phone calls, texts, and emails from anyone asking for money.

The SEC’s WIW page highlights messaging on investor education and protection and includes a quiz that investors can use to test their knowledge of key investing concepts.

Each day of WIW, the SEC will conduct outreach events across the country – both in-person and virtual – including the following:

• Saving, investing, and fraud protection presentations for older investors, military service members and their families, teachers, and those reentering back into society;
• Classroom activities for high school and college students, including events at Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
• A live AARP Fraud Watch Network Facebook event;
• A radio interview on topics important to older investors; and
• Thrift Savings Plan program event for federal employees.

To learn more about the SEC’s outreach activities and to get involved with WIW, visit the SEC's World Investor Week page. Additional investor education and protection resources are available at Investor.gov.