Info Sheets
Info Sheets to allow investors to get more in-depth information on specific topics of interest.
3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Retirement Savings
Take Advantage of Company Matching:
In many employer-sponsored retirement plans, your company will match some or all of your contributions. If your employer offers a plan like this and you do not contribute enough to get your employer’s match, you are passing up “free money” for your retirement savings.
An Introduction to 529 Plans
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future college costs. 529 plans, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” are sponsored by states, state agencies, or educational institutions and are authorized by Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.
There are two types of 529 plans: pre-paid tuition plans and college savings plans. All fifty states and the District of Columbia sponsor at least one type of 529 plan. In addition, a group of private colleges and universities sponsor a pre-paid tuition plan.
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Beginners’ Guide to Asset Allocation, Diversification, and Rebalancing
Even if you are new to investing, you may already know some of the most fundamental principles of sound investing. How did you learn them? Through ordinary, real-life experiences that have nothing to do with the stock market.
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Broken Promises: Promissory Note Fraud
A promissory note is a form of debt – similar to a loan or an IOU – that a company may issue to raise money. Typically, an investor agrees to loan money to the company for a set period of time. In exchange, the company promises to pay the investor a fixed return on his or her investment, typically principal plus annual interest.
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Evaluating Your Retirement Options
As an employee of a public school, you likely have access to both a pension and a retirement savings plan called a “403(b)” plan. Let’s examine what a 403(b) plan is, and then go through the choices you’ll likely need to make if you decide to invest in a 403(b) plan.
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Exercise your Shareholder Voting Rights in Corporate Elections
One of your key rights as a shareholder is the right to vote the shares of the companies in which you invest. Shareholder voting rights give you the power to elect directors at annual or special meetings and make your views known to the company management and directors on significant issues that may affect the value of your shares. Shareholders usually participate in these meetings and elections through proxy voting.
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Help Your Employees Achieve Their Retirement Dream
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.
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High-Yield CDs: Protect Your Money by Checking the Fine Print
When looking for a low-risk investment for their hard-earned cash, many Americans turn to certificates of deposit (CDs). In combination with recent market volatility, advertisements for CDs with attractive yields have generated considerable interest in CDs.
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Leveraged and Inverse ETFs: Specialized Products with Extra Risks for Buy-and-Hold Investors
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). Leveraged and inverse ETFs typically are designed to achieve their stated performance objectives on a daily basis. Some investors might invest in these ETFs with the expectation that the ETFs may meet their stated daily performance objectives over the long term as well.
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Lump Sum Payouts: Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Invest
Receiving a lump sum payout can be very exciting because for many individuals it’s rare to have the opportunity to spend or invest a large amount of money at one time. But figuring out what to do with a lump sum payout also can be very stressful, especially if you aren’t comfortable making financial decisions.
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Researchers and Librarians - Easy Access to Selected Securities and Investor Information at the SEC
Spotlight on Topics of Current Issues at the SEC
Hedge Funds, Sarbanes-Oxley, and more http://www.sec.gov/spotlight.shtml
Official Documents and Reports
Releases
Press Releases http://www.sec.gov/news/press.shtml
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Target Date Funds: Retirement Savers’ Guide
We developed this brochure to help investors who already have target date funds, and those who are considering investing in them, to better understand these funds and assess whether they are a good match for their investment needs.
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Ultra-Short Bond Funds: Know Where You’re Parking Your Money
Ultra-short bond funds are mutual funds that generally invest in fixed income securities with extremely short maturities, or time periods in which they become due for payment. Like other bond mutual funds, ultra-short bond funds may invest in a wide range of securities, including corporate debt, government securities, mortgage-backed securities, and other asset-backed securities.
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“Senior” Specialists and Advisors: What You Should Know About Professional Designations
Some financial professionals use designations that imply that they are experts at helping seniors with financial issues. Many seniors, however, don’t understand the sets of initials that may follow the names of these financial professionals or the meaning of the titles - such as “senior specialist” or “retirement advisor” - they use to market themselves.
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