Most state and provincial securities regulators have established investor education departments or divisions within their agencies. These investor education professionals work to develop unbiased, relevant, and free investor education programming for retail investors throughout North America. The names of some of these programs are listed below. In addition, some of the content developed in these programs is accessible below (while other content is reserved for NASAA members only).
NASAA Investor Education Outreach Program Guide
STaRT Today and Retire Tomorrow
“Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late – Start Today and Retire Tomorrow!” was created in response to the need for investor education materials that effectively target working adults who may not be fully utilizing investing tools to reach their retirement goals.
Financial Empowerment for Women is an outreach program designed to empower women investors to take control of their financial futures. The program helps women learn to avoid investment fraud and invest with confidence.
Crowdfunding Outreach
NASAA’s Crowdfunding outreach program is designed to provide information to assist small businesses and start-ups seeking responsible avenues to raise investment capital to help get their business ventures off the ground.
Sandwich Generation: Caught in the Middle
The “Sandwich Generation” is the generation of adults responsible for their own needs as well as the care and support of both their dependent children and elderly family members. This program provides investor education resources to assist with those interested in learning more about the financial issues facing the Sandwich Generation.
Native American Outreach
Native Americans and First Nations populations have been historically under-served by investor education programs, in part, because of lack of understanding of cultural sensitivity and frequent geographical isolation. NASAA’s Native American Outreach program addresses the specific investor education needs of Native American and First Nations audiences.
Law Enforcement Outreach: Securities Law 101
This program offers a series of resources for use by law enforcement officers, district attorneys and others in law enforcement and describes some common financial instruments (“securities”) that may be used in schemes to defraud investors. These resources are designed to familiarize the law enforcement community with the range of financial products that are defined as “securities” under the law and are therefore subject to state as well as federal securities laws.
CPA Outreach
NASAA’s CPA Outreach Program, Taking Fraud into Account, is designed to encourage a mutually beneficial relationship between Certified Public Accountants and securities regulators to spot and stop investment fraud. The program was developed by NASAA members for CPAs in their jurisdictions.
