Investment Benefits For All Participants

On June 23, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) initiated a public service campaign aimed at promoting investing. The goal of the public service campaign is to give the public tools that will help them become more financially literate specifically in regards to investments. They have updated their financial education tools at Investor.gov which have been around for over ten years.

Although these resources have been pushed by OIEA for some time now, this new outreach has focused on groups that have historically lacked these important financial tools. Many young people or traditionally poorer communities may have a misconception that financial literacy requires expensive schooling or inside connections with the wealthy. However, OIEA wants to make it clear that their education tools are free of charge and available to anyone with an internet connection. The Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler had this to say about the program, “Everyone should have access to accurate, useful information to help them invest for their future.”

When individuals gain knowledge through education many previously unused opportunities may arise. As most Americans do not even have one thousand dollars of savings, getting more people to use these resources will improve their quality of life and the economy at large. The philosophy behind this public service campaign reflects the classic “give a person a fish they eat for a day, teach a person to fish they eat for a lifetime” saying.

Some of the subjects covered in this campaign include compound interest, investment portfolio diversification, and the different types of investments such as index funds. Really the focus of this campaign is to familiarize the public with the vocabulary of investing so that they are better equipped to understand their personal finances. Traditionally finance and economics tend to be dry subjects, so the campaign introduced some witty videos that highlight the many aspects of the campaign. These eye-catching pieces of media are another great tool in advertising these resources to the greater public.

We here at VerifyInvestor.com are also dedicated to educating Issuers and Investors on the ins and outs of Rule 506(c) and the accredited investor definition. The SEC has set a great example that knowledge should be freely available to the masses. Rather than gatekeep the keys to financial success, a better philosophy is that when our neighbors get ahead, so do we. Tune in to our blog to catch the latest news in the world of crowdfunding and fintech.