April 3rd, 2023 — Washington, DC
Financial Capability Month Growth
The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) has declared “Investing for everyone” to be the month of April’s National Financial Capability Month theme. The leadership and staff of the SEC will be participating in investor education events across the country all month long to promote the free tools and resources available on Investor.gov to a wide range of audiences, including students, underrepresented communities, older investors, and members of the armed forces.
To “build a nest egg,” “plan for retirement,” “save for an education,” or “prepare for the inevitable bumps along the way,” “investors turn to our capital markets every day,” said Chair Gary Gensler. – as per SEC guidelines
“I encourage the public to take advantage of the many resources we offer on Investor.gov in order to become knowledgeable investors, as this will make them more effective investors.”
A few of the most up-to-date Securities and Exchange Commission tools for spreading financial literacy and preventing fraud are as follows:
The HoweyTrade Investment Program Fraud Prevention Exam for Financial Capability Month in April is a teaching project designed for use in high school classrooms. Videos;
OIEA Director Lori Schock writes in her essay “Unsolicited Investment Pitches: Don’t Respond!” that investors should “Exercise Care with Crypto Asset Securities.” Don’t Answer! Delete!”
Ms Schock explained that the HoweyTrade Investing Program now has a classroom exercise that helps students learn to recognize and prevent investment fraud through an interactive method. We also recommend Investor.gov’s tools for saving and investing to newer investors. The sooner in life, you realize the significance of learning to manage your finances and amass wealth, the more secure your financial future will be.
During Financial Capability Month, the Securities and Exchange Commission will be hosting events such as:
Students from local high schools in Washington, DC will meet with SEC leadership and outreach professionals to learn about the new HoweyTrade Investment Program activities and discuss investor education fundamentals. Teachers will be able to use the exercise on their own in the classroom.
The team will collaborate with other institutions to inform young people about the value of saving early and often and the power of compound interest. For students in grades 7 through 12, the SEC’s leadership and staff will organize a “Financial Literacy and Career Day” event in collaboration with the SEC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) and the SEC African American Council.
At a military financial readiness town hall and other events at various military installations across the country, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) leadership and staff will participate in a joint outreach event with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
The benefits of tax-advantaged retirement schemes, such as the Thrift Savings Plan offered by the United States military, will be discussed, and courses will be offered on how to save money and grow wealth. Members of the military, both current and former, and their families, will be invited to outreach programs.
At the Reservation Economic Summit in Nevada, SEC leadership and staff will distribute investor education materials to Native Americans that stress the significance of setting up a savings and investment strategy and teaching attendees how to spot and avoid fraud.
Investors Over 50:
The SEC‘s leadership and outreach team will host a Facebook Live session with the AARP Fraud Watch Network and The Senior Zone radio program to talk about retirement investing and how seniors can avoid getting swindled. The outreach team will also be present at the Montgomery College event, “Protecting Your Assets,” hosted by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes for retirees. Staff will also host talks for seniors at local libraries.
SEC regional office and headquarters staff will engage in dozens of outreach events, including an event with the Coalition of 100 Black Women, the “Financial Education Summit” in Baltimore hosted by the CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Campaign of Maryland, and presentations at the University of Wisconsin and the State University of New York (SUNY) Rockland titled “Investing in the Digital Age for College Students.”
