FINRA Investor News

July 26, 2012

Investor Alert: Exchange-Traded Notes—Avoid Unpleasant Surprises

 

Investor Alert: Exchange-Traded Notes—Avoid Unpleasant Surprises  Recent events involving exchange-traded notes (ETNs) have placed a spotlight on the market for these products and highlighted the importance of understanding what ETNs are and how they work before you consider investing in them.

FINRA has issued this Alert to inform investors of the features and some particular risks of ETNs—and to suggest questions to ask when considering investing in these products. While the names may sound alike, investors should also understand that ETNs and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) differ in some fundamental and important ways.

 

   

Investor Resource: Avoid Consumer Scams and Rip-Offs

 

According to data collected by the Federal Trade Commission, millions of American adults are victims of fraud. Financial fraud can be sophisticated—and trap even experienced consumers. Watch our brief tutorial and learn about steps you can take to protect yourself.

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Podcast: Email Hack Attack? Here’s What You Should Do

 

Podcast: Email Hack Attack? Here’s What You Should DoIn the most serious cases, a compromised email account can lead not only to identity theft, but also to theft of your money. Listen to this podcast (5 minutes) to find out what steps you should take if your email account has been hacked.

 

 


 

Recent Alert

 

Investing With Borrowed Funds—No “Margin” for Error (Updated)

 

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FINRA News

 

7/11/12 – FINRA Statement on Consolidated Audit Trail

 

7/2/12 – FINRA Launches Pilot Program for Large Arbitration Cases

 

6/21/12 – FINRA Fines Merrill Lynch $2.8 Million for Overcharging Customers; $32 Million in Remediation Paid to Affected Customers

 

 


 

Key Links

 

Investor Complaint Center

 

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FINRA BrokerCheck®

 

Fund Analyzer

 

Risk Meter

 

Scam Meter

 

Understanding Investment Professional Designations

 

529 College Savings Plan Expense Analyzer

 

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