Investor Alerts

You may not be able to control if or when your company closes a plant or lays off workers—but you can take steps to manage the financial impact of those events. We have updated this Alert with the latest annual IRS contribution limits for retirement plans.

FINRA is re-issuing this alert because we are concerned that many investors may underestimate the risks of trading on margin and misunderstand the operation of, and reason for, margin calls.

Drawing on the findings of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation's National Financial Capability Study of more than 25,000 American adults, the FINRA Foundation has developed five tips to help consumers both manage their day-to-day financial challenges and build a brighter financial future.

FINRA has issued a new alert to inform investors about the potential risks of participating in Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs. Investors should be aware that ICOs differ significantly from initial public offerings (IPOs). Unlike stocks, ICOs typically confer no ownership rights in the company; and unlike bonds, ICOs do not involve investors lending money to the issuer. Instead, ICOs involve new technologies and products that are highly technical and complex, and investors can lose some or all of the money they invest in an ICO.

"Crowdfunding" generally refers to the use of the Internet by small businesses to raise capital through limited investments from a large number of investors. Under SEC rules, the general public can invest in capital raising by start-up companies. This advisory is designed to help the public understand the crowdfunding rules and processes so they can make informed decisions about the risks and rewards of investing in these early-stage businesses.

If you own bonds or have money in a bond fund, there is a number you should know. It is called duration. Although stated in years, duration is not simply a measure of time. Instead, duration signals how much the price of your bond investment is likely to fluctuate when there is an up or down movement in interest rates. The higher the duration number, the more sensitive your bond investment will be to changes in interest rates.

FINRA is issuing this alert to inform brokerage account holders, family members and other beneficiaries about inherited IRAs. We also provide tips for making the IRA inheritance process as efficient and trouble-free as possible.

FINRA cautions investors who are considering binary options to be alert to potentially fraudulent schemes, and particularly wary of non-U.S. companies that offer binary options trading platforms.

FINRA has received a number of calls from individuals who have received unexpected checks that purport to be issued by FINRA. The checks are counterfeit, and may arrive by special delivery and require a recipient’s signature. The arrival of these checks may be linked to job search scams, though callers note that there is no direct reference to a job search relationship accompanying the mailing—just a check. We are updating and reissuing this alert to reiterate the risks to cashing unexpected checks and offer tips to avoid being a check scam victim.

Boiler room-style calls are characterized by high pressure sales pitches from people who call you out of the blue, working from a list or simply dialing from a phone book. FINRA is issuing this alert because we have seen an increase in aggressive calls touting the next hot stock. Callers tend to target seniors, and have been all-too successful in conning people of all ages into buying penny stocks and other speculative investments.

Investors who need cash—or who want to tap the value of their portfolios without selling their investments—might be tempted to apply for a "stock-based loan," pledging fully paid securities as collateral for the loan. FINRA is issuing this Alert to educate investors about non-recourse stock-based loan programs, including risks and rewards and key questions to ask.