Every summer, we revisit some of our most notable and most popular articles, tools and resources published in Investor News over the past year. This issue will help you catch up on investor initiatives, research and educational resources. 

Planning for Retirement

It’s never too early — or too late — to start saving for retirement.

Getting started can feel overwhelming but that's why we've put together these resources to help you understand your options.

Registered Retirement Savings Accounts (RRSPs) and Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) can offer certain tax advantages, among other benefits. If your workplace offers a pension or savings plan, consider if it fits your financial goals. Some employers offer incentives such as matching some or all of your contributions. Learn more about how you can prepare financially for retirement.

Tools, Calculators and Worksheets

GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca has many tools, calculators and worksheets to help you with your finances.​

Check out our recent additions including the Investor Knowledge Quiz, Retirement Ready Quiz, Scam Spotter, Retirement Budget Worksheet and ETF Facts Tool alongside investor favourites like our Compound Interest and RRSP Savings calculators.

Investor Research

Research is key to improving our knowledge and understanding of important investor needs and issues, and the Investor Office has undertaken a number of investor research initiatives over the past year.

Retirement

Our research study, Encouraging Retirement Planning through Behavioural Insights (OSC Staff Notice 11-783) looked at how to make retirement planning easier and how organizations can encourage people to start planning for their future using behavioural insights.

Investing As We Age found that that many Ontarians could be overestimating their ability to finance their retirement using their homes, among other findings. 

Millennials

Our report, Getting Started: Human-Centred Solutions to Engage Ontario Millennials in Investing (OSC Staff Notice 11-782), identified barriers millennials face when attempting to learn more about or start investing, and also describes tactics for addressing these barriers. 

Missing Out: Millennials and the Markets revealed that many millennials may be missing out when it comes to participating in the capital markets, and found that 4 in 5 Ontario millennials are saving, but only 1 in 2 are investing.

Cryptoassets

Taking Caution: Financial Consumers and the Cryptoasset Sector found that many Ontarians lack understanding of cryptoassets, including those who currently own cryptoassets.

Our survey, Ontarians and Cryptocurrencies: A First Look, was a first step towards learning more about Ontarians and cryptocurrencies, including who was purchasing them and their reasons.

Celebrity Endorsements

It's important to remember that a celebrity endorsement does not guarantee specific investment returns. You should also be aware that fraudsters may use a celebrity's image or likeness without permission to sell you fake investment opportunities. We caution investors to not make investment decisions based only on celebrity endorsements or affiliations. Learn more

Investment Fraud

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Protect your money by recognizing these four common signs of investment fraud and learning about these four ways to avoid investment scams. Fraudsters may use sophisticated tactics, but investment fraud is easier to spot when you know what it looks like.

Here are some common scams: affinity fraud, boiler room scams, and pump and dump scams.

Remember, always check the registration of any person or business trying to sell you an investment or give you investment advice. Registration helps protect you from unqualified or fraudulent individuals. Learn more at CheckBeforeYouInvest.ca 

Investing in the Cannabis Industry

The cannabis industry has grown quickly in recent years as a number of jurisdictions, including Canada and certain U.S. states, have explored new laws around the sale and use of cannabis. While many cannabis companies are promising investors the chance to capitalize on an opportunity for considerable future growth, investing in a cannabis company comes with a number of risks that investors should also be aware of. Learn more

There are many ways people can invest in the real estate market without buying and maintaining properties on their own. But while real estate can help diversify your investment portfolio, real estate investment products have their own unique risks that anyone looking to invest should fully understand. Learn more

Regulatory Initiatives and Updates

Investor News helps you stay informed about regulatory initiatives that affect investors. Here are some recent developments and publications:

• OSC Statement of Priorities for 2018-19
• CSA 2017/18 Enforcement Report
• CSA consultation on detailed reforms (Client Focused Reforms) to obligations of registered firms and individuals. The proposals include addressing conflicts of interest in the best interest of the client, putting clients' interests first when making a suitability determination, and providing clients with greater clarity on what they should expect from their registrants.
• CSA update on intended policy decision with respect to mutual fund embedded commissions. Publication of rule proposals for comment will happen in September 2018.
• OSC published its Seniors Strategy (OSC Staff Notice 11-779), which outlines new initiatives to respond to the needs of older investors and better equip registered firms and representatives to address issues that may arise as their clients age.
• OSC welcomed M. Cecilia Williams, Lawrence Haber, and Poonam Puri as new commissioners who will serve two-year terms. 
• OBSI Joint Regulators Committee Annual Report 2017
• CSA IIROC oversight review report and CSA MFDA oversight review report
• OSC Annual Report 2017

Visit the OSC's website for more information on these and other initiatives.

Ask Us An Investing Question

We continue to get great questions about investing from investors. Our Re: Investing website offers clear, unbiased answers to your questions about investing, from a trusted source. 

Here are some popular questions that we've received so far this year and our response:

“Can I buy stock options for my TFSA?”
“Can you sign up for an RESP at a bank?”
“Can index funds be purchased in Canada?”
“In a TFSA, can I buy and sell the same stock multiple times?”
“I am 59 and retired with no income. Can I withdraw from my RRSP?”
“I made a bitcoin investment years ago. How and where do I go to cash it in?”  

Social Media

You may have come across companies communicating investment information through social media like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Since communicating investment information through social media is relatively new, sometimes mistakes are made. Information that is shared online may be incomplete or misleading, and in some cases may not comply with securities laws. Learn more

ETF Facts

ETF companies are now required to produce and file an easy-to-read summary document called “ETF Facts”. Starting December 10, 2018, every time you purchase an exchange-traded fund (ETF), you'll receive a copy of ETF Facts within two days of the purchase. This document summarizes key information about the ETF you've bought, including what the ETF is invested in, how they trade, their risk and fees.

Use our new interactive ETF Facts tool to find out what each section of the document means.

Digital Tokens

Some companies are raising money by offering digital tokens – a form of cryptoasset that often allows you to access a product or service that a company offers or plans to offer in the future – to the public.

Despite the popularity of digital tokens, they are not guaranteed to increase in value, often do not give you any rights as a purchaser and likely do not represent an ownership stake in the company. Learn more