As the financial impact of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect Canadians and their families, many people are looking for answers to their financial questions and evaluating their financial preparedness. In response, we’ve created a new COVID-19 and Your Money information hub on GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca to help people with their finances during these challenging times. It has the latest investor resources, tips and fraud warnings. We’ve also gathered important information on financial dates and support. Learn more

Update on OSC operations in response to COVID-19

The Government of Ontario announced an order requiring the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective 11:59 p.m. on March 24. Under the order, workplaces engaged in capital markets activities are considered to provide essential services and can remain open. As such, Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) staff continue to operate at the level necessary to deliver crucial services to the market and to protect Ontario investors. Read more

COVID-19 Fraud Alerts

Watch our new COVID-19 fraud alert videos. Fraudsters are exploiting the fear of economic conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pump-and-dump scams. This is a type of investment fraud. Fraudsters artificially increase the price of a stock they own by encouraging other investors to buy it. Fraudsters then sell their shares; the price falls and investors lose money. 

Fake government messages. Be careful of fraudsters posing as representatives from government agencies or departments. 

Markets Remain Open

Despite the volatility in the capital markets, it is important for markets, equity, debt and credit, to continue to operate fairly and efficiently. Keeping all types of markets open and functional supports the efforts of the real economy in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.

Businesses underpin our economy and society by providing employment and creating growth and prosperity. Capital markets play a vital role providing finance to businesses and will aid the recovery. Learn more

Important Financial Dates and Information

Our new important financial dates and information webpage highlights many of the new financial supports available from the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada, and others. The webpage will be updated regularly. Learn more

COVID-19 and Long-term Investing

By constantly checking your portfolio, it can be easy to forget about long-term investment goals and irrationally react to every bit of new information. Short-term volatility is expected when investing for the long-term. It is a challenging time, but rash decisions could make a difficult situation even worse. Learn about these 4 tactics to ride out the turmoil in our new article.

Market-wide Circuit Breaker

Trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and all other Canadian marketplaces was temporarily halted several times in March due to extraordinary stock market declines. This regulatory measure, called a market-wide circuit breaker, is meant to limit panic-selling and give investors time to assess information. While market-wide circuit breaker events are historically uncommon, these procedures are an important safeguard to maintain fair and orderly markets, and foster investor confidence. Learn more

Market Volatility and Behavioural Insights

People sometimes make irrational investing decisions, especially when the market is volatile or when there are major global events, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Biased and emotional decisions can result in mistakes and undesirable financial outcomes. Learn about three relevant behavioural biases in our new article, Market Volatility and Behavioural Insights.

Retirement Cash Flow Calculator

How will you manage your retirement cash flow? Our Retirement Cash Flow Calculator can help you plan for the future. You can estimate how long your money will last given the impact of different rates of return, spending habits and lifestyle choices.

Visit GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca for more popular and free articles, tools and calculators to help you with your finances.

Webinars and Telephone Townhalls

During the COVID-19 crisis we're holding many events for the public to answer questions and give people important information they need to know. Over 1,000 people registered for our recent webinar with partners Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Topics discussed included recognizing the warning signs of current frauds and scams, keeping financially safe during the COVID-19 crisis, and ways to help prevent financial elder abuse. 

Stay tuned for more upcoming online events and telephone townhalls, including our April 16, 2020 telephone townhall. Registration is free.

Ask Us An Investing Question

Investing and managing your finances can be complex. Our Re: Investing website offers clear, unbiased answers to your questions about investing, from a trusted source. Here are some recent questions and our responses:

“What is covered by CDIC?”
“What are derivative investments?”
“How are GIC rates determined and how is interest paid?”