Inflation, rising interest rates, recession — there’s a lot of scary words out there. More knowledge can help calm your frazzled nerves. During Financial Literacy Month in November, the Ontario Securities Commission is publishing new resources and holding in-person and online events to help you get smarter about money.

Managing your money in a changing world is one of the main themes of Financial Literacy Month — led by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to help strengthen people’s financial literacy and build their financial resilience.

Staying on top of your debts can help you be financially resilient in uncertain times. Managing debt doesn't have to be overwhelming. Read our tips and tools to help you find financial balance to borrow wisely and pay off debt more quickly.

Put your crypto knowledge to the test

Assess your crypto asset knowledge during Financial Literacy Month with our new quiz. To see Canadians’ behaviours and beliefs about crypto assets, read the results of our research study Crypto Assets 2022. And to learn more about crypto assets, visit GetSmarterAboutCrypto.ca.

Self-certified investors, with qualifying education or work experience, can access increased investment opportunities as part of a new OSC pilot. This pilot recognizes that there is a growing pool of sophisticated retail investors in Ontario, whose education and work experience have helped prepare them to assess investment risks. To use the prospectus exemption, investors must certify they have met at least one qualifying criteria. And they must complete a risk acknowledgment form confirming they understand the risks of investing. Investors will also be subject to a $30,000 annual limit on all purchases. The new prospectus exemption also gives businesses headquartered in Ontario access to a new source of capital.

Creating a savings habit can really pay off. And it doesn’t have to be hard. Learn four ways to make it easier to save.

Spending more than you earn can lead to debt. To avoid unnecessary debt read our nine ways to cut your spending.

Fraudsters are smart. You need to be smarter. Hear tips to protecting your money and fraud-proof your life at these special OSC events:

• Fraud Prevention webinar - November 8, from 11 a.m. to noon - Learn tips to avoid becoming a victim of fraud during our webinar with staff from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and OPP. Registration is open to the public.
• Province-wide virtual Telephone Townhall – November 17 at 7 p.m. - Ask questions and hear from OSC staff and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre about protecting your money from fraud and more. Register now.
• Fraud prevention Twitter chat – November 22, from 1 to 2 p.m. - Join the OSC’s Twitter chat with special guests from law enforcement, community organizations and regulatory partners. Follow the OSC’s investor education Twitter handle, @smarter_money and use the hashtag #FraudChat to participate.

Watch our new fraud alerts video series to help keep your money safe. Learn more about pump and dump scams, work from home scams and more.

Here are some recent developments and publications:

• Sonny Randhawa was permanently appointed to the position of Executive Director of the OSC, a position he had been acting in since January. Regulatory functions will continue to be overseen by two Executive Directors, Sonny and Leslie Byberg.
• Canadian securities regulators announced the results of eighth annual review of representation of women on boards and in executive officer positions in Canada. Key findings included that 24% cent of board seats are held by women, an increase of 2% since last year.
• The OSC published its Summary Report for Investment Fund and Structured Product Issuers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
• The CSA published Investor Education in Canada 2022, an annual report highlighting the organization’s national, provincial and territorial efforts in investor education from June 2021 to July 2022.

Find tips about gaining financial balance, managing debt, planning for the future, and more during Financial Literacy Month on our social channels. Follow #FLM2022 throughout November on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see articles and tools.

Warnings & Alerts

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