1. Investor Education Program

2.  Represent Investors  Provide Investment Education (Not Advice)

3.  Provide investment education and inform you of your rights as an investor  Provide information on how to educate yourself  What actions to take if you believe something has gone wrong with your investment

4. …IT IS YOUR MONEY! …AND YOU HAVE RIGHTS!

5.  Introduction  Preparing to Invest  Meeting Your Broker  General Precautions  Risk v. Reward  Broker’s Duties to Clients  Ways to Address Broker Misconduct

6. Questions to Ask Yourself  What are my investment objectives/goals?  Retirement, education, house, income, etc.  How much? When?

7. Questions to Ask Yourself  What is my risk tolerance?  How much are you willing to lose?  How much can you afford to lose?  How predictable (or stable) and sufficient is your source of income?

8.  Write down your goals and questions.  Brokercheck  Broker must be registered with FINRA  How to check broker history with FINRA  www.FINRA.org/brokercheck

16.  Be prepared to take notes  Make sure you fully understand the account documents and any suggested investment  Read the Prospectus (if available)  Caution: Signing Documents DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!!!  REMEMBER: IT IS YOUR MONEY

17.  Business Cards  Your Notes  Any Correspondences  **Opening Account Documents**  Prospectus  Trade Confirmations  Monthly/Quarterly Statements  Remember To Read Them!!!!!!

18.  Be careful of verbal promises and guarantees of high returns  Price appreciation vs. interest rates  Brokers are allowed to “sell” the investment  Brokers are not allowed to promise/guarantee a return  ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!

19.  Bank and broker may be in same building  Traditional bank accounts are guaranteed by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC)  All investments in brokerage accounts are not insured. They are subject to losses.

20.  Your Money Is Not Insured  Mutual funds, stocks, bonds, annuities, other investment products.  U.S. Treasury securities – bills, bonds and notes are backed by U.S. government.

21.  Any investment in stocks involves a degree of risk.  As a general rule, the higher potential for reward, the greater the risk...

22.  Stock (NYSE, NASDAQ, OTC)  What is the company’s performance over time?  Google Finance  Mutual Fund (ETFs, Equity Funds, Money Market Funds, etc.)  Fees  “no load” or “low-load”  “Basket of securities”  There are many other investment products!

24.  To deal fairly with customers  To know the customer  To make only suitable investment recommendations  To disclose accurate and truthful information  To trade only in accordance with the customers instructions

25.  Contact broker – may be a simple mistake  Get the name of whom you spoke to  Always follow up a phone call with letter or email  Contact broker’s supervisor  Contact lawyer  FINRA  City/State Bar Association  Law School Clinics

26.  SEC.gov  FINRA.org  INVESTOR.org  Google.com/Finance  fdic.gov/consumers/index.html