Investor Definitions

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS: ELIGIBILITY TO GET SHARES AT BROKER-DEALERS

No brokerage firm can guarantee you will be able to purchase shares in an initial public offering (IPO). While it…

5 years ago

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS, WHY INDIVIDUALS HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING SHARES

The underwriters and the company that issues the shares control the IPO process. They have wide latitude in allocating IPO…

5 years ago

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO)

An initial public offering, or IPO, generally refers to when a company first sells its shares to the public. For…

5 years ago

INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO INVESTMENT COMPANY SHAREHOLDERS

Before you invest in any traditional investment company—such as a mutual fund, closed-end fund, or unit investment trust (UIT)—you should read the fund’s prospectus…

5 years ago

INFORMATION ABOUT SOME COMPANIES NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE SEC

Investors are sometimes surprised to learn the SEC does not have information about all companies that offer and sell securities.…

5 years ago

INDEXED ANNUITIES

An indexed annuity is a type of annuity contract between you and an insurance company. It generally promises to provide returns linked…

5 years ago

INDEX FUND

An "index fund" describes a type of mutual fund or unit investment trust (UIT) whose investment objective typically is to achieve approximately the same…

5 years ago

IMPERSONATORS

Impersonators may falsely claim to be affiliated with the SEC (or another federal government agency) in an attempt to steal…

5 years ago

IMMEDIATE-OR-CANCEL ORDER

An Immediate-Or-Cancel (IOC) order is an order to buy or sell a stock that must be executed immediately. Any portion…

5 years ago

IMMEDIATE ANNUITY

This annuity has no accumulation phase. Instead, you start receiving annuity payments right after you purchase the annuity.

5 years ago