Category: Investor Definitions

While the SEC regulates and enforces the federal securities laws, each state has its own securities regulator who enforces what are known as “blue sky” laws. These laws cover many of the same activities the SEC regulates, such as the sale of securities and those who sell them, but are confined to securities sold or persons… Continue reading STATE SECURITIES REGULATORS

In addition to state securities regulators, there are a number of state agencies that may be able to assist you with your problems and questions. For example, if you have concerns about viatical settlements, you may want to speak to your state insurance regulator. If you’ve purchased a certificate of deposit from a bank and have problems or questions… Continue reading STATE REGULATORS

An ETF designed to replicate the performance of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Because of its acronym, the SPDR instrument is referred to as a “spider.”

In a “spin-off,” a parent company distributes shares of a subsidiary to the parent company’s shareholders so that the subsidiary becomes a separate, independent company. The shares are usually distributed on a pro rata basis. State law and the rules of the stock exchanges determine whether a company must seek shareholder approval for a spin-off.… Continue reading SPIN-OFFS

Most municipal securities offerings are exempt from the registration provisions of the federal securities laws.  That means municipal issuers do not have to file a registration statement with the SEC.  But you can still obtain information about municipal securities from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), through its Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) website. EMMA provides free public… Continue reading SOURCES OF MUNICIPAL SECURITIES INFORMATION

The Social Security Administration has interactive tools to help you calculate what social security benefits you can expect to receive at retirement.  Learn more

A short sale occurs when you sell stock you do not own. Investors who sell short believe the price of the stock will fall. If the price drops, you can buy the stock at the lower price and make a profit. If the price of the stock rises and you buy it back later at… Continue reading SHORT SALES

To increase the transparency surrounding short sale transactions, several self-regulatory organizations (SROs) are providing on their websites daily aggregate short selling volume information for individual equity securities.  The SROs are also providing website disclosure on a one-month delayed basis of information regarding individual short sale transactions in all exchange-listed equity securities.  For short sale data provided by… Continue reading SHORT SALE VOLUME AND TRANSACTION DATA

Fees paid to respond to inquiries from investors and provide them with information about their investments.

Although investors sometimes ask the SEC for a list of a company’s shareholders, the SEC does not maintain shareholder lists. Under SEC rules, a company must provide shareholders with a process for contacting other shareholders in two limited situations. The first occurs during proxy solicitations – when shareholders solicit proxies in opposition to a company proposal or… Continue reading SHAREHOLDER LISTS, WHEN YOU CAN GET THEM