NSSC Blog: Before You Invest

Question of the week: What are Futures Contracts and Forward Contracts?

Submitted by nsscadmin on

Futures contracts and Forward contracts are forms of derivatives. In case you missed our previous post of derivatives, a derivative is contract between two or more parties with the value of the contract being tied to an underlying interest. An underlying interest can include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates, an index or the weather.

Futures Contract:

Question of the week: What is a derivative?

Submitted by nsscadmin on

The Nova Scotia Securities Commission is responsible for the regulation of securities and of derivatives.  A derivative is contract between two or more parties with the value of the contract being tied to an underlying interest. An underlying interest can include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates, an index or the weather.

Question of the week: Can you explain mutual funds fees?

Submitted by nsscadmin on

After discussing how advisers are paid last week, we had a similar question come up regarding mutual funds fees. Mutual funds are a very popular investment vehicle which we discussed in a previous post. We briefly looked at mutual funds fees in the post, but investors were still left with some questions, especially after we looked at paying advisers last week.  So, let’s talk about mutual fund fees.

Question of the week: How is my adviser paid?

Submitted by nsscadmin on

If you have an adviser you’re paying him or her in some way for the services they provide to you. You may not personally hand them cash or see the money come out of your account, but it’s happening nonetheless. Since that’s the case, how does your adviser get paid? There are a number of different ways and you really should know which method so that you understand how much you are paying for your investments.

Advisers are typically paid in at least one of the following ways…

Question of the week: What is a registered adviser?

Submitted by nsscadmin on

When the Nova Scotia Securities Commission is delivering investor education presentations, seminars or tutorials one of the first things were always tell people is to check the registration of their investment adviser. We’ve been getting a few questions about advisers lately, including what exactly is registration? We’re always telling you to check registration, but what does it mean for an adviser to be registered?

CFA Society Atlantic Canada and NSSC Putting Investors First

Submitted by nsscadmin on

The Nova Scotia Securities Commission will be joining hosts, CFA Society Atlantic Canada at the Halifax Central Library, Thursday May 4 for their event Putting Investors First.

This free educational presentation is open to the public and will outline what the Nova Scotia Securities Commission does to protect investors and maintain confidence in the capital markets. 

The event will be held in the Lindsay Children’s on the second floor of the Halifax Central Library from 7:00-8:30 p.m. 

Question of the week: What are alternative investments

Submitted by admin on

Alternative investments are some of most complicated and difficult to navigate investments available. They usually take on higher-than-average risk in return for the potential of higher-than-average returns. Due to their complex nature, alternative investments are meant for very knowledgeable investors or for investors with a lot of money who can afford to take higher risks or get specialized advice.

Here are some examples of alternative investments:

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