It’s Investor Education Month!

October is Investor Education (IE) Month, and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission has IE events and content planned throughout the month to help Nova Scotians make more informed investment decisions. Here’s a rundown of what we have planned for the month.

Events:

Nova Scotia Capital Markets 2024

To engage and connect with issuers, investors, market participants, academics, professionals, and regulators, the Nova Scotia Securities Commission is hosting Nova Scotia Capital Markets 2024.

This half-day forum will deliver insightful presentations and discussion panels on the latest trends, challenges, and developments within Nova Scotia’s capital markets. These topics will be relevant and timely for investors, issuers, and those working in the investment industry. 

Anyone attending Nova Scotia Capital Markets 2024 must register on our event website. The event website also has our event schedule, panel and panelist information, and more.

Halifax Central Library

Thursday, October 17, 7:00 p.m. Working with an Adviser at Halifax Central Library

Do you have a financial adviser who manages your investments? Maybe you’re looking for a new adviser, or want to assess the relationship you have with your current adviser? Do you know how investment advisers are registered and regulated in Nova Scotia? 

Join David Harrison from the Nova Scotia Securities Commission as he explains the registration process for investment advisers in NS, some tips to follow when looking for a new adviser, or assessing your current client-adviser relationship, and what expectations you should and should not have in the client-adviser relationship.

Monday, October 21, 2:00 p.m. - Fraud Bingo at Northwood

Commission staff will be playing Fraud Bingo with residents of Northwood in Halifax during Investor Education Month. Fraud Bingo is an interactive Bingo game that teaches fraud prevention. It takes a regular bingo game and changes BINGO to FRAUD. All FRAUD numbers called include fraud prevention tips and information.

Monday, October 28, 3:00 p.m. - Working with an Adviser at Flourish Centre 55+ 

Do you have a financial adviser who manages your investments? Maybe you’re looking for a new adviser, or want to assess the relationship you have with your current adviser? Do you know how investment advisers are registered and regulated in Nova Scotia? 

Join David Harrison from the Nova Scotia Securities Commission as he explains the registration process for investment advisers in NS, some tips to follow when looking for a new adviser, or assessing your current client-adviser relationship, and what expectations you should and should not have in the client-adviser relationship.

Before You Invest Blog

Our Before You Invest Blog will be sharing new content on some timely topics during Investor Education Month. On October 9, we’ll publish a post recapping the panels and discussions from Nova Scotia Capital Markets 2024. If you’re unable to attend the event, our post will report some of the insights and highlights from our engaging panels.

On October 16, our blog will take a closer look at investing on margin. A popular online brokerage is introducing margin accounts to its customers so it’s an opportune time to review the risks of investing using margin.

On October 23, our blog spotlights the pros and cons of investing with an adviser, a robo-adviser, or by going the DIY route. Find out which method, or maybe a combination of investing methods, is best for you and your individual financial situation.

Our final blog post of the month on October 30 is our regular regulatory review. We’ll be reviewing all notices and releases issued by the Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators since August to keep you up to date on securities regulations changes.

Investor Education Videos

The Commission’s Investor Education video library on our YouTube channel will be growing in October with the introduction of two new videos.

On October 10, we’ll be premiering a new video on what to do and consider “Before You Invest.” We’re talking about before you open an investment account and begin investing your hard-earned money. There are some questions you should ask and things you should consider beforehand. Our latest video will go over these questions and considerations to help you start investing on the right foot.

Our second video will premiere on our YouTube channel on October 24. This will be the latest installment in our “Three minutes on…” series. This time we’re taking three minutes to get to know about dividend reinvestment plans, aka DRIPs.

Student Connections

The Commission also has several presentations scheduled at high schools and universities in October including Saint Mary’s University, Halifax West High School, C.P. Allen High School, and Woodlawn High School.

Through the Student Connections program, we visit high schools, colleges, and universities both in-person and virtually across the province to talk about investing and securities regulations. If you would like the Commission to talk to your students, or you would like more information on these presentations, please contact us.