SEC, FINRA Issue New Investor Alert: Year-End Investment Considerations for Individual Investors

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and FINRA have issued a new Investor Alert called Year-End Investment Considerations for Individual Investors, which provides individual investors with a few suggestions for year-end investment planning as the year draws to a close. The bulletin outlines five key areas investors should focus on when making investment decisions:

Asset Allocation. The end of the year is a reasonable time to review your overall investment portfolio and evaluate your existing asset allocation.

Consider Rebalancing. Some of your investments will grow faster than others. Rebalancing allows you to adjust your investment portfolio so as not to overemphasize one or more asset categories.

Tax Considerations. Investors who are interested in learning what impact tax rates, including potential changes in the tax laws, may have on their investments under different financial scenarios should consult their tax adviser or visit the IRS website (www.irs.gov) for more information.

Check Out Your Investment Professional. Many investors do not realize that they can check the background of a broker or investment adviser by using FINRA Broker Check or the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website.

Locate Your Financial Records. Consider preparing a list identifying your financial records, including a list of financial accounts and all user names and passwords.

Click here to view bulletin in full (links externally to SEC website).