With a new year upon us, we thought we’d look back at the most popular questions investors have been asking over the past year. Here are the most popular investor tips for 2017:

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

ICOs made a big splash in 2017. With the Bitcoin boom and subsequent introduction of other cryptocurrencies, Initial Coin Offerings created quite a buzz among individual and institutional investors. While ICOs can be an exciting and legitimate investment opportunity, but cutting-edge technologies associated with these offerings can make them subject to risks of fraud. Check out our past blog on ICOs for red-flags to avoid when considering this type of investment. Find out more about ICOs here.

Robo-advisers

The availability and use of robo-advisers has been steadily increasing throughout many investment platforms as online trading and investing continues to grow. Robo-advising platforms allow investors more direct control over their portfolios and are often available at lower costs than traditional adviser services. Find out more here.

Knowing Your Order Types

When buying or selling a stock or security through a brokerage firm, you should be able to understand the different order types associated. You can read more about different order types here.

Securities-based Crowdfunding

This form of crowdfunding allows the general public to invest in start-up companies at an early stage. Investors are essentially able to invest with a company at the ground-floor, while it is still in the capital-raising stage. However, there are limits to how much you can invest in securities-based crowdfunding opportunities in a calendar year. Read more about investment-based crowdfunding here.

Celebrity Endorsements

We’ve all seen ads for products featuring celebrity endorsements and it’s no different with investment-based products. While celebrity endorsements are meant to lend credibility to a product, it by no means ensures a product’s legitimacy or usefulness. This is especially true with investment products. Find out more here.

Understanding the New T+2 Settlement Cycle

The SEC shortened the standard settlement cycle from T+3 to T+2. The change affects most investment transactions done through a brokerage firm. Find out more here.

What You Need to Know About Initial Coin Offerings

In certain instances, virtual currency offered in an ICO is considered a security. As such, it is subject to regulation by the SEC. The SEC closely monitors companies and firms engaging in initial coin offerings. If there is suspicion of fraudulent activity, the SEC will actually suspend trading operations to protect investors. If you are offered to invest in an ICO, the best thing you can do is to first check with the SEC on the offering’s regulatory standing. You can also research a company and evaluate the investment risks yourself. When researching a potential ICO investment opportunity, be sure to check:

• To make sure the company’s public records and reports are up-to-date
• Take steps to verify, to the best of your ability, that company information provided is accurate
• Research the company’s recent trading activity, check for suspensions with the SEC

Investor Resources

If you have more questions about investing in initial coin offerings, you can find out more here. The SEC’s EDGAR database provides extensive organizational and financial information for many companies. You can access that database here. If you believe you invested in an ICO under false pretenses or misleading information, call us to find out your investment recovery options.