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 Does a Shortened Securities Transaction Settlement Cycle Mean?

The most obvious impact is that securities transactions will now be processed quicker. Investors need to be aware of this change, as it affects the amount of time they have to prepare for a transaction. Investors need to:

• Prepare and deliver securities certificates to broker-dealers one day earlier
• Be ready to pay for a transaction one day earlier

You will need to discuss with your broker-dealer exactly how your transaction will be affected, going forward.

What Transaction Settlement Cycles Are Affected?

This change applies to many common forms of securities investments, including:

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Municipal Securities
• Exchange-Traded Funds
• Some Mutual Funds

Investor Resources

For more details on how the shortened settlement transaction cycles will affect securities investing, check out the SEC’s order approving the new settlement cycle. If you have questions about how you can keep your investments protected, contact us today. Check out our full blog for even more up-to-date legal news and info!