Investment Basics

People save and invest to have enough money at some point in the future to pay for the things they want or need. While you might hear these two terms used interchangeably, saving and investing are overlapping, yet distinct concepts that involve different processes. Stated most simply, saving is the act of putting aside for another day some of the money you earn or receive as gifts, while investing is what you do with those dollars, including choosing products and strategies to make money grow or to preserve the assets you’ve accumulated.  

• Preparing to Invest
• Key Investment Concepts
• Banking Services
• US Treasury Securities
• Common Types of Investments
• Retirement Savings Vehicles
• Choosing the Right Investments
• Managing Investment Risk
• Evaluating Performance
• Investment Professionals
• Safeguarding Your Investments

If you have specific financial goals that will cost money—such as purchasing a car or a home, paying for college or building a secure retirement—accumulating assets and building wealth through saving and investing are the keys to achieving those goals.

Investment Fraud

The Investor Education protection campaign seeks to protect investors from investment fraud by helping to equip you to:

• Recognize that they are vulnerable to financial fraud
• Identify persuasion techniques; and
• Reduce risky behaviors by asking questions and checking information

Foundation-funded research unveiled in July 2006 shattered the stereotypes of senior investment fraud victims. Not only was the fraud victim profile counterintuitive in many respects (for instance, victims were often financially knowledgeable men), but the influence tactics used by fraudsters were sophisticated and highly effective. These findings forced regulators and senior advocates alike to rethink how best to approach the challenge of equipping older investors with the tools and information they need to thwart fraudsters touting investment scams.