Yet Another Way to Lose Your Money...

So, you’ve given it much thought and have come to the conclusion that yes, you want to invest your
money. You figure, “Hey, that little pile of cash has been sitting under my mattress, lazing about for far too
long. It’s about time I put it to work for me.”

And it’s true, investing your money gives you the potential to earn even more money—potential being the key word. And, of course, you know this. You know that a down market could mean a painful separation between you and your money (although, if you hold on to the investment, that separation doesn’t have to be permanent). But you also know that the market is fickle. One day could mean hundreds of dollars in either direction. The volatility (aka: capriciousness) of the market is just a part of investing. Some of us sleep at night, some of us don’t.

But (with apologies to the insomniacs), there is another, even more unpleasant way to lose your money. It’s called investment fraud, and it affects more people than you’d think. Yes, even you. Bigwig executives, financial advisers, bankers—a lot of smart people have been duped. See, when the market drops and your portfolio loses money, you know that as  long as this isn’t the end of the world, the market is likely to eventually rebound and you’ll get some money back. When you lose your money to investment fraud, you’re about as likely to get a penny back as you are to win the full $10,000 at Plinko.

Now, before you start biting your fingernails and locking your money down in a fire safe, you should know that there are ways to protect yourself. First of all, sleep easier knowing that there’s an agency looking out for you called the Utah Division of Securities. And guess what??? The Utah Division of Securities just happens to be coming to USU in October to teach a workshop series on basic investor education, and
have added a focus on avoiding investment fraud!! They are partnering with the USU Family Life Center Housing & Financial Counseling Services to bring you a 4-part series.

And it gets better. This workshop series is FREE to you and anyone else you want to bring. Everyone will receive free packets of information and take away information that could save your money from such a horrible demise.

Go ahead and call (435) 797-7224 to register, or email flchfc@usu.edu. You can check out the Utah Division of Securities website at: http://www.securities.utah.gov/. This is a topic everyone needs to hear, so pencil in October 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 7pm to 8:30pm, and meet us on the USU campus in the Eccles Science Learning Center, room 130 (that beige brick building to the south of the TSC--check out this link for a map: http://www.usu.edu/map/index.cfmid=15). See you there!