Learning the Basics and Protecting Your Investments

Investment Basics

There are many ways to invest. Your choices will depend on your goals, your timeline and your tolerance for risk. A good first step is to brush up on some of the basics.

Fees and Charges

The Canadian Securities Administrators published a short video on the fees you may encounter when working with a registered advisor.

Typical financial scams

Professional fraudsters go where the money is – that often means investors like you. Learning to recognize the signs and some typical scams can help protect you and your money.

Understanding Financial Certifications

When choosing an advisor, educational achievements and professional experience are important. But financial certificates do not necessarily mean advisors are registered with a regulator. Learn more about financial certifications and what they mean.

Investor protection through CIPF

The Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) provides protection to investors if a CIRO-regulated firm becomes insolvent or ceases operations due to bankruptcy.

CIPF is funded by CIRO-regulated firms and their membership is mandatory.

For more information on CIPF, visit CIPF’s website.

Investor Protection Clinics

The Investor Protection Clinics at Osgoode Hall Law School and University of Toronto Faculty of Law provide free legal advice to investors across Canada who cannot afford a lawyer and who believe their investments were mishandled.

For more information, visit the Investor Protection Clinics at:

The Osgoode Hall Law School Investor Protection Clinic released a video series for more information on the following topics: