Investor Advisories

​​​​​​​The Wisconsin Division of Securities is a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) which represents state and provincial securities regulators in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The division works closely with NASAA to provide investor education resources about investing basics, investing scams and other topics of interest. These advisories will help you avoid scams and other investing problems.


Informed Investor Advisory: The Metaverse​

This investor advisory highlights some current metaverse investment scams and discusses ways that investors can protect themselves.
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Informed Investor Advisory: Financial Advice via Social Media (Finfluencers)​

This investor advisory explains what finfluencers are, how they are compensated, what you should keep in mind when you are exposed to finfluencers’ content, red flags to watch out for, and resources available to you. 

Informed Investor Advisory: Romance Scams​

The relationship you have with your financial adviser is a key element to meeting your long-term financial goals. If your stockbroker or investment adviser leaves his or her employer, you should make sure that you understand how and why it happened. It could be as simple as a move to another city or retirement, but there could be other reasons too. 

Informed Investor Advisory: Reassigned Investment Accounts

The relationship you have with your financial adviser is a key element to meeting your long-term financial goals. If your stockbroker or investment adviser leaves his or her employer, you should make sure that you understand how and why it happened. It could be as simple as a move to another city or retirement, but there could be other reasons too. It is critical to find out what happened before deciding who will help you with your investments going forward.

Informed Investor Advisory: Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Defined

Decentralized finance, or DeFi, is a relatively new blockchain-based set of financial services gaining popularity and acceptance. This NASAA Investor Advisory discusses DeFi, the technology behind it, and how you can protect yourself from falling victim to a scam.​

Informed Investor Advisory: Protecting Your Online Accounts

As financial technology has evolved, it has given consumers the ability to shop, save, and invest online using their phones, tablets, and computers. These modern financial conveniences, however, come with risk.​

Informed Investor Advisory: Expense Ratios

An informed investor will pay particular attention to a fund’s expense ratio, which, over time, can affect a fund’s earnings significantly.​

Informed Investor Advisory: ESG Investing

As climate change and social concerns have grown in recent years, many investors are becoming more conscious of whether a company in which they are investing has considered environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.​

Informed Investor Advisory: Social Media, Online Trading and Investing

In our digitally connected world, some investors turn to online chatrooms and social media platforms for information about investing or specific investment opportunities. While ever-evolving technology makes investing more accessible to greater numbers of people, the informed investor knows that technological democratization also brings significant risk. 

Social Isolation and the Risk of Investme​nt Fraud

NASAA, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the staff of the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy have joined to raise awareness that increased social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic can have a devastating impact on senior investors.​

The Coronavirus is Novel but Crisis-related Scams are Nothing New

NASAA and FINRA have joined to encourage investors to proceed cautiously with new investment opportunities considering the potential for fraudsters to take advantage of the buzz surrounding companies promoting products and services related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Informed Investor Advisory: Initial Coin Offerings

Informed Investor Advisory: Cryptocurrencies

Not every initial coin offering (ICO) or cryptocurrency-related investment is fraudulent, but investors should approach any initial coin offering or cryptocurrency-related investment product with extreme caution. ​


To learn more, go to NASAA's website to view other investor advisories or to search advisories by topic.


​Contact Us

Phone: (608) 266-2139

Email: DFISecurities@dfi.wisconsin.gov