Receiving an income tax refund? Check before you invest. Are you one of the many Albertans who will soon be receiving an income tax refund? If so, you’ll need to carefully consider what to do with the money. During this time of year, you may come across marketing enticing you to put your refund into an investment opportunity. Before you do, have a read through these tips : Do your research Do an online search and look through news releases for information about an individual or firm offering the investment. The news may tell you about unhappy investors, court cases and even rumours that you may want to further investigate. You can also keep up to date with the latest investor alerts from securities regulators from across the country. Check registration
Ask the individual or firm offering the investment if they are registered with the ASC. Securities industry professionals are required to register with the securities regulator in each province or territory where they do business. Registration helps protect investors because securities regulators will only register firms and individuals if they satisfy prescribed criteria. Check registration on the website of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) or contact the ASC directly at 1-877-355-4488 or inquiries@asc.ca. Look up disciplinary history It takes little time and effort to check the CSA disciplined persons list and cease trade orders database to see if disciplinary decisions or cease trade orders have been issued against individuals and/or firms. You can also look up a person or firm’s enforcement history on the ASC website. A little bit of extra research in the early stages of investing your refund could potentially save you a lot of headache further down the road.
| About this Blog We’ve created this blog to present you with answers to some of the more popular questions we receive from investors. We'll have different subject matter experts blogging about what they know best and we'll update it as new blogs arise. We hope you'll find it interesting and helpful. Today's Blogger Hi, I’m Lorinda Brinton, Senior Advisor for Investor Education at the ASC. During the last seven and a half years I’ve been working to get you the information you need when making your investing decisions. We have many resources throughout the site to help you be more informed and better protect your money. Check them out – I’m sure you’ll discover some tools or information that will be useful. Here are some links I think you’ll find helpful: ASC investor alertsSteps to Check FirstFile a complaint
Ask your question If you have a question you would like to see answered on this page, email them to questions@asc.ca. We may not use every question we receive but will concentrate on areas from which we receive the most inquiries. If you have a question related directly to your own situation, please contact ASC inquiries using our toll free number (1-877-355-4488) or email inquiries@asc.ca. If you have a complaint, email complaints@asc.ca or call 403-355-3888.
We encourage you to make use of our ASC resources to reduce your vulnerability to fraud, and to help you to become a better informed investor with some knowledge of how the markets work. Read our Helpful Brochures and Reading Material.
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