SEC Announces Older Investor Roundtable Event to Be Held April 28

The Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a virtual event on April 28 along with the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and the AARP to examine the latest challenges and issues affecting the senior investor community.

The Older Investor Roundtable will include panel discussions geared toward older investors, consumer advocates, and financial professionals nationwide as topics will include common frauds perpetrated against older investors, risks associated with digital assets and blockchain technology, and older client servicing and related issues.  

SEC Chair Gary Gensler and SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Caroline Crenshaw will each deliver remarks.

The SEC’s Investor Advocate Rick Fleming, a host and organizer of the event, said, “We appreciate these roundtables because they allow us to hear directly from retail investors and draw from a diversity of thought, backgrounds, and experiences. Listening to the investors’ experiences allows the staff of the Commission to better anticipate the community’s needs, evaluate policy, and ultimately protect investors.”

Melanie Senter Lubin, NASAA President and Maryland Securities Commissioner, added, “This roundtable is an important and timely platform to bring together Main Street investors and the securities regulators who protect them from investment fraud. State securities regulators remain focused on protecting older investors and we look forward to working with the SEC and organizations such as the AARP to strengthen investor protection.”

“AARP is pleased to help the SEC and NASAA elevate the voices of the 50+ on the challenges they face regarding financial fraud and the importance of clear and concise disclosure,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer and a member of the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee. “The panelists represent the millions of voices of older adults across the country, particularly those who have been impacted by securities fraud.”

The SEC’s Office of the Investor Advocate organized the event as part of its role in providing a voice for investors. Among the office’s responsibilities are assisting retail investors, studying investor behavior, and facilitating the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee.

The Older Investor Roundtable will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and will be webcast live on the SEC website.