The SEC announced a new investment outreach effort for public school educators. The agency has launched a series of podcasts, educational tools, and more to help provide insight into retirement planning. Below is the press release from the agency’s site.

Washington D.C., Oct. 15, 2019 —

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced several teacher investment outreach efforts in connection with its Teachers Initiative.  These initiatives include the launch of a podcast series for public school educators, nationwide events for teachers, and the RISE 2.0 of California summit in Los Angeles on Oct. 17.  The outreach efforts advance the Commission’s commitment to protecting America’s educators when they invest in the securities markets by informing educators about the importance of savings and investing, researching investment products and financial professionals before investing, and identifying the red flags of investment fraud.

The SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office launched SECrets to Investing, a podcast series for public school employees designed to inform them about retirement planning and the unique options available to them as public school educators, investment basics and avoiding fraud.  The agency has released the first three installments in the podcast series with additional podcasts to be launched across the school year.

The Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, Retail Strategy Task Force, and Commission staff nationwide have also been actively engaged in outreach events for teachers and educators across the country to help them invest wisely.  Commission staff has conducted events at schools, teacher seminars, and employee benefits fairs, and will continue these outreach activities across the school year.

The SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office is also sponsoring RISE 2.0 of California:  Retirement Investment Summit on Education, a conference that will bring together experts and state and federal regulators to discuss the issues facing California educators looking to invest in 403(b) and 457(b) supplemental defined contribution plans.

“Our country’s teachers are everyday heroes whose hard work and dedication are vital to cultivating our future leaders and ensuring America’s continued strength,” said Chairman Jay Clayton.  “The SEC is committed to making America’s securities markets stronger and safer for our nation’s educators, including by helping them become better informed about the investing options available to them.”

The SEC encourages educators to utilize the resources on its teacher outreach page and to learn about the basics of savings and investing and to utilize the investment professional background check tools on Investor.gov.