What’s your “go-to” source for financial information?
“Family and friends” is the #1 answer given in the annual Retirement Confidence Survey. But a close second is search engines and other online tools, including online forums like the one that rose to notoriety in the past few weeks.1
As the “short squeeze” story is unfolding, it appears that individual investors played a smaller role than initially believed. Wall Street institutions were very active in those short-sell situations, and their trading seemed to be the main driver behind the volatile price swings.2
Regulators are digging into the activity, but some firms have concluded it was a battle between Goliath vs. Goliath, and David merely provided a narrative that captured the nation for several days.2
The Retirement Confidence Survey found that financial professionals are becoming a more critical source of information on retirement strategies. Many financial professionals have passed exams administered by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and are required to take continuing education courses to maintain their licenses.3
Some of the ongoing training focuses on regulatory, compliance, ethical standards, and other practice standards.3
So the next time you consider following a hot tip or hopping into an online forum, take a minute and consider your investment strategy’s goals. But if you do get excited about an idea, please contact us. We’d welcome the chance to hear your thoughts. Give us a call at our office at (574) 606-4406.
Sources:
- Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2020 Retirement Confidence Survey
- CNBC.com, February 5, 2021
- FINRA.org, 2021
- Original article by FMG Suite 2021
