The Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC) Investor Office has created a series of fact cards on investment topics that advisors and others are free to embed on their web sites.

The OSC's fact cards cover subjects such as bonds, mutual funds, investment risk, cybersecurity, as well as the implications of CRM2. In the same way that YouTube videos can be placed on third-party web sites, these fact cards can embedded by using a publicly available web code. The cards are available in both English and French, and are built to be displayed on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Investor education

Tyler Fleming, director of the OSC Investor Office, says that the fact cards are part of the the organisation's ongoing efforts to modernise investor education.

“We are delivering investor education in new ways that help it to be widely seen and read by those who need it, and that respond to the changing ways that people are using technology and receiving information,” he says. “We encourage journalists, media organizations, law enforcement organizations, the financial industry, educational partners and others to use our Fact Cards in their websites and articles.”

Welcomed by the industry

The initiative was welcomed by a number of industry organisations, including the financial advisor's association Advocis.  “We believe consumer education is fundamental to the financial well-being of Canadians," said Advocis president and CEO Greg Pollock. "Our network of more than 11,000 members are well-positioned to share this valuable information with their clients and online communities.” 

The catalogue of fact cards is available at www.osc.gov.on.ca/factcards and the OSC says it will be "continuously updated and expanded".