Securities & Exchange Commission - Home Page

The SEC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasijudicial regulatory agency with responsibility for administering the federal securities laws. The purpose of these laws is to protect investors in securities markets that operate fairly and to ensure that investors have access to disclosure of all material information concerning publicly traded securities. The Commission also regulates firms engaged in the purchase or sale of securities, people who provide investment advice, and investment companies.

This page is brought to you by the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Assistance, providing investors with the information they need to invest wisely and avoid securities fraud and abuse.

EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Its primary purpose is to increase the efficiency and fairness of the securities market for the benefit of investors, corporations, and the economy by accelerating the receipt, acceptance, dissemination, and analysis of time-sensitive corporate information filed with the agency.

Here you'll find a vast array of information to help you begin planning for a secure financial future. You don't have to be an expert to make money add up for you. You just need to know how to get started.

This document provides basic information to help investors select a brokerage firm and sales representative, make an initial investment decision, monitor an investment and address an investment problem. It is intended to help you identify questions you need to ask and warning signs to look for in order to avoid possible investment problems.