Every year, financial regulators and investor-education groups around the world unite for World Investor Week (WIW)—a global campaign designed to strengthen investor education and investor protection. The idea is simple: better information helps people make better decisions, and strong scam awareness helps people keep their money safe.
For 2025, WIW runs October 6–12 and spotlights Technology & Digital Finance, Artificial Intelligence, and Fraud & Scam Prevention—a timely mix as investing tools and scams evolve quickly.
What World Investor Week Is (and who’s behind it)
World Investor Week is promoted globally by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to raise awareness about investor education and protection.
In the United States, the campaign is supported by a group of organizations working together to promote WIW and its goals, including the SEC’s investor education office (as national coordinator) and multiple market and investor-protection partners.
2026 spotlight themes: why these topics matter
Technology & digital finance
New tools can make investing faster and more accessible—but they can also introduce new forms of confusion, hidden fees, and risk. WIW 2026 emphasizes learning how modern investing platforms work and what questions to ask before you commit money.
Artificial intelligence
AI is changing how people get “advice,” discover opportunities, and evaluate markets. The theme encourages investors to stay grounded: understand what AI can and can’t do, and don’t treat automated outputs as guarantees.
Fraud & scam prevention
Scams aren’t just “obvious” get-rich-quick pitches anymore. WIW materials highlight scam awareness as a core skill—especially relationship investment scams, where fraudsters build trust first and then push fake investments.
A quick program highlight (U.S.)
One featured educational item for WIW 2026 is a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) program aimed at service members and federal employees.
Key investing terms WIW wants every investor to know
WIW 2026 emphasizes that an informed investor is better equipped to both build wealth and avoid scams. Here are several core concepts highlighted for investors:
- Asset allocation: How you divide your money among categories like stocks, bonds, and cash to manage risk.
- Diversification: Spreading investments so one setback doesn’t sink your whole plan—“don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
- Rebalancing: Adjusting your portfolio back to your intended mix over time, so you don’t drift into more risk than you meant to take.
- Index fund: A mutual fund or ETF designed to track a market index, often used as a low-cost way to diversify.
- EDGAR: A public database for researching company filings and certain fund information to help investors do due diligence.
- Trusted contact: A person you authorize your brokerage firm to contact in limited situations (like concerns about possible financial exploitation). It does not give them trading authority.
Practical “do this this week” actions for investors
If you want WIW to translate into real protection, these are high-impact habits aligned with the campaign themes:
- Verify before you trust: confirm your financial professional is properly licensed/registered, and don’t rely on social proof alone.
- Research the investment, not just the pitch: look up filings and documentation when available; if details are vague, treat that as a warning sign.
- Watch for relationship-based pressure: if someone builds a bond and then pushes you to move money quickly, slow down and independently verify everything.
- Keep your portfolio risk intentional: use diversification and periodic rebalancing so market moves don’t silently change your risk level.