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BCSC launches on-line investment calculators

2018-10-15 15:48 ET - News Release

Ms. Pamela McDonald reports

BCSC LAUNCHES NEW INVESTMENT CALCULATORS ON INVESTRIGHT.ORG

As part of its investor education month activities, the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has launched a return on investment calculator and an investment growth calculator on its investor education website.

The BCSC developed the return on investment calculator after conducting survey research that demonstrated that the return on investment calculation can be difficult for people to understand.

The BCSC conducted an on-line study of 300 B.C. residents' understanding of return on investment, asking survey respondents to make calculations based on two questions -- a relatively straightforward question and a slightly more complicated one. The survey identified that an overconfidence gap significantly widened when respondents answered the more complicated question.

At the outset, the survey asked respondents about their comprehension of return on investment and 86 per cent of respondents indicated a degree of comfort with the concept.

When asked to calculate the first question, 79 per cent of respondents answered correctly -- an overconfidence gap of 7 per cent. Only 23 per cent of respondents answered the second question correctly, increasing the overconfidence gap significantly to 63 per cent.

"We are seeing from this data and our overall experience that investors need tools to help them understand important investing concepts," commented Pamela McDonald, BCSC director of communications and education. "The launch of these two calculators and other improvements to [the InvestRight website] are part of our ongoing efforts to improve investing literacy in British Columbia so that investors can have the best investment outcomes."

The new investment growth calculator shows investors how investment contributions can grow over 20 years. Visitors to the website can choose a portfolio size and see how two different amounts grow. The calculator uses a conservative rate of return to demonstrate that investing on a regular basis can increase savings over time through compounding returns.

These new calculators are two featured items in a suite of enhancements to the InvestRight website that enhance user experience, encourage more engagement on the website and improve overall content presentation. The InvestRight website also features tools to help investors improve their investment fee knowledge, such as a fee calculator.

About the B.C. Securities Commission

The BCSC is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating capital markets in British Columbia through the administration of the Securities Act. Its mission is to protect and promote the public interest by fostering:

  • A securities market that is fair and warrants public confidence;
  • A dynamic and competitive securities industry that provides investment opportunities and access to capital.

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