Investing in IPOs

[brightcove video_id=”6056484628001″ account_id=”6015698167001″ player_id=”lYro6suIR”]You don’t have to be a business news junkie to know when a major company, like Google or Facebook, is about to hit the market with an IPO. An initial public offering generates a lot of buzz, but investors need to know that new listings don’t always live up to the hype.

In an IPO, companies sell a portion of themselves to the public for the first time. IPOs serve several purposes: it gives companies a way to raise money to fund their growth and it allows founders and venture capitalists the opportunity to cash in a portion of their investment.

While the companies, founders and investment capitalists stand to win big when the IPO finally hits the market, things don’t always pan out that way for investors who rush to buy shares on the first day. You accept a certain level of risk any time you invest. There’s always a chance that the investment won’t perform the way you expected. But IPOs come with another layer of risk that most investors overlook.

To learn more, watch Bruce Sellery explain the pitfalls of investing in an IPO.

About Bruce Sellery

Bruce Sellery is the CEO of Credit Canada, the country’s longest-standing non-profit credit counselling agency. He is a former MoneySense columnist.