WFIC - World Federation of Investors Corporation
 













WFIC NEWS

VENTURE INVESTORS FOUNDER ROGER GANSER ELECTED TO WISCONSIN INVESTOR HALL OF FAME

Roger Ganser, the nationally known founder of Venture Investors LLC, Wisconsin's oldest and largest venture capital firm, will be inducted into the Wisconsin Investor Hall of Fame during a November 12, 2014 dinner tied to the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. Ganser was elected by a group of state investors that included the past two inductees: Dick Leazer, a founder of Wisconsin Investment Partners, the state's oldest angel investment network; and George Mosher, A Milwaukee "super angel" investor. Ganser will be honored during a dinner of about 60 invited angel and venture capitalists following the first day of the Early Stage Symposium in Madison.

"It's terrific that there is still the opportunity to focus on early stage company financing through the Early Stage Symposium," Ganser said. "Every state has to be looking at the importance of venture capital. We have to be looking where the job opportunities are going to be."

Founded in 1982, Venture Investors, then called Madison Capital Corporation, made its first two investments in Promega and Office Solutions, both companies that presented at the 1984 Madison Venture Fair, the state's first venture conference. Promega, based in Madison, now has more than 1,300 employees and 15 global branches, Office Solutions, a Madison software company, was acquired in 1988. "It was clear, at that time, that we needed more flexible capital so I went out and raised about $1 million for a high-risk capital pool," recalled Ganser.

In addition to being a general partner of five of Venture Investors funds focused on technologies coming out of Big Ten universities, Ganser is also chairman and director of NAIC/BetterInvesting, a Michigan-based non-profit investor education organization, and chairman and director of the World Federation of Investors, an international association of national investor education and advocacy organizations based in Belgium. Ganser was also appointed in 2012 to a four-year term on the Security Exchange Commission's Investor Advisory Committee, which is currently reviewing the accreditation standard for investors in startup companies. He is also a member of the Investor Issues Committee of the Financial Industry National Regulatory Agency.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Announces Investor Issues Committee

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced the creation of a new Investor Issues Committee to advise FINRA staff on matters that significantly affect individual and institutional investors. WFI Chairman Roger Ganser was appointed to this committee as a representative of individual investors.

The Investor Issues Committee will advise senior staff at FINRA on proposed rule-making, policy initiatives and other issues that significantly impact both retail and institutional investors. The Committee will also help inform FINRA's economic analysis from the perspective of investors. The new Investor Issues Committee includes the Chairman of NAIC/BetterInvesting, Roger H. Ganser. He was founder of Venture Investors LLC and is a member of the NYSE Individual Investor Advisory Committee.

FINRA described the creation of the Investor Issues Committee as an important development, which will enable FINRA staff to better understand the perspective of investors. The Committee will create an additional channel for FINRA to receive input from the perspective of the investing public by advising senior staff at FINRA on proposed rule-making, policy initiatives and other issues that significantly impact both retail and institutional investors. The Investor Issues Committee will help FINRA better understand the needs and protect the interests of the investing public.

FINRA is the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business — from registering and educating all industry participants to examining securities firms, writing rules, enforcing those rules and the federal securities laws, informing and educating the investing public, providing trade reporting and other industry utilities, and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and firms.

Continued Success for BetterInvesting's
Online Stock Study Event

BetterInvesting, the US National Association of Investors Corporation/BetterInvesting (NAIC), has experienced continued success with the Online Stock Study events organized by volunteer educators for the association's members.

The monthly webinar features an analysis of the stock of a publicly traded company. The volunteer educators use investment analysis tools such as the Association's Stock Selection Guide and IClub's Tool Kit software. The sessions, which allow questions and rankings from the on-line audience, have consistently drawn 600-900 participants.

Swedish Shareholders Association Delegation Visit Companies in USA

Forty members of the Swedish Shareholders Association visited the USA to attend the Annual Meeting of Berkshire Hathaway (BERK.A – NYSE) and hear the annual address by its founder, "The Oracle of Omaha", Warren Buffett. Colleagues from NAIC/BetterInvesting (USA) arranged for the Swedish visitors to also attend presentations by investor representatives from Citrix Systems (CTXS – NAASDAQ) and Tupperware (TUP – NYSE).

AEMEC AND WFI SUPPORT IBERDROLA SHAREHOLDERS

Iberdrola SA, a Spanish company and world leader in wind and solar energy, invested heavily in alternative energy in response to Spain's alternative energy initiatives. This investment was severely threatened by unexpected changes in the Spanish legislation for promised support for renewable energy projects. AEMEC, the Spanish shareholders association, analyzed the case and found it appropriate to defend Iberdrola and consequently its shareholders that had been the victims of a situation created by the authorities and the change of law. The idea was to find a reasonable solution via arbitration or agreement by which all parties would accept a reasonable solution, preferable outside the court of justice.

Advocate Hachem Boulos, Chairman of the WFI Advocacy Committee, recommended that WFI support the case on behalf of Iberdrola shareholders. The primary reason for WFI's action would be to help inform and educate individual investors of the risk of investing in companies based upon political decisions. WFI's goal is to improve investors knowledge worldwide which is fundamental to investment success. The Executive Committee unanimously endorsed support for the investors of Iberdrola and the actions of AEMEC in this matter.

Shareholders' Fairs

As part of our expanded membership services, WFI is exploring a variety of alternative shareholders' fairs, the purpose of which are to provide information about high-potential, listed companies across industry sectors and in various countries. In the past, our member organizations from Brazil and France have incorporated their investor fairs as hosts for our annual meetings. NAIC-BetterInvesting from the U.S. is co-producing a virtual Retail Investor Fair on the Internet. While from Brazil, TradeNetwork, an organizer of conferences and money shows, has teamed up with the biggest Brazilian media–TV Global in plans for virtual venture fairs. Fairs have proven to be a great opportunity to exchange information, create valuable contacts and learn about investment opportunities throughout the world.

Note: WFI provides opportunities for company information and investor education, it does not recommend specific investments.

WFI Chairman Appointed to SEC Investor Advisory Committee

Washington, D.C., April 9, 2012 – The USA Security and Exchange Commission today announced that Roger H. Ganser, Chairman of the World Federation of Investors and NAIC/Better Investing (USA) was appointed to the new Investor Advisory Committee required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Section 911 of the Dodd-Frank Act established the new committee to advise the Commission on regulatory priorities, the regulation of securities products, trading strategies, fee structures, the effectiveness of disclosure, and on initiatives to protect investor interests and to promote investor confidence and the integrity of the securities marketplace.

Individual Shareholders in the Larger Markets–Figures

Thanks to WFI's member organizations, we have been able to compile statistics on the number of individual shareholders in the larger markets. In the USA approximately 21 million American households (20%) own individual shares of stock. In Germany the number of individual shareholders (including employee shares holders) is estimated at 4 thousand (2007 data). In Sweden there are approximately 2.2 million individual shareholders, and according to the statistics from 2005-2006, the average male director shareholder owns 15,392 shares, and the average female shareholder owns 4,129 shares. In Poland in 2009, there were 254 thousand active individual shareholders on the stock market.