FINRA Names Christine Kieffer Investor Education Chief As Fraud Risk Grows

FINRA appointed Christine Kieffer as Senior Vice President of its Office of Investor Education and President of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation on July 15, placing a 22-year fraud prevention specialist in charge of education strategy as social media, artificial intelligence and online investment schemes create new risks for retail investors. The role, effective immediately, formalizes her interim position since April.

Kieffer will oversee FINRA's investor education strategy and the Foundation's research and education programs. A Foundation study from April 2026 found that 29% of retail investors used social media or message boards to inform investment decisions, rising to 60% among investors aged 18 to 34. The research identified a knowledge gap: social media users scored 42% on an investment knowledge test compared with 47% among non-users, yet reported higher confidence and were more likely to lose money when targeted by fraud.