What is the SEC?
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (commonly known as the SEC) is a United States government agency having primary responsibility for enforcing the Federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry. The SEC was created by section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (now codified as 15 U.S.C. ยง 78d). In addition to the 1934 Act that created it, the SEC enforces the Securities Act of 1933, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other statutes. Appointed by George W. Bush, Christopher Cox is the current chairman of the SEC. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr, father of future President John F. Kennedy, to serve as the first Chairman of the SEC. For a full list of SEC chairs and commissioners, see: Securities and Exchange Commission appointees. Overview The SEC was established by the Congress in 1934 as an independent, no
