Reply to the given:
I just purchased my first 100 shares of stock this year in November, and as you may have guessed I didn't really know what I was doing. My close friend studying finance invested close to $10,000 within the last 7 years with pretty good return if he was to sell now (and of course the thought of easy money can always have its influence). I threw in $500 and if I sell today I will have only lost about $40.
After reading further about the SEC, I was glad to know that this commission provides a type of "check and balance" in favor of the investor by promoting the disclosure of important market related information and fair dealing while also protecting against fraud. If you own a share or just a percentage of a share of a public company you will be happy to know that the SEC has regulated that they provide publicly their financial statements.
References:
Ross, S. A., Jordan, B. D. & Westerfield, R. W. (2013). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 10th Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.