WASHINGTON, D.C.//August 26, 2003//With some investors still jittery in the wake of recent corporate misdeeds, the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) today issued "Nine Tools for Restoring Investor Confidence," a collection of its members' best and most timely resources on the topic. The Alliance for Investor Education (http://www.investoreducation.org) is an 18-member organization of financial-related trade associations and governmental organizations.

"A savvy investor is a confident investor and that's where we think that we can help to make a difference," said Alliance for Investor Education President Michael D. Jones, who also serves as senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). "Alliance for Investor Education members want to do their part to help restore investor confidence in the markets by empowering individuals with the best available tools on the Web."

The following nine resources from AIE member Web sites are intended to give consumers the information they need to become sharper and more confident participants in the financial markets:

* Securities and Exchange Commission
"Taking Stock: Getting Your Act Together"
http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/takingstock.htm

* National Association of Investors Corporation
"Picking Good Stocks in ANY Market"
http://www.better-investing.org/articles/bi/76/427

* The Bond Market Association
"Interest Rates and Your Investments"
http://www.investinginbonds.com/interestRates.htm

* Securities Industry Association (SIA) Investor
"Rebalancing Your Portfolio"
http://www.siainvestor.org/topical/topical_rebalancingact.htm

* Investment Company Institute
"Understanding Mutual Fund Breakpoints"
http://www.ici.org/investor_ed/brochures/bro_brkpts

* National Association of Securities Dealers
"401(k) Learning Center"
http://www.nasd.com/Investor/Smart/401k/index.html

* Association for Investment Management and Research
"The Real Reformers: Tomorrow's Empowered Investors - Building Market Integrity"
http://www.aimrdirect.org/cpe/what.cfm?test_id=305

* National Investor Relations Institute
"Your Resource to Regulations"
http://www.niri.org/regulations/index.cfm

CONTACT: Ailis Aaron Wolf, (703) 276-3265 or .