PICKING UP THE PIECES: 12 OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR INVESTORS IN TOUGH TIMES

19-Member Alliance Including SEC, Fed, FINRA and States Highlights Timely Investor Education Tools

WASHINGTON, D.C.//OCTOBER 30, 2008//What should investors worried about market volatility and facing the prospect of reduced assets for retirement do? Where do you turn for help if you face difficulty in the current market downturn and credit crunch?

Today, the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) outlined 12 of the best Web-based resources for investing in uncertain times. The Alliance’s new “Picking Up the Pieces: What Investors Need to Know in Tough Times” is available at http://www.investoreducation.org/pickingupthepieces. AIE is the organization of the United States’ leading financial-related foundations, nonprofit organizations, associations and governmental agencies.

Alliance for Investor Education President Dallas Salisbury, who also serves as president and CEO of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and chairman of the American Savings Education Council (ASEC), said: “Downturns in the market are a natural part of the process of investing. Investors need to understand that avoiding panic and keeping eye on the long-term is the best plan of action. At the same time, we want to make sure that Americans know where to find the best available information in the event that they encounter such severe financial distress that they genuinely need help.”

The new “Picking Up the Pieces" section of the AIE Web site features the following 12 top resources for consumers:

1. Top Five Facts When Investing in Turbulent Markets - CFA Institute.

2. Caution to Investors Against Making Uninformed, Sudden Decisions Amid Wall Street Crisis - North American Securities Administrators Association.

3. Mortgage Foreclosure Resources - Federal Reserve Board.

4. Treasury's Guarantee Program for Money Market Mutual Funds: What You Should Know - Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

5. How Safe Are My Savings? - PathToInvesting.org/SIFMA.

6. Account Protection Concerns During Market Volatility - National Futures Association.

7. How SIPC Protects You in Case of a Brokerage Firm Failure - Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

8. Information for Individual Investors on Recent Market Events - Securities and Exchange Commission.

9. The Importance of Being an Informed Investor - Investment Company Institute.

10. Bank Failures, Mergers and Takeovers: A “Phish-erman’s Special” - Federal Trade Commission.

11. Is R-I-S-K Really a 4-letter Word? - American Association of Individual Investors.

12. Life Crisis - Financial Planning Association.

For an overview of the rest of the best investor education resources on the Web from AIE members, go to http://www.investoreducation.org.

ABOUT AIE

Founded in 1996, the Alliance for Investor Education Web site at http://www.InvestorEducation.org provides investors with access to a full range of information they need to make wise investment decisions. The 19-member Alliance for Investor Education is dedicated to facilitating greater understanding of investing, investments and the financial markets among current and prospective investors of all ages. We pursue initiatives for education and join with others to motivate Americans to obtain objective information and increase their knowledge and understanding of investing.

Full members of the Alliance include: American Association of Individual Investors, Employee Benefit Research Institute/American Savings Education Council, BetterInvesting, CFA Institute, Financial Planning Association, Financial Publishers Association, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Investment Company Institute Education Foundation, Investor Protection Trust, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for Financial Education, National Futures Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the North American Securities Administrators Association are the governmental and quasi-governmental advisors to the Alliance.

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