THE ABCs OF PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT: BEST RESOURCES ON IRAs HIGHLIGHTED BY ALLIANCE FOR INVESTOR EDUCATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.//September 20, 2007//The nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) is spotlighting seven of the best available IRA resources for investors planning how to invest for retirement. AIE is a 22-member organization of the United States' leading financial-related foundations, nonprofit organizations, associations and governmental agencies.

The Alliance's collection of top resources "IRAs: The ABCs of Planning for Retirement" is available at http://www.investoreducation.org/IRAs.

Alliance for Investor Education President Michael D. Jones, who also serves as senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA), said, "As the Investment Company Institute points out in a recent study, retirement assets now account for nearly 40 percent of household financial assets, with investors holding $8.3 trillion in IRAs and defined-contribution plans at the end of 2006. The Alliance for Investor Education wants to make it as easy as possible for investors to learn more about how to put IRAs to work for themselves."

The new "IRAs: The ABCs of Planning for Retirement" section of the AIE Web site features the following seven top resources for teachers and students:

1. Why Open an IRA? - Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

2. Asked Questions about Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) - Investment Company Institute.

3. "Stretch" IRAs - Too Much of a Stretch for You? - FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

4. Choosing an IRA - PathToInvesting.

5. Planning Your Retirement Strategies - Financial Planning Association.

6. Maximize Your Retirement Investments - Investor Protection Trust.

7. Consumer Alert - Taxpayers With IRAs: FYI: The IRS Does Not Approve IRA Investments - Federal Trade Commission.

ABOUT AIE

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. Dedicated to facilitating a greater understanding of investment basics, the Alliance for Investor Education was established in 1996 as a coalition of leading financial services industry and investor advocacy groups.

The entire investment community is represented in AIE's membership ranks. Full members of the Alliance include: American Association of Individual Investors, American Financial Services Association Education Foundation, American Savings Education Council/Employee Benefit Research Institute, CFA Institute, Financial Industry Regulation Authority, Financial Planning Association, Financial Publishers Association, Investment Company Institute Education Foundation, Investor Protection Trust, National Association of Investors Corporation, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for Financial Education, National Futures Association, National Investor Relations Institute, New York Stock Exchange, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

The 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 .