WASHINGTON, D.C.//January 6, 2005//Interest rates edged up in 2004 and more of the same is expected in 2005, which makes it imperative for investors to consider rebalancing their portfolios, according to the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE). Today, the Alliance highlighted six of the best available Web-based tools that its members offer on the topic of interest rates and investing.

The collection of top resources - "Rising Interest Rates and You" - is available on the Web at http://www.investoreducation.org/risinginterestrates.cfm. AIE is an 18-member organization of leading financial-related trade associations and governmental organizations.

"Investors ignore at their own peril the need to rebalance their investment portfolios in the face of rising interest rates," 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). "In a period when interest rates are steadily ratcheting up, investors need take a close look at where their money should be, including such important alternatives as bond mutual funds."

The new "Interest Rates and You" section of the AIE Web site features the following education savings information:

• "Rising Interest Rates Will Affect Your Investments – What You Should Know,” from The Bond Market Association.
• "The Effects of Interest Rates on Bond Mutual Funds,” from the Investment Company Institute.
• “Interest Rate Risk and Bond Funds,” from Path to Investing/Foundation for Investor Education, an affiliate of the Securities Industry Association.
• "When Interest Rates Go Up, Markets Go Down,” from the CFA Institute.
• "REITs and Rates,” from the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts.
• "Changing Interest Rates,” from Path to Investing/Foundation for Investor Education, an affiliate of the Securities Industry Association.

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: the American Association of Individual Investors, Bond Market Association, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, CFA Institute, Investment Company Institute Foundation, National Association of Investors Corporation, National Association of Securities Dealers, National Futures Association, National Investor Relations Institute, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, New York Stock Exchange, Foundation for Investor Education and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

The SEC Office of Investor Education and Assistance, 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 among the government and quasi-governmental advisors to the Alliance.

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