WASHINGTON, D.C.//April 14, 2004//Investors who stress out by waiting until the last possible minute to file their income taxes are probably not doing all the strategic planning that should be part of defining their long-range financial picture, the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) warned today. AIE (http://www.investoreducation.org) is a 17-member organization of leading financial-related trade associations and governmental organizations.

AIE urged taxpayers to start planning for their 2005 taxes now, the first step being the creation of a solid financial plan. To that end, the Alliance unveiled a new resource "Plan Ahead for Taxes and Retirement," which features 10 of the best Web-based financial education tools for investment and tax planning.

"Many Americans who put off tax filing until the last minute dread and avoid any aspect of planning out their finances," 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). "However, the reality is that you simply will not be prepared for major financial needs down the road, such as retirement, unless you start planning ahead now. We want to help give people who are behind in their financial planning the tools they need to get started now, a full year out from the end of the 2005 tax season."

The new "Plan Ahead for Taxes and Retirement" section of the AIE Web site features the following 10 steps:

• "Investment Tax Strategies" -
  http://www.pathtoinvesting.org/categories/managingyourportfolio/
  strategies/strategies_041.htm
• "Tax Planning Opportunities and Pitfalls" -
  http://www.aaii.com/promo/20040405/taxstrat.shtml#BODY
• "Smart 401(k) Investing" -
  http://www.nasd.com/Investor/Smart/401k/index.html
• "The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and Municipal Bonds" -
  http://www.InvestingInBonds.com/AMTandMunis.htm
• "Taking Stock: Getting Your Fiscal Act Together" -
  http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/takingstock.htm
• "Taxes and Overseas Stocks" -
  http://www.better-investing.org/articles/bi/1111/8680?print=1
• "Defining Your Investment Objectives" -
  http://www.aimr.org/investorservices/pdf/defining_investment.pdf
• "Financial Planning Basics" -
  http://www.cfp.net/learn/knowledgebase.asp?id=1
• "Investing for Your Future" -
  http://www.ici.org/i4s/bro_i4s_future.html
• "Planning for Retirement" -
  http://www.pathtoinvesting.org/vantagepoints/vp_retirement.htm

ABOUT AIE

The Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) 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, Association for Investment Management and Research, Bond Market Association, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Investment Company Institute, 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, Securities Industry Association 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 .