Are you concerned about your 401(k)? Do you understand how it works and what you are supposed to do in relation to it? Do you know how to make informed decisions about your 401(k)? Amidst confusion and growing public concern about 401(k)s, the nonprofit Alliance for Investor Education (AIE) issued today at www.investoreducation.org the “401(k) Survival Kit,” a collection of its members’ best-available information on the topic.

“The 401(k) plan is the only passport to a comfortable retirement that many Americans now have available to them” said Alliance for Investor Education President Michael D. Jones, who also serves as executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD, Inc). “The Alliance is making this special effort because of our strong belief that there are literally millions of consumers out there who can benefit by reviewing the contents of the ‘401(k) Survival Kit.’”

The 21-member organization of trade associations and governmental organizations is making the “401(k) Survival Kit” available at www.investoreducation.org. When you go to the AIE Web site, you will find a "401(k) Survival Kit” link that takes you directly to the collection of top investor education content.

The following eight resources from AIE members are intended to give consumers a "crash course" in what they need to know about being 401(k) investors:

• Understanding Risk: What Every Investor Should Know
  http://www.siainvestor.com/categories/investingessentials/understrisk/un derstrisk_011.htm
  Securities Industry Association
• Securing Your Retirement
  www.ici.org/investing_for_success/retirement.html
  Investment Company Institute
• Planning for Retirement
  www.investinginbonds.com/retirement.htm
  Bond Market Association
• Retirement Calculator
  www.nasdr.com/retirement_calc.asp
  NASD
• 401(k) Plans and Their Role in an Investor's Portfolio
  www.aaii.com/promo/aie/role.shtml
  American Association of Individual Investors
• The Advantages - and Disadvantages - of 401(k) Plans
  www.aaii.com/promo/aie/guide.shtml
  American Association of Individual Investors
• Retirement Plans: How to Decipher Your 401(k) Plan Statement
  www.aaii.com/promo/aie/rplans.shtml
  American Association of Individual Investors
• 401(k) Plan Fee Disclosure and Fee Disclosure Form
  www.ici.org/issues/401k_fees_commun.html
  Investment Company Institute

ABOUT AIE

The Alliance for Investor Education Web site at 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, American Stock Exchange, Association for Investment Management and Research, Bond Market Association, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Investment Company Institute, Investor Protection Trust, National Association of Investors Corporation, NASD, National Futures Association, National Investor Relations Institute, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, New York Stock Exchange, Securities Industry Association, Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and Security Traders Association.

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.

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