Free Financial Education Forum for Military Personnel and Families Featuring Top Regulators and Rep. Adam Smith Set for Fort Lewis

NASD Investor Education Foundation to host events at Fort Lewis, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and Naval Base Kitsap as part of military financial education tour

Washington, DC - The NASD Investor Education Foundation will host a free financial education forum at Fort Lewis to help military personnel and their families better understand saving and investing and to provide objective information to help them invest wisely for their future. The forum, including special guest Congressman Adam Smith, is presented in partnership with the Fort Lewis Army Community Service Center and McChord Air Force Airman & Family Readiness Center.

The forum will take place Friday, September 8, at the American Lake Club in North Fort Lewis. The event is open to active duty servicemembers, spouses, military retirees and Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security civilian employees and their spouses stationed at Fort Lewis and nearby McChord Air Force Base.

At the forum, industry experts including Elisse Walter, NASD Senior Executive Vice President, and John Gannon, Executive Director of the NASD Investor Education Foundation, will provide guidance on the fundamental principles of saving and investing and highlight important tools and resources to help servicemembers and their spouses become more informed. Financial seminars will follow the opening session, which will allow attendees to learn about specific financial issues. Topics will include Smart Credit Management: Avoid the Predatory Loan Trap; Mutual Funds, 529 Plans and More and Smart Saving for Retirement.

"Like all of us, military families must plan for major financial events—purchasing a home, saving for college and retirement—but unlike most of us, they must do so on the go, from anywhere in the world," Rep. Smith said. "This forum recognizes the unique challenges faced by our military families and aims to provide them with the tools they need to save and invest with confidence."

Financial forums will also take place on Monday, September 11, at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and on Tuesday, September 12, at Naval Base Kitsap. For more detailed information and event agendas, please visit www.SaveAndInvest.org.

Research conducted in June 2005 found that only 29 percent of military personnel who currently invest received a passing grade on a quiz about basic financial knowledge. However, 58 percent of survey respondents said that it was very important to them that they become more knowledgeable about saving and investing.

"Education is the best way to protect investors from costly mistakes, and we want to make sure that servicemembers and their families know about the wide range of resources available to them," Walter said. "The Web site we have created specifically for military personnel and their families, SaveAndInvest.org, provides tools and resources free of charge that can be accessed 24-7 from anywhere in the world."

SaveAndInvest.org is a free service of the NASD Investor Education Foundation. The Foundation's financial education forums are one aspect of a multifaceted program to help members of the military and their families take control of their finances. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Military Family Association and other organizations, the Foundation is committed to providing financial education to military families.

NASD Investor Education Foundation Military Financial Education Forum Fort Lewis, Washington

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American Lake Club North Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis - Washington

*While the forum is free, registration is encouraged. Those who wish to register may do so online at www.SaveAndInvest.org or by calling (866) 862-0110.

The NASD Investor Education Foundation, established in 2003, supports innovative research and educational projects that give investors the tools they need to better understand the markets and the basic principles of saving and investing. The Foundation has awarded more than $4.5 million in grants for educational programs and research projects targeting underserved segments of the population. For details about grant programs and other new initiatives of the Foundation, visit www.nasdfoundation.org.

NASD is the leading private sector provider of financial regulatory services, dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. More than 5,100 brokerage firms, roughly 116,000 branch offices and more than 650,000 registered securities representatives come under NASD's jurisdiction. NASD touches virtually every aspect of the securities business-from registering and educating all industry participants, to examining securities firms, enforcing both NASD rules and the federal securities laws and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and securities firms. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.nasd.com.