TO: EDITORS, NEWS DIRECTORS

DATE: April 4, 2001

FOR: IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Arizona Kicks Off Investor Education Campaign

PHOENIX - Joining state securities regulators from Hawaii to Maine, Arizona is kicking off an investor education campaign in the month of April aimed at raising financial IQs and helping residents recognize and avoid securities fraud.

As part of the fourth annual Facts on Saving and Investing Campaign, representatives from the Arizona Corporation Commission's Securities Division will be writing newspaper columns and visiting schools and community groups to reach out to residents of all ages and backgrounds.

"The goal of this campaign is to help investors understand their financial needs while helping them develop a comprehensive strategy for meeting those goals," said Mark Sendrow, Director of the Commission's Securities Division. "Stock market volatility has people looking for somewhere 'safe' to put their money. But many people are expecting the sort of double-digit returns they saw over the last decade in the stock market. Con artists know this, so they promise high returns with low risk. Investors should continually remind themselves that risk and return almost always go together."

During the month-long effort, state securities regulators will join a broad-based coalition of consumer groups, industry representatives and regulators to focus on youth financial literacy, ways to guard against fraud and how to prepare for retirement. The Commission will participate in a national investment adviser seminar, make presentations at high schools in Payson and Deer Valley and make a presentation to the Peoria Unified School District's Academies of Finance. The Commission's Securities Division web site (www.ccsd.cc.state.az.us) has a calendar showing this month's activities.

Speakers are still available to address a wide variety of subjects, including:

• What is your financial IQ? A question and answer forum.

• Scams and schemes: What con games are perpetrated in Arizona and how to protect yourself.

• Fraud prevention and investor education.

• Internet and e-mail solicitations and how to protect assets.

• Choosing a financial adviser or investment broker.

While volumes of investment expertise are now available at the click of a mouse, state securities regulators remain investors' first line of defense against fraud. They investigate complaints, bring enforcement actions, register brokers and educate investors at the grass-roots level. Mining fraud, stock pump-and-dump schemes, risky payphone and ATM investments and bogus promissory notes are among the problematic investments reported by state regulators.

National media events are being coordinated by the North American Securities Administrators Association, including an April 23 panel at the National Press Club on financial abuse of the elderly. This organization represents securities regulators in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

For more information on Arizona activities or to book a speaking engagement, contact Frank Marley, investor education coordinator for the Arizona Corporation Commission's Securities Division at (602)542-0428.