The ICI Education Foundation (ICIEF) partners with other nonprofit organizations to develop, produce, and distribute a range of investor awareness materials used in free workshops held across the country and in interactive web courses. These materials help investors set investment goals, evaluate risk, establish realistic expectations, and meet future needs such as funding a child's education or ensuring a secure retirement.
The centerpiece in the ICIEF effort is the Investing for Success program. Launched in May 2000 with the National Urban League (NUL), Investing for Success was initially designed to strengthen investor awareness in the African-American community. Workshops co-sponsored by these two organizations are presented by mutual fund industry professionals from Investment Company Institute member companies. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Labor, and American Savings Education Council, among others, have all contributed materials used during the workshops. Neither the workshop presenters nor the materials promote any commercial products or services or specific professions, firms, or individuals.
For those unable to attend a workshop, ICIEF launched an award-winning web course in May 2001 that integrates all the workshop materials in an interactive, multimedia format. The web course features 10 self-paced lessons that include interactive worksheets and calculators, animated illustrations, video clips of investors and investment professionals, related online resources, and quizzes that offer immediate feedback. Anyone who completes all 10 lessons can print a customized certificate of course completion.
In May 2002, ICIEF announced an agreement to begin co-sponsoring investor education seminars presented at Historically Black Colleges and Universities by the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, an organization that also works to advance financial and economic literacy in the African-American community. In addition, ICIEF has begun offering the Investing for Success workshop at selected conferences of other nonprofit organizations.
Also in May 2002, with the help of the Hispanic College Fund, Inc., ICIEF announced an expansion of the Investing for Success program to reach the nation's growing Hispanic community. A new award-winning web course, modeled after the success of the original web course, offers both English- and Spanish-language instruction.
ICIEF welcomes comments and suggestions on the Investing for Success program through workshop evaluation forms and online feedback forms available with each web course.
