Investing for Success Program Goes Online

Contacts:
Leslie Dunbar, NUL 212/558-5438
Carol Davis, COBI-IEF, 336/922-6240
Derede McAlpin, ICI 202/371-5420

Washington, DC, May 17, 2001 - The Investing for Success Partnership today launched an online interactive multimedia version of its popular personal finance workshop, which is designed to strengthen the understanding of middle-income African-Americans about opportunities to invest and build wealth.

The online workshop is located on the Investing for Success partnership website, which was formed by the National Urban League and the Investment Company Institute Education Foundation. The partnership was joined today by the Coalition of Black Investors—Investment Education Fund.

"The online workshop will broaden the reach of the ‘Investing for Success’ program to those who cannot otherwise attend a workshop. Now people can learn wherever and whenever they need information," said Institute Executive Vice President Julie Domenick. "We believe that this Internet-based workshop will serve as a valuable and constant resource for African-American investors to enhance their investment knowledge independently."

The online workshop features animated graphics and video clips of African American investors and finance professionals commenting on their own experiences. Participants will learn how to match financial goals to types of investments; assess their risk tolerance; and evaluate whether their investment expectations are realistic given their goals and risk tolerance. The multimedia presentation also covers the importance of realistic expectations and the benefits of long-term investing for financial goals such as a child’s college education or a secure retirement.

The searchable, self-paced workshop is organized in 10 self-contained units. Through the use of a navigation bar, participants can link to the beginning of any unit from anywhere in the workshop. Each unit includes an overview, an explanation of how participants will benefit from completing the section, a lesson with educational materials, and illustrations of specific examples. Units also contain links to additional online material, an interactive quiz and an action plan. Domenick said the web-based workshop would benefit anyone who wants to become familiar with basic principles of investing.

The Investing for Success partnership is designed to address an "investment knowledge gap" between African Americans and the U.S. population at large. One element of the program is a series of nationwide investor education workshops aimed at providing information to investors about building wealth while maintaining realistic expectations and encouraging long-term investment planning. Workshops have been held in various cities around the country and are receiving high ratings from participants.