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America Saves Week 2011, Feb. 20-27

[AGENCY] REMINDS INVESTORS TO INVESTIGATE BEFORE THEY INVEST

[DATELINE] –Sunday, Feb. 20 marked the start of America Saves Week, a seven-daycampaign to encourage Americans to save for a secure retirement. America Saves Week may spur investors to revisit their investment portfolios and consider new ways to put their savings to work for them. [AGENCY] urges investors to do their homework before they make any investment decisions.

“The first step toward becoming an informed investor is to contact your state securities regulator,” said [ADMINISTRATOR].“[AGENCY]can help you check out the licensing and background of anyone offering investment advice or selling investments and help you verify that an investment is properly registered for sale in [JURISDICTION].”

Contact [AGENCY] at [CONTACT INFORMATION].

[AGENCY] is a member of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), which provides free online investor education resources to help investors evaluate the risks of various investment opportunities and spot the red flags of fraud.

“NASAA’s Informed Investor Alerts series is a great place to get started on your way to savvy and safe investing,” [ADMINISTRATOR] said.The online series of brief alerts and advisories helps investors assess popular investment opportunities, such as:

  • Franchises [INSERT LINK TO CUSTOMIZED ALERT –OR- NASAA ALERT High unemployment rates may spur would-be entrepreneurs to consider taking their futures into their own hands by starting a small business. Investing in an established franchise can be an attractive path to becoming your own boss, but investors should be aware of the potential pitfalls. “Make sure you take steps to protect yourself should your venture not take off as planned,” [ADMINISTRATOR] said.
  • Gold-related Investments [INSERT LINK TO CUSTOMIZED ALERT –OR- NASAA ALERT “It is a myth to say that gold is a safe investment,” [ADMINISTRATOR] said. Gold is a commodity, and, like other commodities, its price can fluctuate dramatically. State securities regulators encourage investors to read up on the many ways to invest in gold and learn the facts about each option before deciding to invest.
  • Peer-to-Peer Lending [INSERT LINK TO CUSTOMIZED ALERT –OR- NASAA ALERT Acting as online loan “matchmakers”, peer-to-peer lending services allow individuals and small businesses to receive loans that would otherwise be difficult or costly to obtain from traditional banks, while investors fund such loans based on the promise of a capital return. “Keep in mind that there are several risks to take into account before getting involved,” [ADMINISTRATOR] said.

[AGENCY] is a proud partner of the Consumer Federation of America’s America Saves Week, which aims to promote personal savings and improve financial education. For more information on America Saves Week, visit

[AGENCY] marks America Saves Week by cautioning investors to “investigate before they invest” by contacting [AGENCY] for detailed information about their broker, adviser or investment product before they hand over any money.
For more information:
[AGENCY PRESS CONTACT]