(Washington, DC) The Government of the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) and the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) today co-hosted the Investor Education @ your library® program before a wide cross section of District residents at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. DCPL was chosen as one of 20 libraries to participate in this national education initiative sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Investor Protection Trust (IPT).

As part of the program, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library received a grant to host the free, non-commercial seminar and to enhance its collection on investor education. The Colorado-based Evelyn Brust Financial Research and Education Foundation developed and conducted the seminar. It was followed by optional, one-on-one counseling sessions with participants. The library also received a variety of customized materials developed by ALA, IPT and Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Included were seven booklets that focus on topics ranging from stocks and bonds, to planning for retirement. In addition, the Library received a DVD set of IPT's national "MoneyTrack" program, a 13-part public television series devoted to helping consumers learn how to invest successfully and get control of their personal finances.

"Investor education is key to helping District residents make the best decisions about their finances," said Francis J. Buckley Jr., interim library director of the District of Columbia Public Library. "Now residents can connect with investor education resources here at the Library."

Investor Education @ your library responds to the need for more investor education. According to the Investor Protection Trust (IPT)/Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) Investor Survival Skills Survey (December 2005), the vast majority of American investors do not possess important "investor survival skills" needed to build their savings into a retirement nest egg. Only 17 percent of respondents correctly answered a sufficient number of questions on knowledge and behavior to pass this test.

"Investor Education @ your library will equip both new and experienced investors with the intellectual armor they need to invest wisely and avoid investment scams," said Don Blandin, IPT's president and CEO. "America's public libraries are trusted resources well positioned to provide quality investor education information."