How to evaluate possible financial advisors

Radio Transcript, 3 minutes 5 seconds, for use during week of May 12.

Description: Penny, Susan, and Ira talk about useful websites for finding investment information

Announcer: Invest Wisely comes to you from Iowa State University Extension through a grant from the Investor Protection Trust, providing investor education on the web at: investorprotection.org.

Susan: Penny, we talked about how to find information on investing online.  You mentioned that you had other sites that you use regularly that Ira and I might find helpful  as well.

Penny: Another site that I find useful is the Securities and Exchange Commission website.  That's www.sec.gov, the government agency that oversees and regulates the securities markets in the U.S.

Ira: Would there be information at the SEC site on investing wisely?

Penny: Yes.  As an example, the  website has a mutual fund cost calculator that can help you compare the costs of different mutual funds and understand the impact of those fees and expenses over time.

Susan: That would be very helpful.  I'm currently looking at several different mutual funds and would really appreciate a way to evaluate the costs.

Penny: Another site you might be interested in is the Iowa Insurance Division's Invest smart site.  That's www.investsmartiowa.gov.  You'll find consumer alerts and educational resources that can help you make investment decisions.

Ira: We've gone to the Iowa State University Extension site at www.extension.iastate.edu and checked out Invest Wisely.  Is there other information ISU Extension's site that might be useful?

Penny: Yes.  If you go to www.extension.iastate.edu/finances you'll find unbiased, research-based information and education to help Iowans make better investment decisions.

Susan: Great!  I'll definitely check that out.

Penny: You also might be interested in www.mymoney.gov, the federal government's website, which serves as a one-stop shop for federal financial literacy and education programs and information.

Ira: I'm writing all this down and I'll be sure to check out these sites.  There's so much good information out there, it'll take me awhile to sort through it all.

Penny: One other site to add to your list is eXtension. [where the leading 'e' is pronounced separately: ee ik-sten-shuhn]    That's www.extension.org, a new educational partnership of more than 70 land-grant universities.  eXtension gives you access to the best educational materials developed by Extension all across the country. You can learn about retirement, investing, organizing records and estate planning.

Susan: The web really gives us access to lots of information, but it's difficult sometimes to sort out what's accurate and unbiased.  These sites are really going to help.  Thank you.

Penny:  You're welcome.  And remember for more information be sure to visit the Iowa State University Extension webpage at extension.iastate.edu and look for 'Invest Wisely'