To comply with changing international privacy requirements, ICI informs its visitors that we use cookies on our web site. ICI only uses cookies to allow subscribers and members to more easily use our site and to record site utilization. No personal or private information is gathered or stored. More details, including how to disable cookies, can be found on our privacy and cookie policy page. If you disable cookies, you will see this message on future visits to our site. Please click the enable button to consent to accepting cookies.
  • ICI Global
  • Independent Director's Council
Sign In  |  Forgot Password?
Advanced | Tips
  • Home
  • Policy Priorities
    • Fund Regulation
    • Retirement Security
    • Trading & Markets
    • Fund Governance
    • Taxes
    • ICI Comment Letters
  • Research & Statistics
    • Industry Research
    • Investor Research
    • Retirement Research
    • Statistics
  • Government Affairs
    • Financial Services
    • Retirement Security
    • Tax
    • Testimony
  • Industry Operations
    • Fund Accounting, Financial Reporting, and Valuation
    • Fund Distribution, Fund Clearance, and Settlement
    • Operations, Transfer Agent Servicing, and Recordkeeping
    • Portfolio Security Operations
    • Resource Centers
    • Technology, Business Continuity, and Information Security
  • News & Media
    • Media Contacts
    • News Releases
    • Blog: ICI Viewpoints
    • Speeches & Commentaries
    • Opinions & Responses
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Publications & Resources
    • Resource Centers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Fact Books
    • Research Publications
    • White Papers
    • Annual Reports
  • Events
    • ICI Events
    • ICI Global Events
    • IDC Events
    • Past Event Highlights
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Event Contacts
  • About ICI
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Leadership
    • Membership
    • Annual Reports
    • ICI Education Foundation
    • Business Continuity
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Media Contacts
    • ICI Media Contacts
    • ICI Global Media Contacts
    • IDC Media Contacts
    • Media Credential Guidelines
  • News Releases
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • Archive
  • Blog: ICI Viewpoints
  • Speeches & Commentaries
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • Archive
  • Opinions & Responses
    • ICI Opinions
    • ICI Letters to Editor and Responses
  • Videos
    • Explainer Videos
    • Focus on Funds
    • Video Interviews
    • Event Video
    • A Minute with ICI
  • Podcasts

Home News & Media Speeches & Commentaries

Print this page

Closing the Investor "Knowledge Gap"

by Julie Domenick
Executive Vice President, Investment Company Institute

Successful investors are informed investors.

While technology has made it easier for individuals to gather information about their investments, experts remind investors that it is important to remember that information is not necessarily knowledge. And knowledge is the key to making informed investment decisions.

Current research indicates that despite some success, financial education needs are not being fully met among certain sectors of the population, specifically within the African-American community. A study conducted by Ariel Capital Management and Charles Schwab & Co. Inc., for example, found that a significant "knowledge gap" exists among middle-income Americans about the benefits of long-term investing.

While investor awareness among African-Americans has increased, the African-American community still appears to direct a smaller portion of its income to long-term investments than other ethnic groups with similar incomes. The reason? A lack of knowledge about the benefits of long-term investing.

To address this "knowledge gap," the Investment Company Institute Education Foundation and the National Urban League have joined forces to launch an extensive national investor education campaign—"Investing For Success"—aimed at promoting greater awareness about the benefits of long-term investing for middle-income Americans.

In response to the announcement Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt commended the ICI Education Foundation and the National Urban League for "jointly providing investors with easily accessible and useful information about investing."

The principal goal of the educational campaign is to inspire individuals to become more knowledgeable about investing for retirement and to take advantage of opportunities to accumulate wealth and to establish and reach economic self-sufficiency goals while maintaining realistic expectations about the markets.

This partnership will develop pilot "Investing for Success" programs throughout the nation. In addition to personal finance seminars, educational materials will include a series of investor awareness brochures and a video on an array of personal finance topics.


top
  • About ICI
  • About IDC
  • About ICI Global
  • Privacy and Cookie Policy
  • Apply for User Account
  • Business Continuity
  • Contact ICI

Copyright © 2021 by the Investment Company Institute