Inside E Street
Where to Watch Inside E Street
Guests
William D. Lutz
As an expert on plain language, Dr. Lutz has worked with numerous corporations and government agencies and is a consultant on plain language to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Lutz has published several books on plain language and was the editor of the Quarterly Review of Doublespeak for 14 years. He is a Professor of English at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey.
Mary L. Schapiro
Mary L. Schapiro is CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business with the U.S. public. She also serves as Chairman of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, the largest foundation in the U.S. dedicated to investor education. Ms. Schapiro served for six years as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jonathan Pond
Jonathan has been a pioneer in bringing low-cost, personalized money guidance to American households. In addition to authoring several books, Mr. Pond has created 16 prime time public television specials.
Resources
- The FINRA Investor Education Foundation helps provide investors with the tools and information they need to understand the basic principles of investing
- Find out if an investment is registered with the SEC
- The SEC’s list of Unregistered Soliciting Entities
- Review the Plain Language Handbook: (pdf download. Read with free Adobe Acrobat)
- The government’s Plain Language website
Additional links
- Save and Invest – a FINRA project
- AARP Poll – 50% of people 40+ failed financial literacy quiz. (pdf download. Read with free Adobe Acrobat)
- Are you plain enough? Calculate how straightforward your writing really is with this online tool
- How to speak plainly (from BusinessWeek)
- Check out the background of your broker:
- House of Representatives Plain Language Bill
- Senate Plain Language Bill
Inside E Street Archives
Power of Language
Confusing financial jargon can lead to poor investments and bad decisions. It’s not just tiny type that resides in the fine print, sometimes it’s the most important part of a contract or agreement. We’re joined by three financial experts for a look at a movement toward simple, accurate, and precise financial language.
segments
Just Say It!
William Lutz, a consultant to the Securities and Exchange Commission, discusses the need for and possible challenges of using plain language when it comes to finances.
Becoming Financially Literate
Financial literacy is about understanding concepts as well as terms. Mary Schapiro of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority tells us what we should know about investing.
Knowledge is Power
When it comes to fraud, knowledge is power. Mary Schapiro joins us again to warn about scam artists and their tricks, and we hear real life stories.
Play it Safe
Chances are if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Jonathan Pond, a financial advisor, tells us that “Happiness is a boring portfolio.”
The Host
Through most of her distinguished reporting career, Sheilah Kast has focused on the economy and workplace and how they affect people's lives. Well known to viewers of public television, ABC News, and CNN, she has covered the White House and Congress.
Kast also reported on the Washington aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Her stories included an investigation of anthrax in the mails and the struggles of bereaved Pentagon families to secure benefits.
At The Washington Star, in her first reporting job, Kast covered financial regulation, taxes, and energy. Her expertise in these important issues eventually led her to start a national public-television show, "This Week in Business," which she hosted in association with Business Week magazine.
Ms. Kast is a skilled interviewer. She has often hosted NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and has her own current-affairs interview show on public radio in Maryland.
Contact Us
Inside E Street - AARP
Techworld Station
PO Box 50239
Washington, DC 20091-9998
E-mail: estreet@aarp.org
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