Free investing workshop offered in Kokomo
March 3, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University Kokomo’s School of Business will help host Indiana’s first “Protect Your Pockets” workshop on Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Johanning Civic Center. Open to the public, the free workshop will focus on investing basics, planning for retirement, avoiding fraud, and creating a personal budget.
“The School of Business and our SIFE students are pleased to partner with Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita’s office to bring this important workshop to our community,” said Dean Niranjan Pati, Ph.D. (SIFE is the Students In Free Enterprise organization.) “During ‘Protect Your Pockets,’ our students, faculty, staff, and area residents can learn financial survival skills to avoid the traps and pitfalls inherent to trial-and-error investing.” Interactive and hands-on, the sessions will present information that “can be put into practice right away,” Pati said.
“Protect Your Pockets” workshops are a component of the Indiana Investment Watch, a $1.8 million campaign to raise awareness of and thwart fraudulent investment sales pitches.
Rokita’s office selected Kokomo for the first “Protect Your Pockets” workshop due to the uncertain future of the community’s largely manufacturing-based economy, Pati noted. “In these tough times, people become easy prey to creditors. I applaud the state for recognizing our community’s immediate needs. The School of Business is happy to help out.”
In a state release, Rokita said that close to two-thirds of Indiana adults have little or no knowledge about investing and fraudulent schemes. “The first step in protecting yourself is to know the potential risks of investing. If we can achieve that, we may be able to prevent con artists from stealing Hoosiers’ hard-earned money.”
To register for the March 18 “Protect Your Pockets” workshop, visit http://www.sos.IN.gov or call toll-free at (800) 223-8791.
