FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2000-21
                                                   Press Contact:
                                    John J. Nester (202) 942-7083
                                                                 
 SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt To Conduct Investors Town Meeting in
                            St. Louis
                                
Free program will offer area residents practical tips for saving
                          and investing

     Washington, DC, March 2, 2000 -- The U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission invites St. Louis area residents to attend an
Investors Town Meeting at the Westport Playhouse on Thursday,
March 23, 2000.  The free program will give everyday investors an
opportunity to hear from government and industry experts about
how to invest wisely and achieve financial security.

     SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt will offer practical investing
tips and answer audience questions during a general session that
will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Levitt will be joined by Missouri
Secretary of State Rebecca McDowell Cook, who oversees securities
regulation statewide.

     "We have more investors and ways to invest than ever before,
creating new opportunities for American families.  But investing
in the stock market will always entail risk," Levitt said.  "The
more you know about investments and how they're sold, the more
likely you will achieve financial security."

     The Investors Town Meeting will take place at the Westport
Playhouse, 600 West Port Plaza, from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.  A series
of one-hour educational seminars on stocks, bonds, mutual funds,
and other investing topics will be offered at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

     Admission is free, but reservations are recommended because
seating is limited.  To reserve a seat, call 1-877-399-4064, or
send an e-mail to rsvp@sec.gov.  Anyone who needs auxiliary aids
to attend the town meeting, such as a sign language interpreter,
should request them at the time of reservation.

     The town meeting will be the 36th of a national series
launched by the SEC in 1994 to promote public understanding of
the securities markets and awareness of the risks and rewards of
investing.
                                
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