Among the key findings, the survey shows that only one out of three Americans can correctly identify the definition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. At the same time, 34% of Americans still don't know how much money they will need for retirement.

"When it comes to fiscal literacy, numerous Americans fail at an alarming rate," said Tony Cook, Quicken.com managing editor. "It is apparent that most Americans do not have a handle on how to manage their money or deal with fundamental financial matters."

The Quicken poll examined Americans' knowledge in four areas: investing and retirement, taxes, fiscal education and how money influences peoples' lives.

Investing and Retirement
On the stock market front, the survey finds that most Americans do not know what comprises the Dow Jones Industrial Average-the average price of thirty actively traded stocks. In fact, over a third believe it to be the average price of all stocks trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Furthermore, while it may seem as if everyone is jumping on the stock market bandwagon, the Quicken survey reveals that only 39% of Americans have invested in stock in the past year.

When it comes to retirement planning, a large number of Americans could be in trouble. As many as 34% of people said they don't know how much money they will need to retire comfortably. When pressed to estimate this amount, numerous Americans come up with a figure somewhat lower than what would adequately meet their financial retirement needs.

Taxes
The survey also reveals that approximately two-thirds of Americans get money back from the IRS at tax time, indicating that workers are not taking advantage of the appropriate tax code allowances on their employment forms. "If workers are withholding more tax money than necessary from their paychecks, they could be missing out on interest it could be drawing for them between the time it enters government coffers and the time they get it back," Cook said.

And while most Americans can identify basic deductions, such as expenses related to a home office, mortgage interest and charitable donations, the survey results show that a majority (57%) do not know about other expenses that are tax deductible, such as those related to adoption.

Fiscal Education
Most Americans are self-educated when it comes to managing their money. In fact, 70% of the poll respondents said they learned to manage their finances on their own. When it comes to getting advice on finances, most people tend to seek help from non-professionals. In fact, 54% of Americans turn to friends or relatives. Around 46% of people obtain their information from newspapers, magazines or television, while only 26% rely on the Internet or computer software to give them financial feedback.

How Money Influences Peoples' Lives
Not surprisingly, 40% of those polled say money is the biggest cause of disagreements between spouses or significant others. One in seven (15%) say they feel financially related stress every day or almost everyday. Furthermore, money greatly influences peoples' perceptions of one another. A full 53% believe that money, or the appearance of having money, has a great deal of influence on peoples' judgement of others. This is especially true among young people-62% of those between the ages of 18-24 agree.

Methodology
The Quicken survey was conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide, which polled 1,015 American adults (508 males and 507 females) November 18-21, 1999. The overall margin of error is a maximum of +/- 3 percentage points. For a full copy of the survey, contact Mitchell Slepian at 212.213.7080 or mslepian@mslpr.com. Press Note: All references to this survey should be made to "Quicken Fiscal Literacy Survey."