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At 645, the March 2007 Nest Egg Score�released today by A.G. Edwards (NYSE:AGE)�increased eight points since December 2006 and shows that opportunities for building personal wealth are the best since this time last year. Despite this positive wealth-building environment, the A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score Survey found that 31 percent of U.S. adults have not done anything within the past 12 months toward building their personal savings, even though 67 percent of adults believe personal choices have a greater impact on their ability to build personal savings. One-third of adults (33 percent) believe external factors such as the economy have a greater influence on their ability to build personal savings. �The Nest Egg Score�s improvement this quarter is partially driven by continued low unemployment and moderate inflation due primarily to declining energy prices," said Gary Thayer, A.G. Edwards� chief economist. �While these economic factors contribute to an improved environment for building savings, it is also important for people to understand that personal choices are just as important�if not more so. It is vital for Americans to take�advantage of this favorable economic climate and take positive steps toward boosting their savings�even if it is as simple as putting aside�a portion of their tax refund or increasing participation in a retirement plan.� The A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score is a proprietary analysis of 12 factors that influence the ability of adults to build wealth, and it includes such government measures as the savings rate, wealth-to-income ratio, the cost of living and the home equity rate, along with proprietary research that evaluates Americans� saving and investing behaviors. Quarterly data for each factor is evaluated and scored on the following scale: 450 to 549�poor; 550 to 649�fair; 650 to 749�good; and 750 to 850�excellent. According to data used to calculate the March 2007 A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score, several factors contributed to the increase: The wealth-to-income ratio rose to its highest level during a five-year comparison period. A cost of living decline also helped boost the Nest Egg Score. The unemployment rate remained at a five-year low. To gain insight into the savings and investing behaviors of Americans, A.G. Edwards commissioned the March 2007 Nest Egg Score Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive�. The survey was conducted during the week of February 12, 2007 among a sample of 2,405 U.S. adults age 18 and over. The $75,000 Question The A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score Survey indicated a relationship between household income and a likelihood to actively take steps toward building personal savings. Seven out of 10 adults with a household income of $75,000 a year or more (70 percent), reported having taken steps to build their personal savings within the past 12 months. They were more likely to have opened a savings and/or investment account, as well as more likely to have met with a financial advisor and/or decided against making a discretionary purchase than their counterparts earning less than $35,000 a year. The following table offers a comparison of saving, investing and spending behaviors across four different annual household income levels: Saving and Investing Action (within the past 12 months) � $75,000+ annual household income � $50,000-$74,999 annual household income � $35,000-$49,999 annual household income � Less than $35,000 annual household income Took any step to build personal savings � 70 percent � 68 percent � 62 percent � 51 percent Decided against making a discretionary purchase � 28 percent � 27 percent � 23 percent � 14 percent Opened a savings or investment account � 19 percent � 12 percent � 16 percent � 11 percent Met with a financial advisor � 14 percent � 11 percent � 8 percent � 4 percent (a) Percentages may not total 100 percent due to weighting, rounding, and/or the acceptance of multiple responses. �Taking an active role in securing your financial future is imperative,� said A.G. Edwards Financial Planning Specialist Sophie Beckmann. �While opening a savings account and reducing debt are good first steps, investors should also consider boosting contributions to their retirement plan and meeting with a financial advisor.� Boomers Perceived As Best At Saving The A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score Survey also examined generational attitudes regarding influences on people�s ability to increase personal savings. For the purpose of the study, generations were defined as �Mature Adults� born before 1946, �Baby Boomers� born between 1946 and 1964, �Gen X� born between 1965 and 1978 and �Gen Y� born in 1979 and after. When asked which generation of adults is best able to build personal savings, 26 percent of all adults said Baby Boomers, followed by 19 percent who selected Mature Adults. When asked why they think Baby Boomers are best able to build personal savings, here�s what all U.S. adults said: 42 percent attributed Boomers� saving success to higher salaries. 31 percent said Boomers are more educated about personal finance management. 30 percent said Boomers have more retirement support through employer- and government-sponsored programs. 29 percent identified Boomers as more fiscally conservative than other generations. 24 percent said Boomers have access to a wider variety of savings and investment vehicles. Saving At Every Stage Of Life The March Nest Egg Score Survey also suggests that good savings and investing habits seem to kick in when someone lands that all-important first job as an adult. In fact, of adults who have personal savings, more than one-third (35 percent) cited employment-related events�such as their first job (20 percent) or a change in employment such as a promotion or new job (16 percent)�as the primary factors that prompted their decision to start building savings. Other milestones noted: 24 percent of adults were inspired to start building personal savings due to marriage, separation, divorce or getting engaged. 23 percent of adults were encouraged by their parents to start saving, but only 57 percent of all adults reported having any type of personal savings. �People are at a significant advantage the earlier they start building their nest eggs,� said Beckmann. �As our research suggests, some older adults may have waited until they secured their first job or got married before they started thinking about building their personal savings, but if these same adults encourage kids to start saving early, children will be in a much better position in the long run.� Beckmann points out that if a 25-year-old invested $50 per month into a tax-deferred account, by the time he or she turns 65, the account would be worth more than $175,000, assuming an 8 percent annual rate of return. If they started saving the same amount at age 15, assuming the same 8 percent rate of return, the account would be worth $400,000 at 65.(b) (b) Example is for illustrative purposes only and does not reflect the performance of any specific investment. What�s Your Score? Visit Nesteggscore.com To help people determine their personal Nest Egg Score, A.G. Edwards offers the Nest Egg Score Estimator. The Nest Egg Score Estimator asks a variety of questions including length of employment at current job, annual household income, investment preferences, risk tolerance, home equity and discretionary spending habits. It also takes into consideration age, marital status and where someone lives. To find out how your savings and investing habits rate in relation to the rest of the country, please visit nesteggscore.com. About the Nest Egg Score The A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score is a single, quarterly, three-digit numerical rating that represents a measure of the relative strength or weakness of Americans� wealth-building performance, similar to the scoring systems used to evaluate creditworthiness. A high Nest Egg Score indicates that households are having more success in building their nest eggs or that economic conditions are favorable for saving and investing. Conversely, a low score means that households are not taking advantage of opportunities to build their nest eggs or that economic conditions are not conducive to wealth accumulation. To create the Nest Egg Score, A.G. Edwards takes into account 12 statistical factors gathered from federal government data and proprietary research conducted for A.G. Edwards by Harris Interactive� that pertain to building wealth. Quarterly data for each factor is evaluated and scored on the following scale: 450 to 549�poor; 550 to 649�fair; 650 to 749�good; and 750 to 850�excellent. The 12 individual factors are then combined and weighted to determine the A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score. For further information on the A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Score, go to nesteggscore.com. Nest Egg Score Survey Methodology The five quarterly Nest Egg Score surveys were conducted online by Harris Interactive� on behalf of A.G. Edwards among a nationwide sample of U.S. adults aged 18 and over within the United States as follows: between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, 2007 among 2,405 adults; between Nov. 17 and Nov. 21, 2006 among 2,323 adults; between Aug. 23 and Aug. 25, 2006 among 2,295 adults; between May 23 and May 25, 2006 among 2,197 adults; and between March 14 and March 16, 2006 among 2,182 adults. Figures for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents� propensity to be online. With a pure probability sample of these sizes one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be higher and may vary. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Harris Interactive� is responsible for fielding the online surveys on behalf of A.G. Edwards. A.G. Edwards is responsible for the compilation of data from other sources and for computing the Nest Egg Score and the results reported. About A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Drawn to the firm�s client-first philosophy, individuals and businesses have turned to A.G. Edwards for sound advice and access to a wide array of investment products and services that can help them meet their financial goals and objectives. Founded in 1887, A.G. Edwards and its affiliates employ nearly 6,700 financial consultants in more than 740 offices nationwide and two European locations in London and Geneva. More information can be found on agedwards.com. How A.G. Edwards Does Business A.G. Edwards generally acts as a broker-dealer but may act as an investment advisor on designated accounts, and the firm�s obligations will vary with the role it plays. When working with clients, the firm generally acts as a broker-dealer unless specifically indicated in writing. To better understand the differences between brokerage and advisory services, please consult �Important Information About Your Relationship With A.G. Edwards� on agedwards.com/disclosures. About Harris Interactive� Harris Interactive� is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive� is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world�s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive� may be obtained at harrisinteractive.com.