America's Financial Consumer Advocate: Live!

Barbara Roper is director of investor protection for the Consumer

Federation of America, where she has been employed since

1986. CFA is an alliance of approximately 300 pro-consumer

organizations, which in turn represent more than 50 million

individual consumers.

A leading consumer spokesperson on investor protection issues,

Roper has conducted studies of abuses in the financial planning

industry, state oversight of investment advisers, state and federal

financial planning regulation, financial planning software,

financial education needs of low income older persons, the need for audit reform in the wake of the Enron scandal, the need for mutual fund reform in the wake of trading and sales abuse scandals,the information preferences of mutual fund shareholders, systemic risk regulation, and securities law weaknesses as a cause of the financial crisis.

She has testified frequently before Congress and has supported federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives on a broad range of investor protection issues.