PRESS RELEASE
Motley Fool UK And Boxtree Sign New Two Book Deal

March 20, 2002

Building on its history of best-selling books on money and investing, The Motley Fool UK, the popular multimedia personal finance education company, has signed a new two-book deal with Boxtree, a division of Pan Macmillan. Each of the books will further The Motley Fool's mission -- to help people take control of their money and to make better financial decisions.

The first book, The Motley Fool Tax Return Survival Workbook, written by James Carlisle and due to be published in the spring, will cover all aspects of the dreaded tax return. As well as helping readers negotiate their tax returns and providing helpful tax saving hints, the book will walk people through an annual health check of their personal finances. The interactive workbook will be written in the Motley Fool's usual easy-to-read style with the aim of encouraging people to keep on top of their finances and perhaps even to enjoy filling in their tax return!

In late summer, the Motley Fool UK will publish a book specifically aimed at the female audience. In a world generally run by men for men, A Girl's Best Friend Is Her Money will lift the lid on key issues which affect a woman's ability to be financially independent. These include earning less than men, giving up careers to care for children and outliving their male partners. Motley Fool writer Jane Mack and Jasmine Birtles, author of The Little Book Of Excuses, will write the book.

"Through their best selling books, The Motley Fool has helped to educate thousands on the basics of saving money and securing a brighter financial future for themselves and their loved ones," said Gordon Wise, publishing guru at Boxtree.  "With these new titles, and in their unique and humorous way, The Motley Fool will again demystify the often overly complicated world of finance. He went on to say "We are immensely pleased to be continuing our Motley Fool publishing programme with this excellent line-up of new books. The Motley Fool have guided hundreds of thousands of investors towards self-reliance, and built a wide and dedicated following with their award-winning website and best-selling books. There are many investors out there who I'm sure will be cheered to know there is more help on the way."

"Now more than ever people are looking for financial help," said Bruce Jackson, co-founder and Managing Director of The Motley Fool UK.  "For many people, filling out their tax return is about as pleasant an experience as having your teeth pulled by a third rate dentist. The Motley Fool Tax Return Survival Workbook will alleviate your pain. The Motley Fool helps people take control of their money and make better financial decisions, and Boxtree is one of our long-standing associates in that pursuit."

"Men are, of course, absolutely wonderful but divorce rates are rising, births are falling and we're living longer than them," said co-author of A Girl's Best Friend Is Her Money, Jane Mack. "Frankly, the chances of us having much in the way of a family support network, let alone a husband to support us in retirement, are getting slimmer all the time. And, as someone who plans to whoop it up in my old age, I intend to ensure I've got the independent means to do it!"

Since 1998, The Motley Fool UK and Boxtree have produced eight books, including the best-selling Motley Fool UK Investment Guide. Over 300,000 copies have been sold.

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Contact Information

The Motley Fool UK
Bruce Jackson
BruceJ@Fool.co.uk
020 7663 3665

Boxtree
Gordon Wise
G.Wise@macmillan.co.uk
020 7014 6000

Midas Public Relations
Sarah Thornton
saraht@midaspr.co.uk
020 7584 7474

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Motley Fool

The Motley Fool's mission is to tell people the truth about finance, helping them take control of their money and make better financial decisions.

Launched in 1997, www.fool.co.uk enjoys a growing number of page views – over 17 million in February 2002 – and visitors each month (more than 250,000).  The site has previously been awarded:

1999 New Media Age Effectiveness Award for Best Personal Finance site
1999 Creative Freedom Award for Best web site
2000 Net Magazine Award for Best finance site
2000 Investor's Week Award for Best Bulletin Boards
2001 Net Magazine Award for Best finance site
2001 Investor's Week People's Choice Award

Motley Fool pundits appear often on BBC One, Radio Five Live and BBC World Service and write regular columns for a range of publications including Bloomberg Money and Cosmopolitan. The Motley Fool has published eight books in the UK, of which the UK Investment Guide was a Sunday Times business books and Amazon UK bestseller.

About Boxtree

Boxtree is Pan Macmillan's licensed properties and tie-in division, which works with a variety of strategic brand-leading partners who range from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's producer, Celador, to James Bond producers, Eon Productions, as well as Universal Studios, Warner Bros., the BBC, ITV and Purple Ronnie creator, Giles Andreae.

A pre-eminent media publishing company for over ten years, it now works within the family of Pan Macmillan imprints to maximize an individual property's potential.

Boxtree's association with the Motley Fool, dating from 1998, marked the extension of its tie-in publishing philosophy to the remarkable world of the Worldwide Web, and has proved a perfect marriage of online business with traditional bricks and mortar.