Investools Launches CNBC Plus on Top-Rated thinkorswim Brokerage Platform; Investools 'SWIM' Secures First Retail License for CNBC Plus Providing Brokerage Customers Access to Live Streaming, Commercial-Free CNBC Video and Searchable Video-on-Demand Clips
26 September 2007

NEW YORK and CHICAGO, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Investools Inc. (Nasdaq: SWIM), a leading provider of online brokerage technology and investor education services, announced today that it has become the first retail brokerage licensee of CNBC Plus, CNBC's commercial-free streaming video content and video-on-demand. Investools' industry-leading and award winning online brokerage unit, thinkorswim, will allow self-directed investors worldwide to view CNBC for real-time, actionable news and analysis, while trading on a single screen and without additional end-user cost.

"Investools is excited to be the exclusive retail launch partner of CNBC to bring the highest quality global financial video news and analysis to our clients," said Lee K. Barba, Investools' Chairman and CEO. "We are passionate in pushing powerful technology to self-directed traders and now all thinkorswim users will have streaming commercial-free and cost-free CNBC live and searchable video-on-demand archives, directly on their thinkorswim software-based trading platform."

Fully integrated on the thinkorswim platform, the CNBC Plus video-on- demand archive currently includes 48,000 video segments with 150 new clips added each weekday from all of the CNBC networks. Advanced search functions allow users to view videos according to ticker, CEO, analyst, sector, region, show, date, and time. Customers will be educated on how to best utilize the new CNBC offering.

"CNBC provides business news that is fast, accurate, actionable and unbiased on air and online," said Mark Hoffman, President, CNBC. "With this agreement, CNBC equips thinkorswim customers with breaking financial news, market insight, and in-depth analysis, enabling them to make more educated trades."

XML and Media RSS, technology used for syndicating video, image and audio files, will have feeds from CNBC and will be accessed by thinkorswim customers through video links, thumbnails and metadata available on the thinkorswim platform.

"Because thinkorswim technology focuses on creatively applying cutting- edge audio, video and screen capture technology to our trading platforms, we are transforming the way retail traders react to breaking news. Integrated with real-time analytics and multiple charting platforms, our self directed customers can now access more powerful technology than most institutional trade desks but without any of the costs," noted Lee Barba. "This agreement with CNBC cements our position as the industry's technology leader and integrated content innovator."

Editor's Note: To view image of CNBC Plus on the thinkorswim platform, visit http://mediaserver.thinkorswim.com/marketing/cnbcScreenshot.jpg and click on the image.

About CNBC

CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news, providing real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 390 million homes worldwide, including more than 95 million households in the United States and Canada. The network's Business Day programming (weekdays from 5:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and also includes reports from CNBC news bureaus worldwide. Additionally, CNBC viewers can manage their individual investment portfolios and gain additional in-depth information from on-air reports by accessing www.cnbc.com.

Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://nbcumv.com/cnbc/

About Investools (Nasdaq: SWIM)

Investools Inc. offers market-leading investor education and brokerage and related financial products and services for self-directed investors. Investools Education Group offers a full range of investor education products and services that provide lifelong learning in a variety of interactive delivery formats, including instructor-led synchronous and asynchronous online courses, in-person workshops, one-to-one and one-to-many online coaching programs and telephone, live-chat and email support. thinkorswim Inc., Investools' financial technology pioneer and industry-leading online brokerage firm, is focused on providing services to self-directed options traders and active traders. thinkorswim offers customers a broad range of products including equity securities, fixed income, index products, options, futures, other derivatives and foreign exchange. thinkorswim provides unique front end trading platforms that allow its customers to trade electronically and provides sophisticated trading tools and analytics, including tools for implementing complex, multi-leg options strategies. The products and services offered by Investools Inc. have received numerous accolades from third parties including thinkorswim's ranking by Barron's as its top rated software-based online broker and best for options traders (2006 & 2007), and Prophet's top Barron's ranking for best technical analysis tools (2006).