November 18, 2002

Nationwide Retirement Solutions, a subsidiary of Nationwide Financial (NYSE: NFS), is launching a new educational Webcast today for its 1.5 million public sector retirement plan participants. With the bear market continuing to affect investment performance, Nationwide's Webcast is designed to educate participants about investment goals and the tools available to help them ensure they have diversified the investment options available within their retirement plans.

The Webcast focuses on the Morningstar¨ ClearFuture¨ investment-planning and educational service, which Nationwide made available to its 1.5 million public sector retirement plan participants in June. It marked the first time hundreds of thousands of public sector employees throughout the country received immediate access to integrated retirement planning tools.

"It is critical, now more than ever, that investors not only be aware of resources like ClearFuture, but that they also feel capable and confident in their own retirement planning," said Karen Eisenbach, Senior Vice President of marketing and education for Nationwide. "We believe education is the key. We're teaching our participants about the value of careful planning and appropriate allocation, and empowering them with the means to feel involved and in control of their own plans."

The Webcast is available today through mid-January to Nationwide's public sector participants on www.nrsforu.com. It guides participants step-by-step through Morningstar¨ ClearFuture's¨ education and guidance tools. This program is a sophisticated, yet easy-to-understand retirement planning service. ClearFuture is offered through Morningstar Associates, LLC, a leading provider of online investment advice and education.

The Webcast also uses a professional trainer, graphic presentation and checklist to help investors address the questions: "How much should I be saving for retirement?" and "Do I need to change where my money is invested (allocation) to help get on or stay on target?"

"At Nationwide, we are going the extra step to support our plan sponsors by providing real help to participants in dealing with today's market conditions," Eisenbach said. "We're committed to doing everything we can to make sure participants get the education they need to invest wisely within their retirement programs."