EXHIBIT 99.2

                                    STILWELL
                                 FINANCIAL INC.

920 Main Street, 21st Floor
Kansas City, Missouri  64105

                                                             NYSE Symbol:  SV
                                                          Release No. 2001-12

April 24, 2001

                                                       For Immediate Release

                                 {News Release}
                        STILWELL FINANCIAL INC. ANNOUNCES
                      ZERO-COUPON CONVERTIBLE DEBT OFFERING

                                    (Page 12)


Kansas City, Missouri

     Stilwell Financial Inc.  ("Stilwell" or the "Company") today announced that
it has commenced a zero-coupon  convertible  debt offering.  Under the offering,
the debt  securities  will be  convertible  into  shares of common  stock if the
market price of the shares reaches specified thresholds. It is expected that the
debt will not be callable  prior to April 30, 2006, and will mature in 30 years,
although the holders will be able to require  Stilwell to repurchase the debt on
several  occasions.  The debt  securities  will be offered with  original  issue
discount with anticipated gross proceeds of approximately $600 million. Stilwell
will use the proceeds of the offering, together with available cash, to purchase
600,000 shares of common stock of Janus Capital  Corporation that are being sold
to Stilwell by Mr. Thomas H. Bailey.

     This notice does not constitute an offer to sell or the  solicitation of an
offer  to  buy  securities.  The  offering  is  being  made  only  to  qualified
institutional  buyers.  The debt  securities and shares of common stock issuable
upon conversion of the debt securities have not been registered under the United
States or state  securities  laws and may not be  offered  or sold in the United
States absent  registration  or an applicable  exemption  from the  registration
requirements.


                               * * * * * * * * * *

This press  release  includes  statements  concerning  potential  future  events
involving  the  Company,  which  could  materially  differ  from the events that
actually occur. The differences could be caused by a number of factors including
those factors identified in Stilwell's  Registration  Statement on Form 10 dated
June 15,  2000 and  Stilwell's  Annual  Report on Form  10-K for the year  ended
December  31, 2000,  both on file with the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission
(Commission file no. 001-15253). The Company will not update any forward-looking
statements  in this  press  release to reflect  future  events or  developments.

                             ............. The End