FIVE STAR: 2008 Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Managers (SM) Announced

Atlanta, GA (October 3, 2008) - Matthew Lipscomb, William Mumpower, and Robert Sheats were recently named as 2008 FIVE STAR Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Managers. It is an honor to have them represent Ashford Advisors in this elite group of professionals. The individuals who receive this award are selected based on a rigorous research process and represent less than 3% of Wealth Managers in the Atlanta area.

In the October issue of Atlanta Magazine, the 2008 FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Managers (SM) are announced. Atlanta Magazine formed a partnership with Crescendo Business Services, an independent research firm, to identify the “best in client satisfaction” wealth managers serving the Atlanta area. In February 2008, Crescendo surveyed, by mail and phone 95,000 high-net-worth residents in the Atlanta area and subscribers of Atlanta Magazine. An additional 9,000 surveys were sent to leaders of financial service industry companies.
On the surveys, recipients were asked to select only wealth managers whom they knew through personal experience, and to evaluate them based upon nine criteria: customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, meeting of financial objectives, post-sale-service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction.

By March, stacks of surveys had arrived and Crescendo began carefully scoring each wealth manager. Both positive and negative evaluations were included in the scoring. Only wealth managers with five years of experience in the financial services industry were considered.

Next, each wealth manager was reviewed for regulatory actions, civil judicial actions and customer complaints as reported by FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and other regulatory agencies.

Then, before finalizing the list, wealth managers were reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel. The blue-ribbon panel was comprised of knowledgeable individuals from within the financial services industry. Although panelist comments were incorporated into the final score, safeguards were built into the review process to reduce the ability of panel members to influence the composition of the final list on the basis of company affiliation.

Only 376 of the top-scoring wealth managers made this year’s list. We hope this list serves as a referral network for the 368,000 readers of Atlanta Magazine. Is this list exhaustive? Of course not. There are undoubtedly many other excellent wealth managers who, for one reason or another, are not on this year’s list.

RESEARCH DECLARATIONS:
As with any research or recognition program, it is important that we provide you the following declarations:
The 2008 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers do not pay a fee to be included in the research or the final list of FIVE STAR Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Managers.
The overall evaluation score of a wealth manager reflects an average of all respondents and may not be representative of any one client’s evaluation.
The FIVE STAR Award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance.
Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their client’s assets.
The inclusion of a wealth manager on the FIVE STAR Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by Crescendo Business Services or Atlanta Magazine.
Working with a FIVE STAR Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by Crescendo in the future.
For more information on the FIVE STAR Award and the research/selection methodology, go to: www.fivestarprofessional.com/wmresearch.

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** Registered Representative and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), Two Ravinia Drive, Suite 750, Atlanta, GA 30346. Securities products/services and advisory services are offered through PAS, a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor, (770) 390-2600. Financial Representative, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. Ashford Advisors is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian.
PAS is a member FINRA, SIPC.

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