News Release

GuidedChoice names key choice for business development team
401(k) investment advice leaders tap Tom Condron to head sales and partnership efforts

La Jolla, CA, May 2, 2005 — GuidedChoice, the industry pioneer in providing personalized managed accounts for retirement plans, has announced the addition of financial services veteran Tom Condron to lead their business development team. Condron comes to GuidedChoice from ING Financial Advisors with extensive experience creating relationships with clients and partner companies, and expects to build on their sales momentum during a period of rapid growth.

The move is a natural fit for Condron, who is an experienced financial advisor and planner as well as a financial services executive. “I have been following this company since its early stages, and have been impressed with how smart and effective their solution is.” explains Condron. “For many years I’ve been passionate about using technology to create extraordinary financial planning solutions for ordinary people. GuidedChoice does it best, and I’m thrilled about being part of their team.”

Financial expertise for every 401(k) investor
Condron will head the company’s sales organization to promote GuidedSavings, their innovative advice and managed-account services offering for investors in 401(k) and similar retirement plans. GuidedChoice serves plan participants both through the employers who sponsor their retirement plans, and through partnerships with plan providers, record keepers, and other intermediaries.

According to Condron, “It’s a great value proposition. Virtually every employer wants to help their employees retire comfortably, protect themselves from potential liability, and do it cost-effectively. I feel that any decision-maker who’s responsible for retirement plans has a responsibility to consider GuidedChoice. I’m very excited to continue spreading that message.”

Besides his enthusiasm for the GuidedChoice vision and his strong business development background, Condron’s financial knowledge complements the real-world expertise that is the key to their success. “We consider ourselves the experts in this space,” says Sherrie Grabot, GuidedChoice’s CEO. “From Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz on down, our people share a level of expertise in financial analysis, financial planning, software development, and HR services that’s unmatched in our industry. Tom’s experience as a financial planner, investment advisor, and his past experience with online advice makes him a unique addition to the team.”

The industry’s best-kept secret?
Despite GuidedChoice’s success – their solutions now serve over 2.5 million plan participants representing about $2.1 billion in plan assets – Condron says that, “in a way, they’re still the best-kept secret in the industry. Dr. Markowitz and Sherrie Grabot have created an amazing tool that can help virtually anyone build retirement security, but they can be too humble about how smart this solution is. I’m going to share how effective our solutions are with anyone who will listen. I want to wake up this business.”

Condron brings a strong, diverse financial services background to his work with GuidedChoice. Besides ING, he has held positions with Client Conservation Consulting, Ford Financial Group, Aetna Financial Services, and Aetna US Healthcare. He also has hands-on experience with the early development of automated financial advice, through his leadership role with the early DirectAdvice. “This is what I’ve wanted to do for years. It’s the right role at the right time, and we’re all looking forward to some great successes in the near future.”