CfHU/nd~UHu ~eing Named a

2009 FIVE STAR Wealth Manager

MARCIANO WEALTH ADVISORS

MARCIANO WEALTH ADVISORS

Boutique, Fee-Based Wealth Advisory Services for Discerning Clients

Comprehensive wealth advisory services

• Fee-based investment, retirement and financial planning

• Estate and legacy planning

Joseph A. Marciano, CFp, CFS

Michael E. Marciano, CFp, CLU, ChFC

With its roots dating back to the 1950's, Marciano Wealth Advisors trusted advisors in an effort to create a thoughtful and cohesive strategy that diligently serves the complicated needs of their discerning clientele is considerate of all aspects of their clients' planning goals.

in an unbiased, fee-based setting. To foster these relationships, the principals of the firm rely upon a regimen The firm's foundation is built upon its commitment to educating and of regular reporting and frequent contact with their clients and by stressing

empowering its clientele, in developing lasting relationsh.ips, and in providing the old-fashioned art of"listening:' tremendous value in an economical fashion. Marciano Wealth Advisors welcomes your call and encourages you to visit

The firm never loses sight of the tremendous trust wh.ich their clients place their website at www.MarcianoWeaJthAdvisors.com. in them, and considers it a privilege to work in concert with their clients'

Marciano Wealth Advisors 357 S. Gulph Road, Suite 230 • King of Prussia, PA 19406

Phone: (610) 992-4100

www.MarcianoWealthAdvisors.com

Securities offered through: Cambridge In\'~stment Research, Inc" a Broker/Dealer, Member FlNRAJSIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through: Cambridge Investment Rese.arch Ad\'isors~, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.

Marciano Wealth Advisors and Cambridge are non-affiliated entities.

'@Cop)'right Crescendo Busjne~!\ Ser\'icc-~

As seen in the November 2009 issue of

• For more information on the FIVE STAR Award and

the re'earch/selection methodology, go to: fivestarprofessional.com/wmresearch.

RESEARCH DECLARATIONS:

· The overall evaluation score of a wealth manager

rdI.as an average of aU ""ponden" and may nnt be repr~ntativc of anyone client's cvdluation.

• The 2009 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers do nol pay a f.. 10 be included in the ......rch or the final list of

FIVE STAR Wealth Managers.

• The inclusion nf a wealth man.ger on the FIVE STAR

We.llh Man..ger list <hould not be conslnled a:;

endor"'ment of the we.uth manager by C...scendo Business Services or Philadrlphia Magazine,

• Working with a FIVE STAR Wealth Manage'!' or any wealth l11anager is no guarantee as to future

im'e.'ilment success nor is there any guarantee that Ihe ,dected wealth managers will be awarded this

.,cnmplishment by Crescendo in the future.

• The re..arch proce.. for the FIVE STAR Wealth Manager Program, managed by Quantitative

Market Intelligence (QMI), incorporates a

statistically valid sample in order to identify the

wealth managers in the local market that score highest in overaU client satisfaction. QMI does not

include wealth managers on the list unless their

;core i, staliSlically valid. Atlea't fifty percent of the

wealth managers in the market have a statistically valid score.

• The FIVE STAR Award is nol indicative oflhe ......lJh managi'rs' futu~ penormana:.

• Wealth managers rna)' or may not usc discretion in

their pmctice and therefore may not manage their client',,,,,,,,...

As with any research or rc(ognition program, it is

important that we provide you the following

declarations:

N E-----hiaA Z

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.

Ne»:t, 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 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.

An Elite Award The resulting list of 2009 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers is an elite group, representing less than 4 percent of the wealth managers in the Philadelphja area. Only 582 of the top-scoring wealth managers made this year's list To make the list more user-friendly, wealth managers have been grouped based upon their primary financial service. Each wealth manager has also listed up to three additional financial services that they provide their clients.

Although tills list will cerwnly be a useful tool for anyone lookjng for help in managing their financial world or implementing aspects of their financial strategies, it should not be considered exhaustive. Undoubtedly, there are many other excellent wealth managers who, for one reason or another, are not on this year's list.

Well over halfof the conswner responses in the Philadelphia area indicated it is difficult to find a wealth manager

they trust and rely on.(I) Wealth managers, broadly defined, are those individuals who help you manage your financial world and/or implement aspects of your financial strategies. Common examples of wealth managers are financial advisors, life insurance agents, accountants, tax advisors, attorneys, etc.

With more than 15,000 wealth managers in the Philadelphia area, how do you find someone who listens to you, represen ts your interests and operates with an emphasis on integrity and service? Philadelphia Magazine can help. The magazine recently formed a partnership with Crescendo Business Services, an independent research firm, to find out which wealth managers successfully satisfied key client satisfaction criteria and overall scored the highest in client satisfaction.

The Selection Process In March, Crescendo surveyed, by mail and phone, 95,000 high-net-worth residents in the Philadelphia area and subscribers of Philadelphia Magazine. An additional 6,500 surveys were sent to financial services industry professionals.

On the surveys, recipients were asked to evaluate only wealth managers whom they knew through personal experience, and to evaluate them based upon nine criteria: customer service, in tegrity, knowledge/ expertise, communication, value for fee charged, meeting of financial objectives, post­sale service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction.

Only original surveys-no copies­returned in their specially designed envelopes were accepted as valid. By April, stacks of surveys had arrived and Crescendo began

(I) 2009 Consumer Survey, Quantitative Market Intelligence

As Seen In ... Forbes, Tune 30, 2008 PhiladelphiaUpfront, Unbiased and Unwavering Financial

Special Advertising Section

Marciano Wealth Advisors: Boutique Relationships, Generations of Experience

Openness, accountability and a close, personal affinity. These are the defining char­acteristics of the boutique relationships that affluent individuals, families and businesses have with Marciano Wealth Advisors, an in­dependent, fee-based wealth advisory firm whose roots date back to the 1950's.

Managing Partner Michael Marciano has a simple mission for the firm. "We consider our clients' long-term interests our own, serve those interests passionately, and constantly evaluate how effectively and economically they are being met. To truly be valuable in the lives of our clients, we mustn't ever lose sight of that goal."

'For Clients. Communication Is

With the principals of the firm having over 50 years of combined experience serv­ing the complicated needs of their discerning clientele, certain underlying values cannot be forgotten. For one, Marciano believes it is criti ­cal that the client's voice be heard.

"We stress the old-fashioned art of listen­ing," he explains. "Our clients are sometimes surprised that all of the questions we ask are not simply quantitative in nature. Their eyes light up when, for example, we ask, 'What is the footprint you'd like to leave on the world when you are gone?' What we do is much more than fee-based investment, financial planning and estate planning. Itis legacy planning."

This can only happen, Marciano says, if clients are not merely informed customers but become educated and empowered. The firm has even gone so far as to offer adult education classes at local colleges and to provide lunch symposiums to key execu­tives of their corporate clients.

"We've held sessions covering topics as diverse as estate tax planning concepts, charitable giving, investment portfolio design and succession planning for closely held businesses," says Senior Partner Joseph Marciano. "We explain everything in detail so our clients understand our methodology and become partners in their planning - to embrace their role in the process. We find that educating consumers helps them crystallize ideas about their own wealth planning."

ccountability: How Do Client

Critical to their commit­ment of providing unbiased ad­vice, Marciano Wealth Advisors stress that they have no propri­etary products to consider and no commissions to sway their decisions. Beyond that, on a quarterly basis, their clients are provided with performance re­porting, face-to-face meetings and an analysis of their portfo­lios' performance relative to risk and net of fees. The communi­cation process is never ending; the opportunity to educate is never overlooked.

Cohesive m Approac

Using unusually sophisti ­cated methods in the invest­ment as well as the estate and financial planning arenas is just the starting point of the value proposition of the firm. Coordinating those efforts with

clients' existing advisors, Michael Marciano explains, is often key to a successful plan.

"We need to ensure that whatever considerations we employ for our clients work seamlessly with any eXisting or future planning that might occur. We frequently will work in concert with our clients' accounting and legal professionals so that every aspect of a decision is thoughtfully considered. With our clients, there can simply be no shortcuts."

MARCIANO WEALTH ADVISORS

357 S. Gulph Road, Suite 230. King of Prussia, PA 19406· 610-992-4100. www.MarcianoWealthAdvisors.com Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Capital Analysts Incorporated, Member FINRAISIPC

Marciano Wealth Advisors and CAl are independent non-affiliated entities CAl does not offer tax or legal advice and services

, 600-999--1950' wwweminetwork.com