Salient Wealth Management, LLC and Friedman & Associates Join Forces to Become Salient-Friedman Wealth Management, LLC

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Richard A. Stone, founder and CEO of Salient Wealth Management and Gregory H.
Friedman, founder and CEO of Friedman & Associates, are proud to announce that
their firms are joining forces in a merger effective May 1, 2009. As a result
the new entity will be one of the largest wealth management firms in the North
Bay.

At the heart of the merger is the conviction that combining the two firms will
result in a big win for clients. The decision to merge came not out of necessity
but out of a vision for how two highly successful and respected Marin county
firms could take their wealth management services to the next level. "We are
convinced that each firm brings unique and complementary strengths that, when
combined, will surely result in an even more valuable wealth management
experience for clients," said Friedman.

"The merger of these two firms will strengthen our presence in the San Francisco
Bay area and enhance our commitment to exceptional client service," added Stone.
The new, combined Salient-Friedman team will offer deeper capabilities and
access to resources in financial and retirement planning, investment strategies,
estate planning and insurance analysis.

Stone and Friedman bring over 60 years of combined wealth management experience
and a reputation that is recognized across the industry. Along with numerous
other awards, Salient Wealth Management, LLC was honored as one of the Top 100
Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) nationwide for seven of the past eight
years by Worth Magazine. The firm was also named number 4 in the San Francisco
Business Times list of Top 25 independent RIAs in 2008.

Friedman & Associates was the 2007 Winner of Charles Schwab Institutional`s
IMPACT Awards for Best-In-Tech. In addition, Greg Friedman was recognized by
Investment Advisor Magazine in 2008 as one of the "Top 25" most influential
people in the financial services industry as well as a "Mover and Shaker" by
Financial Planning Magazine in 2008.

About the Firms

Salient Wealth Management (www.salientwealth.com) is one of the oldest
privately-held wealth management firms in the Bay Area. Founded by Richard
Stone, a 40-year veteran of the investment business, the company was founded in
Marin County in 1983.

Friedman & Associates (www.FriedmanAssociates.com), founded by Greg Friedman in
1991, is one of the most nationally recognized independent financial planning
firms in the Bay Area.

The newly formed firm, Salient-Friedman Wealth Management, LLC (www.SFWM.com)
will have approximately $600 million in assets under management and serves a
clientele of affluent Northern California investors with a minimum of $2 million
to invest.

Salient-Friedman Wealth Management
Susan Dickson, 415-526-2900
sdickson@sfwm.com

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