Guidant Financial Group™ and Seattle Chapter of SCORE Launch Website to Boost Economic Vitality through Small Business Ownership

SEATTLE (February 7, 2007) — Guidant Financial Group, the nation’s leading facilitator of self-directed IRAs and new business funding solutions, together with the Seattle Chapter of SCORE, a national non-profit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and small business success, today announced a philanthropic website initiative designed to advance small business ownership in the Seattle area. (www.seattlescore.org)

The website expands the scope of free, online resources readily available to those looking to start or grow a successful small business. Site features include comprehensive information on how to research, plan, finance, and open a small business or franchise, as well as online workshop registration, professional network contacts, enhanced navigation, and case studies.

“Today, small businesses account for 99.7 percent of all ventures in the United States. Over the past decade, these businesses generated between sixty and eighty percent of all new jobs annually,” says Jeremy Ames, president and co-founder of Guidant Financial Group. “Facilitating small business ownership and ongoing success through financial solutions, educational tools, and helpful advice is a prerogative we share with SCORE.”

Adds Guidant’s CEO, David Nilssen, “As a company, we provide products and services that change people’s lives through the dream of business ownership. Our support of SCORE furthers our ability to make a difference in the communities where we work and live.”

Both organizations actively engage in entrepreneurial education and awareness in the U.S. In 2006, Guidant helped nearly 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs become new small business owners by leveraging their retirement funds to finance their venture. Concurrently, SCORE chapters nationwide provided leadership counseling and resources to over 100,000 new and existing small business owners last year alone.

“We have received a lot of positive feedback on the new website and are fundamentally happy with the outcome thus far,” says Larry Spelhaug, committee chair of website development for the Seattle Chapter of SCORE. “The relationship between SCORE and Guidant is two-fold. This new site couldn’t have been achieved without a solid commitment from either party.”

A wide array of small business resources can be found on the Seattle Chapter of SCORE website at www.seattlescore.com. For information on funding a business or franchise using your IRA or 401(k), contact Guidant Financial Group at 1.888.472.4455 or visit www.guidantfinancial.com.

About Guidant Financial Group

Guidant Financial Group provides investors the freedom to make investments in real estate, franchises, businesses, tax liens and more by facilitating the conversion of existing retirement plans to a self-directed IRA or 401(k). Guidant is a member of the Better Business Bureau, IFA and IBBA. Recently ranked as one of Washington State's fastest-growing small companies, Guidant was also nominated as one of the U.S. "Best Places to Work" in 2006. In addition to helping clients realize their retirement and entrepreneurial dreams, Guidant is dedicated to making the communities in which we live and work better through contributions of time and money. www.guidantfinancial.com

About SCORE

SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business, is a national non-profit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth and success of the nation's small businesses. The Seattle Chapter alone has over 100 volunteers (working and retired) who are business owners, executives, educators and professionals who donate their expertise as counselors, mentors and workshop presenters to local entrepreneurs. www.seattlescore.org

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