Advisors Financial Services, LLC and Chaffee & Westenberg Companies, LLP Merge to Create The Sage Partnership.

Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 2003

Company Offers a Non-Traditional Approach to Wealth Management

Two local prominent financial management firms have recently merged to form The Sage Partnership, LLP, an innovative multi-family office company. The firm is dedicated to aligning clients' financial affairs with a family's or an individual's interpersonal aspirations, emotions and goals.

Advisors Financial Services, LLC and Chaffee & Westenberg Companies, LLP have joined forces to create this new and independent organization. The Sage Partnership is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission and has more than 100 clients in 40 states.

"We have brought together an extraordinary collection of financial expertise and talents," said Robin Gibson, one of four principals for The Sage Partnership. "Our firm provides a non-traditional means for clients to manage their personal life as it relates to their financial life."

The Sage Partnership is unique in three distinct ways. First, The Sage Partnership's proprietary and introspective process enables the firm to collaboratively uncover, understand, and define the emotional issues surrounding a client's financial needs. "Our family office begins with an understanding of the family's mission. Then, we can focus on creating a total financial portrait for a family or individual," explains Gibson.

Secondly, the firm is differentiated in its wealth management process. "We believe in an open architecture system," said Gibson. "As an independent firm, The Sage Partnership collaborates with national, industry-leading financial consulting firms that have broad investment expertise." One such alliance is with CTC Consulting, one of America's largest wealth management consulting companies. CTC independently provides asset allocation, as well as selection and monitoring of money managers; its non-conflicted approach to wealth management provides a direct alternative for the firm's clients.

"Finally, Sage's fee structure also sets the firm apart," said Gibson. "The fees reflect Sage's goals of providing for clients' financial futures. Fees are based only upon the products and services utilized by the client from the family office."

Along with Gibson, who has more than 30 years of investment and wealth management experience with Wells Fargo, Piper Jaffray, and Dain Rauscher, the three other principals are Robert J. Westenberg, Richard J. Chaffee, Jr., and Charles J. Maxwell, Jr. Maxwell founded Advisors Financial Services after working as a financial planner for CIGNA Financial Advisors. His firm was in the top quintile of wealth managers in the U.S. in the June 2001, 2002, and 2003 issues of Bloomberg Wealth Manager. Chaffee was a founding partner of Chaffee & Westenberg. His career has focused on estate planning, where he built one of the largest estate planning and wealth transfer businesses in Minnesota. Westenberg is a certified public accountant who worked at Deloitte & Touche and as a senior vice president for a division of Target. He eventually purchased the division through a leveraged buy-out and was its top executive before he helped found Chaffee & Westenberg.

ABOUT THE SAGE PARTNERSHIP

The Sage Partnership is an independent family office, dedicated to helping clients achieve their personal wealth management goals. The company collaborates with industry-leading consulting firms that provide analysis and recommendations on investment policy, asset allocation, manager selection, and performance monitoring. For more information on The Sage Partnership, call 1-888-835-2577. The company's website address is www.thesagepartnership.com

Securities offered through M Holdings Securities, Inc. a Registered Broker/Dealer. Member NASD/SIPC