Dear Clients and Friends:

Happy New Year! As 2009 fades, and not fast enough for many, we reflect on the past and raise our hopes with new goals for 2010 in the areas of personal improvement, health, financial enhancement, and improving the world around us through our friendships and time devoted to the causes we believe in. Life is precious. We hope peace comes to those who are less fortunate than us, in particular, those personally impacted by unemployment, poverty, illness and war. I believe that by cherishing each day we have and valuing the people whose lives we touch, we create more happiness for ourselves and for those around us.

I know it can be hard to focus on what we do have to be thankful for in a year filled with so much financial and political turmoil. That’s why it’s important to me to take the time now to thank you for your business and your trust in me and my team throughout the year.

Following the difficult environment for investors in 2008, no one knew quite what to expect in 2009. After a slow start, we began to see positive indicators of economic recovery, and we remain cautiously optimistic that the financial climate will continue to improve. It has been a privilege to help you keep things in perspective during this unique period. We look forward to helping you uncover new opportunities in 2010 as we work in partnership to pursue your financial goals and dreams.

Communication was a key factor in maneuvering through this year’s challenges; and the uncertain economic landscape only bolsters my belief that the values of trust, honesty, and integrity are the pillars for a healthy client-advisor relationship. It is important to remember that in your “financial life,” just as in other areas of life, there will be ups and downs. However, with your continued trust and open communication, we will be prepared for whatever the future holds.

We began 2009 cautiously navigating through the debris of the economic and market collapse of 2008. Gloomy news from every direction loomed heavily as consumers, businesses and government alike worked to assess the damage, incorporate the right adjustments to carry on through this recession, and create a plan for clearing the fallout and rebuilding. Through aggressive economic stimulus and the shear will to see capitalism succeed, the economy is strengthening.

Planned Financial Services Growth
We feel fortunate that our firm continues to grow and we have been able to add closely-held business clients under both 401(K) Plus^SM and Personal CFO^SM. Both new and long-term clients tell us that the ability to delegate their financial issues to us provides the capacity and freedom to focus on family and
business, allowing them more time to be successful in what they choose to do and how they spend their time. Great! Our goal is to help financially successful people focus on what they desire while we provide timely and critical advice to facilitate informed decisions.

In fact, this philosophy has led our firm to refine our relationships with our clients in a way that is more meaningful to our clients as they seek to achieve their goals. We believe achieving your goals and dreams does not happen by simply handing over control of your assets and your future, but in part by ensuring your unique voice is heard and your vision reflected in every decision. This philosophy helps to shape your unique Return on Life^TM, an individually-defined measure of success that goes well beyond investment performance. Only when you are satisfied with your personal Return on Life^TM can you attain true fulfillment from your wealth.

Our efforts in advising clients were also rewarded in 2009 when our firm was recognized by the Weatherhead 100, among firms with fewer than 15 employees, for our growth rate of 252% from 2003-2008. This is a great acknowledgement of our team approach, as well as a reflection of our clients’ confidence as they introduce new clients to us who can benefit from our firm’s advice.

Other accolades were received as well. Earlier in the year PFS was recognized as an NEO Success Award Winner for 2008 as one of the area’s most successful and fastest-growing financial wealth management companies.

We are actively seeking other wealth management firms to acquire through an outright sale or as part of their succession plan to slowly divest themselves out of the business. We have an outstanding team with a great infrastructure to support this type of action. This strategy would add both scale and focused resources as we continually enhance the quality of service we provide to you, our valued clients.

We continue to invest in technology and infrastructure
In the second quarter of 2010, we will be adding enhancements to Wealth Plan^SM. Clients who signed on personally and companies who used Wealth Plan^SM as an executive benefit have both expressed excitement over access to their 24/7 live virtual wealth plans. Our clients attribute their satisfaction to the comprehensive nature of Wealth Plan^SM and its ability to aggregate financial information, store critical documents and interact to provide customized feedback from our firm which allows them to make confident and informed decisions so their wealth works the way they choose.

If you’re not currently using Wealth Plan^SM, I encourage you to visit: http://www.plannedfinancial.com/personal_wealthplan.asp  where you can view a 3 minute video on the system, a short video on its security features, and lastly a demonstration tour from a client perspective.

We continue to invest in our community
At PFS we believe it is important to support our community. That is why all of our team members give back to the community through significant commitments to charities, events and activities. Frank remains involved in The Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland and United Way Services, as well as the Brecksville Soccer Organization (BSO). In addition, the BSO recently partnered with Girls with Sole! (GWS), a local nonprofit organization focusing on fitness and wellness to empower the minds, bodies, and souls of girls in the Cleveland area who have experienced some form of abuse.

Jeremy is the Vice President of the Board of Trustees of The Cleveland Christian Home; while Walt serves as Director of a private foundation which directs funds to local charities – one being Adult Guardianship Services.

Our commitment to you stands firm
I am pleased to announce that Planned Financial Services will begin its 16th year in business in 2010, and each year we continue to set new standards for client advice and service. This has translated into our continued growth as one of the most respected independent wealth and investment advisory firms.

I want to personally thank all of you who have contributed to our growth throughout the years. None of this would be possible if clients did not trust our advice and value our services. We believe that the value of our firm is measured by the collective net worth of our clients—our family—but without this trust, there would be no family. Your personal introductions to new clients and from other professional advisors who also refer us, built our firm. We value these relationships and are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining these long-term relationships and friendships.

At no time in the history of our business has trust and unbiased guidance been more important than this past year given the “Great Recession” and the subsequent unprecedented changes we witnessed. While there will always be challenges, we have learned and will continue to learn a great deal from our most recent challenges. Most importantly, we did not run and hide. We stood tall with our clients even when the news was not good; and helped them to get through this time and refocus on their goals and what matters most to them and their families.

Planned Financial Services has a vested interest in your success. When you win, we win too. We take pride in what our clients accomplish. Whether we help you directly through our specific services and advice, or introduce you to others who can help, our goal is always to be there for you, to listen, and to advise you in an effort to achieve your objectives.

As a new year begins, I renew our commitment to all our clients and professional partners: We want to continue as your trusted advisor for qualified financial, investment, insurance, and benefits advice. We will keep providing ideas to help you address personal, financial, and social goals with our individual meetings, letters, and electronic communications. We have set and will keep our high standards:

• Continue to grow the business at a reasonable rate without compromising advice and service

• Maintain excellent relationships with all of our clients by meeting regularly

• Develop innovative, new services to address the needs of our clients as they fit into our core business

• Provide the same high levels of service and advice while maintaining a healthy balance between work, family, and community involvement

We wish everyone a prosperous and healthy 2010. Be prosperous by enjoying your family. It is the best investment around. The friendships we have developed…priceless. In the end, our personal net worth reflects the friendships and memories we create over the course of our lives.

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Respectfully, Frank Fantozzi, CPA, MT, PFS, CDFA, AIF President, Planned Financial Services