WE MADE THE INC. 500 LIST

Guidant Financial Group Makes Inc. 500 Thanks to 788.6% Three-Year Growth

Bellevue, Wash. (August 20, 2008) - Due to its rapid and significant growth, Guidant Financial Group ranked number 384 on the just-released Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Guidant is the leading provider of 401(k) small business financing solutions and self-directed IRAs for real estate and other alternative investments.

In addition to being ranked number 384 overall, Guidant was ranked number 23 in the Top 100 Financial Services Companies category, and number 11 in the Top 50 Businesses in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area category.

According to Inc. magazine, which sponsors the annual Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists, the rankings are determined by the percentage of revenue growth from 2004 through 2007. To qualify, companies must be U.S.-based, privately held, independent, for-profit businesses that - as of December 31, 2007 - had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2004 and $2 million in 2007. The top 500 companies on the list of 5000 generate the Inc. 500 list.

"This represents a three-year sales growth of 788.6 percent," says Guidant's CEO David Nilssen. "To be ranked this high in the first year that we've qualified for the Inc. 500/5000 is a real prize. We feel really honored to be among the entrepreneurial companies included on this prestigious list."

In addition to the Inc. 500 list, Guidant's substantial growth and respected industry leadership have been recognized through other top awards, such as the 2008 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Small Business award; 2008 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist; 2007 Sixth Fastest-Growing Private Small Business in Washington State; 2007 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Northwest Regional Small Business of the Year; and 2007 Small Business Administration National Young Entrepreneurs of the Year (to Guidant's cofounders).

"If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500," says Inc. magazine's Editor Jane Berentson. "These are the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growing companies in the nation." Companies such as Zappos, Intuit, GoDaddy, Jamba Juice, American Apparel and Oracle gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500.

Complete information on this year's Inc. 500, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies that can be sorted by industry and region can be found at http://www.inc5000.com.