This presentation describes the core tenants of investment success. Elevation Wealth Management applies this approach to every client relationship and partners with our clients to create real long-term wealth.

1. December 24, 2012
Investment Management & Financial Planning
Barry Mendelson, CFP®
President & Financial Advisor
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2. Mission
Elevation Wealth Management is an independent, privately held
Registered Investment Advisor that provides investment management and
financial planning to discerning individuals, families, and companies across
the United States.
The firm specializes in helping investors grow, manage, and protect their
wealth. Elevation’s investment process is based on more than 80 years ofwealth. Elevation s investment process is based on more than 80 years of
academic research and is the same framework followed by the majority of
institutional investors.
Our goal is to bring clarity to difficult and complex financial decisions andOur goal is to bring clarity to difficult and complex financial decisions – and
set the path for a secure financial future. As a Fiduciary and fee‐only –
Elevation places the interests of clients above all else.
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3. Barry Mendelson CFP®
About
Barry Mendelson, CFP
President & Financial Advisor
Professional Experience
 B.A. in Business Economics & Accounting from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1995.g
 More than 17 years experience working for leading asset management companies including Charles
Schwab & Co., AXA Rosenberg, Neuberger Berman, and Franklin Templeton.
 Partner & Financial Advisor – Just Plans, a fee‐only Registered Investment Advisor. 2010 – Present.
P i t j i i J t Pl i 2010 d f i El ti W lth M t i 2011 Vi Prior to joining Just Plans in 2010 and forming Elevation Wealth Management in 2011, was a Vice
President in Charles Schwab & Co’s $250 billion investment management division. There, he advised
institutional investors, investment advisors , pensions, endowments, and foundations on leading
investment strategies, investment policy, asset allocation, and manager selection.
 Certified Financial Planner™ certificate holder since 2008 Certified Financial Planner certificate holder since 2008.
 Board of Directors, Financial Planning Association of the East Bay, since 2010. The FPA of East Bay seeks
to promote financial literacy and a professional standard among financial professionals.
 Frequent lecturer to various organizations and companies including JFK University, DeVry University,
Rotary Sons In Retirement and othersRotary, Sons In Retirement, and others
Community Involvement
 Board of Directors, Cancer Support Community of the Bay Area, since 2011. Barry is Testicular Cancer
survivor and aiding those affected by cancer is of great importance to Barry and his family.
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 Founded Chairs 4 Charity in 2009 – which has raised thousands of dollars (mostly in
support of public education).

4. Elevation’s Expert Team
Jim Ellman ChFC ‐ President Just Plans Etc – a fee‐only RegisteredJim Ellman, ChFC ‐ President, Just Plans Etc – a fee‐only Registered
Investment Advisor based in Walnut Creek.
 Founded JPE in 1983 and has more than 30 years investment experience.
I C i W l C k P b i Ch h Investment Committee, Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.
Doug Bergman – President, Bergman Investment Management – a fee‐only
Registered Investment Advisor based in San FranciscoRegistered Investment Advisor based in San Francisco.
 Founded BIM in 1995 and has more than 20 years investment experience.
 Chairman ‐ Investment Committee, Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually
$Impaired. $30 million endowment fund.
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5. Elevation’s Expert Team
Founded in 1990 and head quartered in San Jose, California, Loring Ward is dedicated to bringing science,
reason and innovation to investing. Their business is to serve as the back‐office to independent financial
advisors and help them build custom‐tailored investment portfolios based on timeless economics principles.
f h 2012 i d h h $ 2 billi i dAs of March 2012, Loring Ward has more than $7.2 billion in assets under management.
Loring Ward’s Investment Committee helps advisors define investment objectives, determines investment
strategies and monitor investments to meet both the current and future needs of investors. It is led by Chief
Investment Officer Joni Clark, CFA, CFP®, as well as noted behavior economist Professor Meir Statman and the
1990 Nobel Laureate for Economic Sciences Dr Harry Markowitz
Di i l F d Ad i
1990 Nobel Laureate for Economic Sciences, Dr. Harry Markowitz.
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Founded in 1981. Offices around the globe.
More than $200 billion in assets under management exclusively for independent financial advisors and
institutional investors such as CalPERS, City of San Francisco, Marin County Employees Retirement
Association, San Francisco Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, J. Paul Getty Trust,
Caltech, and California Wellness Foundation among others.
The mission of DFA is to deliver the performance of the capital markets and increase returns through state‐
of‐the‐art portfolio design and trading.
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Deep working relationships with the world’s leading financial economists. In 2008, the
University of Chicago Business School was renamed after a $300 million donation by
DFA co‐founder David Booth.

6. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
M k ( i ) W kMarkets (over time) Work
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7. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
M k ( i ) W kMarkets (over time) Work
Active Managers Have Difficulty Beating the Market
Mutual Fund Manager Performance from 2006 2011Mutual Fund Manager Performance from 2006 – 2011
Source: Standard and Poor’s Index Versus Active Group, March 2012
Indexes are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual
portfolio. The fund returns used are net of fees, excluding loads. Returns are based upon equal-weighted fund counts. The data assumes
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portfolio. The fund returns used are net of fees, excluding loads. Returns are based upon equal weighted fund counts. The data assumes
reinvestment of income and does not account for taxes or transaction costs. The risks associated with stocks potentially include increased
volatility (up and down movement in the value of your assets) and loss of principal. Bonds are subject to risks, including interest rate risk which
can decrease the value of a bond as interest rates rise. Investing in foreign securities may involve certain additional risks, including exchange
rate fluctuations, less liquidity, greater volatility, different financial and accounting standards and political instability. Passive money
management, like active money management, cannot guarantee a profit or protect against a loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future
results.

8. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Risk and Return are Related. And Investors are compensated for bearing certain risks. p g
In US dollars. Developed markets value and growth index data provided by Fama/French (ex utilities). The S&P data are provided by Standard & Poor's Index
Services Group. US Small Cap Index is the CRSP 6‐10 Index. CRSP data provided by the Center for Research in Security Prices, University of Chicago. International
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Small Cap index data: 1970–June 1981, 50% UK small cap stocks provided by the London Business School and 50% Japan small cap stocks provided by Nomura
Securities; July 1981–present: simulated by Dimensional from StyleResearch securities data; includes securities of MSCI EAFE Index countries, market‐capitalization
weighted, each country capped at 50%. MSCI EAFE Index is gross of foreign withholding taxes on dividends; copyright MSCI 2012, all rights reserved.
Indexes are not available for direct investment; therefore, their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual
portfolio. Compound returns have an assumed rate of return, are hypothetical, and are not representative of any specific type of investment. Standard deviation
is one method of measuring risk and performance, and is presented as an approximation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

9. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Diversify With StructureDiversify With Structure
Diversification and Portfolio Risk – 1952
Harry Markowitz, University of Chicago
1990 Nobel Prize in Economics
Di ifi ti d i k Diversification reduces risk.
 Assets should be evaluated not by individual characteristics but by their effect on a portfolio.
 An optimal portfolio can be constructed to maximize return for a given risk level.
Combine Multiple Asset Classes
 Seek to combine multiple asset classes that have historically experienced dissimilar return patterns
across various financial and economic environments. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or
protect against a loss.
Diversify Globally
 More than 50% of global stock market value is non U S and international stock markets as a whole More than 50% of global stock market value is non‐U.S., and international stock markets as a whole
have historically experienced dissimilar return patterns to the U.S.
Invest in Thousands of Stocks
 Compared to a portfolio concentrated in a small number of stocks, investing in thousands of stocks
around the world can limit portfolio losses during a severe market decline by reducing company‐specificaround the world can limit portfolio losses during a severe market decline by reducing company specific
risk.
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10. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
The Need For DiversificationThe Need For Diversification
Highest
Return
Asset Class Index Performance 1997‐2011
Lowest
Return
Data Sources: Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), BARRA Inc. and Morgan Stanley Capital International, January 2012. All investments involve risk. Foreign securities involve additional risks, including foreign currency changes, political
risks, foreign taxes, and different methods of accounting and financial reporting. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Treasury bills are guaranteed as to repayment of principal and interest by the U.S. government. This
information does not constitute a solicitation for sale of any securities. CRSP ranks all NYSE companies by market capitalization and divides them into 10 equally-populated portfolios. AMEX and NASDAQ National Market stocks are then placed into
deciles according to their respective capitalizations determined by the NYSE breakpoints CRSP Portfolios 1 5 represent large cap stocks; Portfolios 6 10 represent small caps; Value is represented by companies with a book to market ratio in the
Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss.
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deciles according to their respective capitalizations, determined by the NYSE breakpoints. CRSP Portfolios 1-5 represent large-cap stocks; Portfolios 6-10 represent small caps; Value is represented by companies with a book-to-market ratio in the
top 30% of all companies. Growth is represented by companies with a book-to-market ratio in the bottom 30% of all companies. S&P 500 Index is the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. The S&P 500 Index measures the performance of large-
capitalization U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged market value-weighted index of 500 stocks that are traded on the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ. The weightings make each company’s influence on the index performance directly
proportional to that company’s market value. The MSCI EAFE Index (Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia, Far East Index) is comprised of over 1,000 companies representing the stock markets of Europe, Australia, New
Zealand and the Far East, and is an unmanaged index. EAFE represents non-U.S. large stocks. Foreign securities involve additional risks, including foreign currency changes, political risks, foreign taxes and different methods of accounting and
financial reporting. Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of inflation. REITs, represented by the NAREIT Equity REIT Index, is an unmanaged market cap-weighted index comprised of 151 equity REITS. Emerging Markets index represents
securities in countries with developing economies and provide potentially high returns. Many Latin American, Eastern European and Asian countries are considered emerging markets. Indexes are unmanaged baskets of securities without the fees
and expenses associated with mutual funds and other investments. Investors cannot directly invest in an index.

11. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Diversify With Structurey
U.S. and International Markets
Perform Differently
Rolling 12-month Variance (Jan 1972 – Dec 2011)
Global Market Capitalization
1970
International
O tperforms
U.S. Outperforms
_________________
U.S. 66%
International 34%
Outperforms
2011
_________________
U.S. 40%
International 60%
2050* (Projected)*
_________________
U.S. 17%
Source: Center for
Research in Security Prices
(CRSP) January, 2012*Source: Impact of an Aging Population on the Global Economy
Jeremy J. Siegel CFA Institute Conference Proceedings Quarterly (09/07)
International 83%
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Past Performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk. Foreign securities involve additional risks including foreign currency changes, taxes and different
accounting and financial reporting methods. International market performance represented by the MSCI EAFE Index (Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia,
Far East Index), comprised of over 1,000 companies representing the stock markets of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East, and is an unmanaged index. EAFE
represents non-U.S. large stocks. U.S. market performance represented by the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, an unmanaged market value-weighted index of 500 stocks that are
traded on the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ. The weightings make each company's influence on the index performance directly proportional to that company's market value.

12. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Customize Your Portfolio
Your Portfolio Should Reflect Your Personal Situation
 What is your time horizon?
 What is your tolerance for risk?
 Do you need income or liquidity?
 What is your tax bracket? How might you benefit from “asset location” and
other tax‐management strategies?
 What are your financial goals? What are your business goals?What are your financial goals? What are your business goals?
 What are life goals? What type of legacy do you want to leave?
Elevation’s Comprehensive Financial Planning Process can address all of these p g f
matters and more.
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13. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Invest For The Long‐Termg
Stay focused on the long term
 Emotion, trying to time the market and lack of discipline can affect your long‐term
investing successinvesting success
 Make sure you are guided by an investment policy
Regularly review your portfolio
 Make adjustments depending on changes in your life
 Rebalance periodically to keep your portfolio aligned with your goals
When in doubt, seek expert advice, p
 Elevation Wealth Management can help you stay on track and focused on your
long‐term goals
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14. Elevation’s Investment Philosophy
Invest For The Long‐Termg
The Cycle of Market Emotions. Bad investments often lead to bad (investing) behavior.
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15. Contact Information
Barry Mendelson, CFP®
President & Financial Advisor
1399 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Suite 24
Walnut Creek CA 94598Walnut Creek, CA 94598
925‐348‐5852
barry@elevationwm.com
www.elevationwm.com
http://elevationwm.com/articlesblog/
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16. Opinions expressed are those of Barry Mendelson, CFP® and Elevation
Disclosures
Opinions expressed are those of Barry Mendelson, CFP and Elevation
Wealth Management.
This presentation should not be construed as investment advice. p
The information contained in this presentation is compiled from sources
believed to be reliable.
Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. Past performance is no
guarantee of future results.
The markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.
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