Press Room

Barclays Global Fund Advisors Partners with Advisor Software, Inc. to Provide Online Investment Planning and Proposal Capabilities to Financial Advisors

Lafayette, CA - October 9, 2003 - Advisor Software, Inc. (ASI) announced today that Barclays Global Fund Advisors, a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors, will launch ASI's Investment Proposal Solution on the iShares.com web site for financial advisors this month. The solution provides the over 10,000 advisors who are registered on iShares.com with ASI's powerful asset allocation and proposal generation capabilities, allowing them to incorporate iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs) in investment allocations. The tool will be available free to advisors.

"We're pleased to add ASI's Investment Proposal Solution to our suite of advisor-focused tools on iShares.com," said J. Parsons, Managing Director at Barclays Global Fund Advisors. "We are committed to partnering with advisors to help them serve their clients, and this offering combines the strengths of iShares with the proven effectiveness of asset allocation, and presents a client-friendly proposal."

Offered by iShares as the "Allocation Proposal Tool," the solution will provide critical support to efforts with new and existing advisor clients, guiding them through a logical sequence of steps: risk assessment, analysis of current holdings, asset allocation, investment selection, and proposal generation.

"BGI has long been an innovator in the financial markets, and iShares is the clear leader in the exchange traded funds business," said Andrew Rudd, CEO of Advisor Software. "We're proud that they have selected ASI's Investment Proposal Solution to further support their growth in this market."

About Barclays Global Fund Advisors and iShares
Barclays Global Fund Advisors is a subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors, N.A. (BGI), and serves as the advisor to iShares. BGI is one of the world's largest asset managers providing structured investment strategies such as indexing, tactical asset allocation, and risk-controlled active strategies. BGI managed over $897 billion in assets as of 6/30/03, and over 2,000 funds for more than 2,200 clients in 39 countries around the world. BGI is owned by Barclays PLC. iShares, the world's most extensive family of ETFs, are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges. For a list of currently available iShares, visit www.ishares.com.

About Advisor Software
Advisor Software, Inc. (ASI) was founded in 1995 by Andrew Rudd (Founder, Chairman and former CEO of Barra, Inc.) to deliver institutional-strength analytics and advice to the individual investor and the advisors who serve them. ASI's advice technology is designed for a wide range of broker/dealers, banks, insurance companies, online brokerages, and other financial institutions, enabling these institutions and their advisors to deliver more insightful, actionable investment advice and build stronger, more profitable client relationships. ASI is a privately held company headquartered in Lafayette, California.

For more information, please visit ASI's website at www.advisorsoftware.com. Press Room Press Room