First Trust Portfolios L.P. Selects ASI Client Acquisition Solution(R) to Support Diverse Product Offering

Thousands of Advisors Will Use Leading Portfolio Construction Tool to Better Promote Investment Options, Deliver Personalized Advice


LAFAYETTE, CA--(Marketwire - September 24, 2007) - Advisor Software, Inc., a leading provider of wealth management solutions for the advice market, today announced that First Trust has selected ASI Client Acquisition Solution®, an institutional-caliber portfolio construction and proposal generation solution that enables financial service providers and their advisors to deliver more personalized portfolios for their clients.

"First Trust chose ASI Client Acquisition Solution because it is the only application that provides support for our entire group of product offerings," said Chris Dixon, senior vice president of marketing for First Trust Portfolios, L.P.

During the first implementation phase, First Trust plans to implement ASI Client Acquisition Solution to support its Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Future implementation plans feature support for First Trust's additional product offerings including an innovative line of Unit Investment Trusts (UITs).

Using ASI Client Acquisition Solution, advisors at financial institutions including broker/dealers, banks, RIAs and wirehouses will then be able to create customized client portfolios and investment proposals featuring First Trust's entire line of investment products.

"For Advisor Software, supporting a large universe of investment products is a key initiative that is reflected by all of its solutions, including ASI Client Acquisition Solution," said Neal Ringquist, president and chief operating officer for Advisor Software. "First Trust Portfolios' selection of ASI Client Acquisition Solution is a great endorsement of this initiative. We're looking forward to working with First Trust to help financial institutions better serve clients and prospects, enabling advisors to meet increasing demand for a wide selection of investment options."

About ASI Client Acquisition Solution

ASI Client Acquisition Solution is an integrated platform that enables advisors to review an investor's current portfolio holdings, conduct a risk assessment, develop an asset allocation strategy, select securities, create model portfolios and generate a comprehensive investment plan in 15 minutes or less. The solution uniquely leverages institutional-caliber analytics including asset allocation analysis, style and industry sector exposure analysis, security overlap analysis, efficient frontier and Monte Carlo simulation. Advisors can better serve existing clients and convert more prospects into clients by demonstrating the benefits of selected investment products and diversification strategies. Key features of the application include:

--  Configurable workflows that allow financial institutions to setup
    their own custom asset allocation models, model portfolios and investment
    universes.
    
--  Comprehensive Investment Proposals, that leverage advanced portfolio
    analytics and an investment policy statement, can be configured to reflect
    the advisory firm's brand and promote its services to the client.
    
--  Wide Investment Product Coverage to support a range of security types
    including mutual funds, stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, separately
    managed accounts, fix income securities and variable annuity sub-accounts.
    
--  Integration Capabilities for full-integration with user management and
    authentication systems, portfolio management systems and trading platforms.
    

About Advisor Software, Inc.

Advisor Software, Inc. is a leading provider of wealth management solutions for the advice market. The company has pioneered the first enterprise rebalancing solution and a unique goal-directed financial planning platform that combines institutional-caliber analytics and a balance sheet approach to financial planning. Advisor Software's applications are designed for a wide range of asset management firms, 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. For more information, visit www.advisorsoftware.com or call (925) 299-7782.

About First Trust Portfolios L.P.

First Trust Portfolios L.P. and its affiliate, First Trust Advisors L.P., are privately-held investment services companies which were established in 1991 and operate nationwide and also in Canada and Europe. The firms provide a variety of investment services, including asset management, financial advisory services, and municipal and corporate investment banking. The firms currently have assets under management or supervision of over $30 billion through closed-end funds, unit investment trusts, open end funds, separate managed accounts and exchange-traded funds.

Contact Information: Contact: Andrea Corry Advisor Software, Inc. (925) 444-1306 acorry@advisorsoftware.com