LOS ANGELES, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 31, 2008 -- Smith Barney is pleased to announce that local Financial Advisor, Michael Ladge was recognized in Worth Magazine as one of the Top 250 Wealth Advisors. The article appeared in the October 2008 issue of the publication.

Worth Magazine selected 250 full service financial advisors from across the United States using qualitative criteria.* Those on the list were selected based on their areas of expertise, their approaches to working with new clients and their ability to help with the unique needs of the affluent clientele they serve. Great emphasis was also placed upon each candidate's ability to intelligently discuss the current investment climate, the markets, and their strategies for success.

Mr. Ladge has been a recent member of Smith Barney with 13 years served within the industry. As a Financial Advisor with the firm, Mr. Ladge provides a full suite of investment services and comprehensive financial wealth planning strategies to individual investors, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes.

A graduate of UCLA's Anderson School with an MBA and Syracuse University with a BS in Finance and Statistics. Mr. Ladge is also a registered Financial Advisor with the NFL Player's Association. In addition, Mr. Ladge has been named as one of Worth Magazine's Top 100 Wealth Advisors for 2005, 2006 & 2007.

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Smith Barney is a division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (Member SIPC). It is a leading provider of comprehensive financial planning and advisory services to high net worth investors, institutions, corporations and private businesses, governments and foundations. With approximately 14,600 financial advisors in nearly 800 offices, Smith Barney offers a full suite of investment services, including asset allocation, private investments and lending services, hedge funds, cash and portfolio management, as well as retirement, education and estate planning. Smith Barney currently has more than 9.2 million client accounts, representing $1,482 billion in client assets.

Citi, the leading global financial services company, is affiliated with millions of clients, corporations, governments and institutional investors in more than 100 countries and offers a broad range of financial products, advice and services, including consumer banking and finance, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, wealth management and alternative investments. Citi is also recognized as a leader in corporate responsibility, sustainable growth, financial education and microfinance and it is a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good Index. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

*Note: Worth Magazine's 100 Wealth Advisors bases its rankings on qualitative criteria that include: professional designations and educational credentials, professional experience, acceptable compliance records, outlook on the investment climate, model portfolio returns, and client retention rate. Worth editors receive thousands of nominations nationwide from Worth readers and investment professionals. Nominated advisors are then asked to complete an extensive survey. All credentials and designations are verified and nominee compliance records are verified. For more information on ranking methodology, go to http://www.worth.com. The rating may not be representative of any one client's experience because it reflects a sample of all of the experiences of the advisor's clients. The rating is not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Smith Barney does not pay a fee to Worth Magazine in exchange for the rating.

© 2008 Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Member SIPC. Securities are offered through Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Smith Barney is a division and service mark of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. or its affiliates and is used and registered throughout the world. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Citibank are affiliated companies under the common control of Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Citicorp North America and Citibank, NA are affiliated companies under the common control of Citigroup Inc.

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     Michael Ladge
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