Dear Broker’s Notebook Legacy Users:

Firstly, we understand that Reuters has elected to discontinue support for your package very soon. Don’t worry. We can help in several ways. Here are the primary issues and remedies involved:

* We can convert your database from BN to BHA and then stand by your new platform going forward. We offer friendly technical support, data downloads from wirehouses, maintenance for your new software, upgrades, etc.

* To our knowledge, we are the only firm that offers a currently functional Broker’s Notebook database conversion.  We wrote and tested it several years ago, but have only had occasional use for the code ever since.  It is somewhat serendipitous – for all involved - that we can even offer this to you in such an immediate way.

* We can convert your single-user data for between $500 and $1,000. If we are converting only client contact information, the fee is $500; client and portfolio conversions cost $1,000. Multiple-user (network version) conversions are additional.

* You can own a single-user copy of Broker’s Helper Advanced for $1,000, which includes the first year of Maintenance and Support. Each year after that is a modest $250. Thus, the total cost for converting your single-user version of Broker’s Notebook to BHA will be $2,000. With adequate planning, we can turn the work around in 3-4 business days and return a CD-ROM to you with your database ready for installation and use. A downloadable Trial Copy is available at our website. Look for the Traditional version of BHA, not the BHA.com version.

* If you are a money manager and need additional modeling and block trading functionality beyond what Broker’s Notebook or Broker’s Helper Advanced offers, we would suggest our 4^th-Level application, Investment Advisor’s Helper, for $1,800. Maintenance for this version (Broker’s Helper Advanced is a subset of it, fyi) is $400/year for a single-user version. If you would like to wait and upgrade to this version later, you would simply pay the difference in price between BHA and IAH.

* Given the number of data conversions we are expecting in the next 8-12 weeks, we will need to work closely with you and your staff to schedule and execute your particular conversion.  We want to manage your expectations smartly. Data conversions – and we’ve done many over the years, another area of expertise – are best characterized as a “very good” to “excellent” option for your situation. They are never perfect. We will be converting large amounts of sensitive financial data from one sophisticated software package to another. Bad or junk data, e.g. random trades with no owners, empty accounts with no owners, etc., will not convert properly to our package. Certain user-defined or other fields may be moved to fields in our software that are functional but not optimal. This does not happen often, but should be anticipated. In other words, we are certain that you will be satisfied with the result, but there may be some awkwardness as you become proficient with a new system and reacquaint yourself with the converted data and fields. In some cases, our data conversion actually “cleans” an older database, removing junk data in the process and leaving a more optimized database as a result. However, this should not be anticipated in all cases. This result is based on the orderliness and cleanliness of your data, not the functionality of our conversion software. Keeping an archive of your old Broker’s Notebook database for lookup purposes is always recommended.

* All data conversion work is done in-house at our location and is totally confidential. Perhaps this is an obvious point, but we wouldn’t have stayed in business for over 16 years if we didn’t maintain strict confidentiality with our clients’ data.

* If you do nothing else, back up your current database today. Invest in an industry-standard backup and storage package like a Zip Drive and just do it. This kind of drive can also function as an easy means for copying and shipping your data to us for conversion.

* Finally, we do not – and never will – support Broker’s Notebook. We cannot assist you with problems related to, or caused by, use of the Broker’s Notebook software. Essentially, if you delay database conversion until you have an acute or otherwise work-stopping problem, we may never be able to convert your data. Know the risk to your platform and your body of work: your software will soon be defunct. Adequate preparation and investment now could avoid considerable expense, anguish, and lost time later on. We suggest that you contact us immediately, get on our list for conversion, and get the work done. The business expense is unfortunate, but modest in the long run.

Please contact my staff if you should have further questions or if you have a special situation that we should be aware of. We are processing these conversions in a FIFO manner and are preparing for several hundred in the coming months. Plan accordingly.

Click here to view full instructions on preparing your Broker's Notebook data for conversion.

We appreciate the opportunity to work with you. We wish we could be winning your business under different circumstances, but are very confident that you will be extremely pleased with your new copy of our software.  Our clients have relied on us, every day, for years.

Robert B. Seal
CEO
North American Software, Inc.
1131 Carney Street
Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45202
www.nasoftware.com
Trial Copy available at http://www.nasoftware.com/Free_Trials/free_trials.html
sales@nasoftware.com