Proprietary Process, Public Products™ is Emerald Retirement Planning Group’s trademarked planning doctrine. It identifies and distinguishes Emerald’s advisory model in which the firm’s intellectual property, planning frameworks, and behavioral systems are proprietary, while all investment products used in client portfolios remain public, transparent, benchmarkable, and fully transferable. ******** The mark represents Emerald’s core value proposition: the client receives unique planning logic—including tax strategies, rebalancing rules, retirement income methodologies, rising-income design, sequence-risk mitigation, and long-horizon purchasing-power planning—without being restricted to any firm-specific or proprietary investment vehicle. The process is exclusive; the products remain fully transferable. ******** This doctrine differentiates Emerald from firms that rely on proprietary funds or captive product structures. It ensures clients benefit from Emerald’s internally developed planning methods while preserving complete independence, portability, and transparency in their investments. The mark signals a long-term philosophy: proprietary thinking, public products, zero captivity. ******** Intended Owner: Emerald IP Holdings, LLC, 100% owned and controlled by Matthew Clement ******** Commercial Use: The phrase is actively used in client meetings and will now also be utilized via white papers, written planning deliverables, and internal IP frameworks. ******** First Use in Commerce: October 14, 2024. ********