Subject: File No. S7-25-99
From: Eric M Carson
Affiliation: Senior Financial Advisor, American Express Financial Advisors

August 23, 2004

Rule under consideration should be WITHDRAWN. There cannot be two separate standards of registration/licensing for individuals offering financial planning services regardless of whether they are called something else by lesser licensees. The public will be unable to differentiate the two levels and it will put existing registrants at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace.