H&R Block Chooses S&P Equity Research, Mutual Fund Reports for Its Clients and Investment Advisors

H&R Block Chooses S&P Equity Research, Mutual Fund Reports for Its Clients and
Investment Advisors 


NEW YORK, March 29  /PRNewswire/ -- H&R Block Financial Advisors has chosen to
provide Standard & Poor's independent equity research and mutual fund research
to both its individual investor clients and its 1,200 financial advisors.  A
leading provider of independent investment research, ratings and indices,
Standard & Poor's will provide to H&R Block's Financial Advisors and their
clients a suite of equity research and funds information that includes Standard
& Poor's Stock Reports on 5,000 companies, Mutual Fund Reports on more than
16,000 U.S. mutual funds, updates on Standard & Poor's model portfolios, and
intraday and monthly stock market and analyst commentary from Standard & Poor's
team of economic and investment strategists.  The reports are available
immediately to both H&R Block's financial advisors and their individual investor
clients via H&R Block's Investment Center client-facing Web site and through
Advisor Workspace, the intranet site serving H&R Block's financial advisor
network.

"We believe that the ability to discuss relevant, timely data from trusted
research sources is critical as we build long-term financial advisory
relationships with our clients.  By offering independent research from Standard
& Poor's, in conjunction with our own proprietary, unbiased and independent
research, our clients can clearly see the value we add as we fulfill H&R Block's
corporate mission of serving as America's tax and financial partner," stated
Lyle Schonberger, Director of Research, H&R Block Financial Advisors.

"Standard & Poor's is pleased to provide its independent investment research to
H&R Block's clients and financial advisors.  Standard & Poor's is the market
leader in independent research for two main reasons: our independent perspective
when analyzing individual funds and equities, the depth and breadth of our
coverage of these investments," said Sanford Bragg, executive managing director,
Standard & Poor's.

Standard & Poor's currently offers the industry's broadest U.S. equity research
coverage -- STARS "buy-sell-hold" recommendations on 1,200 firms -- and in late
2003 increased its team to include 70 U.S. equity analysts,in line with its
goal of adding qualitative coverage on an additional 200 U.S. firms throughout
2004.

About Standard & Poor's STock Appreciation Ranking System (STARS)

Standard & Poor's STock Appreciation Ranking System (STARS), which was first
introduced on December 31, 1986, reflects the opinions of Standard & Poor's
equity analysts on the price appreciation potential of nearly 1,200 U.S. stocks
for the next 12-month period.  Rankings range from five-STARS ("Buy") to
one-STARS ("Sell").

Fourteenof Standard & Poor's equity analysts were honored in the 11th annual
Wall Street Journal "Best on the Street" 2003 analysts survey. Standard & Poor's
equity research ranked #2 overall.  Five analysts placed first in their
respective industries, one placed second, two placed third, and six were
highlighted as honorable mentions.

About Standard & Poor's

Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services has the largest U.S. equity coverage
count among equity research firms that are not affiliated with a WallStreet
investment bank, analyzing 1,200 U.S. stocks.

As a recognized authority in institutional-quality financial research, Standard
& Poor's has 43 fund analysts located in nine offices around the world offering
in-depth mutual fund reports on over 15,000 U.S. domestic mutual funds.  In
addition, the company's custom-designed client solutions provide access to
performance data on nearly 80,000 investment funds in the U.S., European, Asian,
and Offshore universe.

Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the
world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk
evaluation, investment research, data and valuations.  With 5,000 employees
located in 20 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential partof the world's
financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years
in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more
confident about their investment and financial decisions.  For more information,
visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/.

Standard & Poor's analytic services are performed as entirely separate
activities in order to preserve the independence of each analytic process.  In
this regard, STARS, which are published by Standard & Poor's Equity Research
Services, operates independently from, and has no access to information obtained
by Standard & Poor's Rating Services, which may in the course of its operations
obtain access to confidential information.

About H&R Block

H&R Block Inc. (http://www.hrblock.com/) is a diversified company with
subsidiaries that deliver tax, financial, mortgage and business products and
services. It is the only major company with subsidiaries offering a full range
of software, online and in-office tax solutions, combined with personalized
financial advice about retirement savings, home ownership, and other
opportunities to help clients build a better financial future. As the world's
largest tax services company, H&R Block served nearly 21 million clients in the
U.S. and 11 countries in 2003. H&R Block Financial Advisors Inc. offers
investment services and securities products. With more than 1,000 financial
advisors serving clients at more than 400 offices, H&R Block Financial Advisors
Inc. is a memberNYSE, SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and a registered
investment advisor. H&R Block Inc. is not a registered broker- dealer and is not
a registered investment advisor. H&R Block Mortgage Corp. offers a full range of
retail mortgage products. Option One Mortgage Corp. provides mortgage services
and offers wholesale mortgage products through large financial institutions and
a network of 24,000 independent mortgage brokers. RSM McGladrey Business
Services Inc. and its subsidiaries serve mid- sized businesses and their owners
with tax, accounting and business consulting services, as well as personal
wealth management services. 

DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's; H&R Block Inc.



CONTACT:  Standard & Poor's

John Piecuch

Communications Manager

Tel.:  [phone]



H&R Block Financial Advisors

Dan Grubbs

Public Relations Manager

Tel. [phone]





Web site:  http://www.standardandpoors.com/

http://www.hrblock.com/ 

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