John Matthew Piershale

As a CFP® professional and founder of Illuminate Wealth Management, I work with business owners, executives, and professionals who are navigating complex financial decisions. My goal is to help you understand your options, avoid costly mistakes, and create a strategy that supports the life you're working so hard to build. Over the years, I've developed a particular passion for helping clients make smart decisions around equity compensation. Whether you're dealing with RSUs, ISOs, stock options, ESPPs, or a major liquidity event, I help clients think through the tax implications, manage concentration risk, and create a plan that connects today's decisions with their long-term goals. I also work closely with business owners who are balancing the demands of running a company while trying to make thoughtful decisions about growing and protecting their personal wealth. When your business, taxes, retirement goals, investments, and family finances are all connected, financial planning becomes about much more than investments alone. While equity compensation and business planning are often what bring people to me, my role is much larger than solving a single financial challenge. I help clients think through retirement, taxes, investments, cash flow, and long-term wealth planning so they can make decisions with confidence and stay focused on what matters most. My approach is simple: bring clarity to complexity and help people make confident financial decisions. I believe good planning should help you spend less time worrying about money and more time focusing on what matters most to you.

James Madl is a financial advisor at Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management advises individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a range of analytical approaches and integrates financial planning with tax, insurance, and corporate-structure considerations, providing coordinated legal, tax, and insurance services through affiliated professionals.

David Meehan is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Maple Street Capital Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously worked as a self-employed investor for three years. Maple Street Capital Advisors provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals and families, including high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a fundamental, long-term investment approach focused on diversified, low-cost core equity and fixed-income funds, complemented by selected individual equities, with an emphasis on asset allocation, rebalancing, and strategic cash management including a near-constant allocation to gold via ETFs.

Scott Sierens is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He is the principal at Sierens Financial Group, Inc. in Elgin, IL, and has prior experience with AE Wealth Management, Gradient Advisors, and AptarGroup. He also works as a paid contractor creating content for YouTube. Sierens Financial Group, Inc. provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and high-net-worth clients, combining mutual funds, ETFs, and both fundamental and technical analysis. The firm offers educational seminars and workshops and accommodates client-specific investment restrictions and goals.

David Grant is a CFP® at Retirement Matters, Inc. in Barrington, IL, where he has worked since 2013. He has 15 years of industry experience and operates as the sole advisor at his independent firm. Retirement Matters, Inc. manages approximately $25 million for about 21 clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and ongoing wealth management services. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, and incorporates fundamental analysis and individualized investment policies in its approach.

James Richter is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Monotelo Wealth Partners in Elgin, IL. He previously worked at Hd Vest Advisory Services and Hd Vest Investment Services before founding Monotelo Wealth Partners in 2017. In addition to his advisory role, he owns and operates Monotelo Advisors, an accounting and tax preparation practice. Monotelo Wealth Partners is an independent firm that provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advisory services to a select client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm manages balanced, diversified portfolios with a focus on exchange-traded funds and employs multiple methods of analysis to implement tax-efficient investment strategies.