Kyle Merkling

John Piershale is a CFP® professional with 32 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Piershale Wealth Management, LLC in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and has held prior roles at Origin Financial, Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., Piershale Financial Group, Inc., and Triad Advisors, Inc. Piershale Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management and a variety of financial planning services to individual clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory and fundamental analysis, offering specialized tax and estate planning within a modest, single-advisor model.

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.

Anton Prokopenko is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as an advisor at HighPoint Planning Partners with one year of industry experience. He is also the president of Sansone & Associates, P.C., an accounting and tax services firm for businesses and individuals. His prior work includes positions at Northern Illinois University, UnitedHealth Group, Concordia University Chicago, and the College of DuPage. HighPoint Advisor Group provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $4.0 billion in client assets and employs a fundamental analysis approach to construct individualized investment policies across a range of securities and custodial platforms.

Richard Vandersande is an independent financial advisor with Smart Stewardship Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 20 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Efficient Capital Management, LLC since 2009 and has operated Smart Stewardship Advisors since 2005. Vandersande is also vice president of The Stewardship Alliance, LLC, which provides stewardship planning based on biblical principles. Smart Stewardship Advisors serves individual investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a structured coaching program for wealth and charitable estate planning, pension fiduciary reviews, and educational seminars, focusing on an analytical coaching process rather than direct portfolio management.

Elisa Hanson is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. She has been with Black Barn Financial, LLC since 2016, working as part of a four-advisor team based in Marengo, Illinois. Black Barn Financial is a registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $165 million in client assets, offering discretionary portfolio management and flexible financial planning services that incorporate both fundamental and technical analysis tailored to client-specific investment policies.

Sean Hendricks is a financial advisor at Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at firms including Hero Investment Planners LLC and Foote, Meyers, Mielke & Flowers, LLC. Hendricks is also a licensed attorney in Illinois and operates Hendricks Law Office separately from his advisory work. Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm provides comprehensive portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, employing a range of analytical approaches to tailor portfolios according to client objectives and risk tolerances.