Lori Whittingham Derby

Douglas Ruth is the president and owner of Lenox Capital Management, Inc., an independent registered investment adviser based in New Lenox, Illinois. He holds a Series 63 designation and has 40 years of industry experience. Ruth has led Lenox Capital Management since 1997 and has been involved with Lenox Financial Services, Inc. since 1994. He also serves as a board member of TB Clinic and operates an insurance agency offering life, health, and dental products. Lenox Capital Management provides portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to individual clients, as well as businesses and institutions. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis, supporting active and passive investment strategies, with ongoing account reviews conducted by Ruth as the sole adviser.

Lyman Howell is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Regal Oak Financial, LLC since 2016. He has also operated as an independent financial consultant under his own name since 2014. Outside of his advisory work, Howell provides consulting to a nonprofit organization developing a business incubator and small loan program for micro-businesses. Regal Oak Financial is an independent advisory firm offering comprehensive financial and investment planning services to individuals, business owners, high-net-worth clients, and nonprofit organizations. The firm emphasizes goal-setting, client-accessible financial plans, and investment strategies focused on low-cost funds, with a particular focus on nonprofit and charitable clients and ongoing client education.

Donald Cuba is a financial advisor at DMC Capital Management Inc with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked with AllState Insurance Company and the Chicago Board of Trade since 2004. In addition to his advisory role, he provides technical support at the Chicago Board of Trade. DMC Capital Management Inc offers portfolio management and advisory services primarily for individual and retirement accounts, including IRAs, trusts, and employer retirement plans. The firm serves a small, closed client base and focuses on investor education with a long-term allocation strategy centered on mutual funds, bonds, CDs, and cash equivalents.

Alexander Locker is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in financial advisory services. He is the principal of OmniDivitia Wealth Management, Inc., an independent firm based in Flossmoor, IL, and has also operated tax preparation services through OmniDivitia Tax Services, LLC. His work history includes running his own firms since 2009. OmniDivitia Wealth Management provides personalized investment management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs documented investment policy statements and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, offering services such as discretionary portfolio management, retirement-plan advisory, and ERISA pension consulting.

Renee Collins is a CFP® with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Retire Ready Inc. She has a background that includes roles at the IRS and FGMK, and she is the founder and president of RKC Tax and Financial Services Inc., an accounting firm providing services to a nonprofit organization. Retire Ready Inc. offers comprehensive financial planning to individuals, families, business owners, and clients undergoing divorce, with a focus on cash flow, retirement, tax, estate, risk management, and investment planning. The firm emphasizes a passive investment approach using diversified, low-cost index funds and ETFs, combined with client-specific risk assessment, and provides services through modular planning packages and ongoing management under a fiduciary standard.

Joseph Harowski is a CFP® professional with 21 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Smart Choice Financial Planning, Inc. and has been affiliated with United Planners Financial Services of America since 2004. Smart Choice Financial Planning offers financial planning, retirement and estate consultations, and portfolio monitoring to individuals, families, and small businesses without account minimums. The firm follows a primarily passive, low-cost investment approach and provides services on a project or fixed-fee basis with a fee-only, no-commission structure.