Nicholas Braden

David Marrone is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 29 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Financial Synergy, Inc. in Champaign, IL, and has held roles at Commonwealth Financial Network, Inc. and Commonwealth Equity Services since the early 1990s. Outside of advising, he serves as a notary public. Financial Synergy, Inc. provides financial planning and portfolio management services primarily to individual clients, operating largely on a non-discretionary basis. The firm integrates tax preparation and planning with its advisory services and offers insurance products, combining these capabilities in a way that reflects Marrone’s background in accounting and tax credentials.

Scott Willenbrock is the sole advisor at Willenbrock Financial Planning in Champaign, Illinois, holding a Series 65 designation with 16 years of industry experience. He has been a professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1993, balancing his academic career with financial advisory work. Willenbrock Financial Planning serves individual clients, trusts, estates, and small entities by providing comprehensive personal financial planning and discretionary investment management. The firm employs a diversified, low-cost index fund strategy tailored to clients’ time horizons and risk tolerances, operating on a fee-only, single-advisor model with no third-party compensation.

Xinhong Liu is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently practicing at an independent financial planning and asset management firm in Champaign, IL. Prior to founding the firm, Liu worked at Cozad Asset Management, Inc. and M Holdings Securities, Inc. from 2016 to 2019. Liu also serves as Treasurer of the Chinese American Association of Central Illinois. The firm provides financial planning and investment management services tailored to individual clients and trusts, along with retirement plan consultation for small businesses. Portfolios are customized based on client circumstances and risk tolerance, emphasizing long-term, diversified allocation with quarterly and annual reviews.

William Cooper is a financial advisor at W.K. Cooper II Asset Management Corporation in Champaign, IL, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with his current firm since 2000. W.K. Cooper II Asset Management Corporation serves high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients by providing discretionary portfolio management and wealth-management services focused on risk management. The firm uses third-party research and offers personalized investment oversight through a combination of informal monitoring and formal annual reviews.

Achim Von Bodman is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Orbit Financial Planning and Investments. His prior experience includes roles at JPMorgan and Nadler Financial Group. Outside of financial advising, he is an investor and manager at Soccer Planet, an indoor athletic field in Champaign, IL. Orbit Financial Planning and Investments provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and various institutional entities. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, investing across a broad range of instruments and offering access to alternative strategies through recommended sub-advisors.

Scott Cline is the sole advisor at Cline Financial Concepts, LLC in Champaign, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 21 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Miller Financial Planning LLC from 2014 to 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he consults on MS Excel clean-up for an agricultural consulting company during off-hours. Cline Financial Concepts serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering discretionary investment management and fee-based financial planning. The firm constructs portfolios using low-cost mutual funds, ETFs, and occasionally individual stocks or bonds, employing fundamental analysis with a long-term focus and regularly monitors and rebalances accounts.