Ryan William Gough

Justin Dagostino is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with nine years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Vertex Partners, where he has worked since 2019 in various capacities, including the launch of Vertex Partners as an independent investment advisor firm in 2022. His prior experience includes roles at LPL Financial, TD Ameritrade, Scottrade, Executive Wealth Management, and INVEST Financial Corp. Vertex Partners provides advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and charitable and corporate entities. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes asset allocation, diversification, and behavioral finance, using a combination of active and passive model portfolios implemented through various investment vehicles and third-party manager platforms.

Michael Corson is a financial advisor at United Advisor Group with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Investment Management Inc. Outside of advising, he is an independent insurance agent, primarily selling disability insurance. United Advisor Group serves individuals, small businesses, trusts, and charities through a network of independent advisers, offering discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services. The firm combines proprietary model portfolios, custom trading, and third-party money managers using a variety of analytical and asset-allocation strategies.

Nicky Amore is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Parallel Advisors, LLC since 2025. Growing up, Nicky’s grandparents were an influential part of her life and she recalls, “My Papa always said that I should be a mechanic because I wanted to take things apart and discover how they work. He inspired me so much with his military service that I carry his dog tag with me to remind me that my first job is to serve others before I serve myself.” As a child with special needs in a family of six children, Nicky remembers, “Being in a wheelchair and having to learn resiliency and patience to overcome this struggle taught me to find a way to make it work.” She knew her special needs were temporary and she knew she would walk again one day. After struggling and relearning how to walk, she was determined to help others and to become a Chartered Special Needs Consultant®. After she healed from her injuries, she earned her second-degree black belt in karate, taught self defense to adults with special needs, participated in a triathlon for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the Chicago Marathon for Special Olympics, and an Ironman triathlon for the Wounded Warrior Project. Through her work for life, she finds that people remove their fear by connecting with and leaning on others. Prior to joining Parallel, Nicky worked at E*TRADE Capital Management, E*Trade Securities, and Morgan Stanley. Being a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and managing competing priorities requires integrating moving pieces including attention to detail and knowing not only how to take the pieces apart, but to put them back together in a way that fits and makes sense. Working collaboratively with her clients, she makes what seems complex, simple to understand, she creates a work-optional lifestyle, and together with clients, they plan and organize so that the focus is not on just one challenge, but the entire family. Nicky's career in financial services includes advising veterans, business owners, and families with special needs or trauma and much like she did in her youth, “As a Certified Financial Therapist™, I know my clients are the experts in their own lives so I take apart the fragments of my expertise and put the pieces back together in a cohesive way that can best serve them.” Since earning her MBA, she is determined to share her passion and enthusiasm for finance with the next generation of the profession. She also serves as an adjunct professor of finance at multiple institutions, including Harper College, UCLA Extension, New York University, and John Carroll University. She teaches Introduction to Accounting, Decision-Making for Entrepreneurs, and CFP® courses in estate planning, insurance and risk management, tax planning and psychology of financial planning. Nicky’s time outside of work is spent with her alumni societies and volunteering with Savvy Ladies, an organization determined to reduce disparities in financial education, 3rd Decade, Hire Heroes, and Alpha Phi Omega. She and her wife, Lauren, enjoy training for triathlons with their rescue dogs. Parallel Advisors serves individuals, businesses, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a diversified investment approach that includes fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and integrates held-away account management and adviser-only investment vehicles.

John Doncaster is the principal advisor at Doncaster Wealth LLC in Hinsdale, IL, with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Northwestern Mutual and its affiliates for over a decade. He also maintains a role as a Pacific Life insurance agent. Doncaster Wealth LLC is a single-advisor independent registered investment adviser managing approximately $11 million for around 35 clients. The firm offers discretionary asset management and fee-based financial planning, tailoring investment programs to clients’ goals and risk tolerance using fundamental and cyclical analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory.

Frederick Moore is the principal of Palos Wealth Advisors, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Palos Heights, Illinois. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 16 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, he practices as a licensed attorney specializing in estate planning, dedicating approximately 15% of his time to this legal work. Palos Wealth Advisors offers discretionary portfolio management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs quantitative models and technical analysis to construct tailored investment portfolios and provides regular performance reporting and client reviews.

I believe that everyone should have access to a professional advisor who understands their needs and can help them achieve the lifestyle they desire. As a financial advisor, I am dedicated to learning about your personal goals and using them to build a retirement plan tailored to your unique situation. NexJenn Financial Services was founded in response to the demand for financial planning from my tax clients. Often squeezed between spending for their kids’ education, caring for an elderly relative and saving for their own retirement, many were anxious about their financial future. I have enjoyed helping my clients find a balance and focus on building a strong financial future. I am a CPA® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional®, as well as a Retirement Income Certified Professional®. Additionally, I am a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and the XY Planning Network. In my spare time, my husband and I volunteer at a homeless shelter. I also love to bike and travel and am an aspiring photographer. I have been married for 30 years and together with my awesome husband, we’ve raised three awesome kids.