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.

Eric Kirste, CFP®, CIMA®, AIF® is the Co-Founder, Principal Wealth Manager at Savvy Advisors, Inc. He has been featured in Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, InvestmentNews, Business Insider, GoBankingRates, and U.S. News & World Report. With a deep-rooted passion for service and enriching the lives of others, Eric found his calling as a wealth management professional early on. Eric brings over 24 years of deep experience working closely with individuals and families in transition, helping them navigate difficult changes. Compassion is important to Eric, and he helps clients who are going through a divorce or grieving the loss of a spouse or family member get through the transition to financial independence and overcome new challenges with confidence. He also helps business owners and individuals looking to retire early or nearing retirement ensure they are best prepared for their ideal retirement lifestyle. At Savvy, he strives to help his clients align their money with their values, provide integrated solutions to serve all of their needs and empower them to make a lifetime of smart financial decisions. Importantly, Eric is committed to keeping his clients’ best interests top of mind while offering ongoing guidance, encouragement and accountability. With a passion for helping others, Eric has volunteered for the Foundation for Financial Planning, AARP and is the Treasurer on the Board of Wings For Widows. Eric is a native of the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He is committed to giving back to his community and serves as the Treasurer for the Prospect Heights Park District Board of Commissioners and the Old Orchard Country Club. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Alisa, their two sons, Logan and Matthew, and their rescue dog, Bear.

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.

Zhe Li is a CFA® charterholder with one year of experience at April Asset Management LLC. Prior to joining April Asset Management, he worked at FICO-Wiseco, Tongdun Technology, Ernst & Young, and Protiviti Inc. April Asset Management LLC, formed in 2026, provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and corporate clients. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach that combines strategic and tactical asset allocation with fundamental, qualitative, and cyclical analysis.

Shreekkanth Viswanathan is a CFA® charterholder and holds the Series 66 designation with nine years of industry experience. He has been with SVN Capital, LLC since its founding in 2018, following three years at Keeley Asset Management. SVN Capital, LLC is a state-registered investment adviser serving individual and institutional clients with discretionary portfolio management, including separately managed accounts and a pooled private fund. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental value-investing approach focused on a concentrated portfolio and long-term horizon, managing approximately $14.3 million in discretionary assets.

Brenda Knox is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience. She has been with Financial Elements, Inc. since 2008. Financial Elements, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management for individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory, using globally diversified portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds and ETFs, and operates as a small, fee-only advisory practice with multiple professional fiduciary credentials.

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.

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.

Patrick Mcrae is the principal of Kintail Advisors, an independent advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 credential and has professional experience with Kapco Futures, Inc. since 2019 and CGB Diversified Services, Inc. from 2016 to 2019. Mcrae also operates as a registered associated person and principal of Kapco Futures. Kintail Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and qualified companies and institutions. The firm uses four long-term model portfolios with allocations ranging from bond and REIT-focused ETFs to growth ETFs and occasional spot cryptocurrency ETFs, employing technical, fundamental, and quantitative analysis on a discretionary basis.

Patrick Crowley is a financial advisor at Crowley Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his independent firm in 2024, he worked for 11 years at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. He holds a Series 66 designation. Outside of his advisory role, he is listed as treasurer and vice president of a family-owned real estate company. Crowley Capital Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, small businesses, and estates. The firm customizes portfolio management based on client objectives and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis, and may employ third-party sub-advisors.

Philip Statz is a financial advisor with Insight Financial Group, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2005 and has been with Insight Financial Group since 2003. In addition to his advisory role, Statz operates as an independent insurance agent. Insight Financial Group serves individual clients, including high-net-worth families, and small-business owners by providing comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and business consulting. The firm employs an investment approach centered on asset allocation and behavior coaching, using model portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, and offers unique services such as the Virtual CFO Solution™ and a fixed-price fee model.

Steven Peshek is a financial advisor at Altruity Wealth with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Altruity Investment Advisors, LLC since 2018. In addition to his advisory role, Peshek is president and CEO of Texture Graphics, LLC, a print and marketing firm he founded in 2002. Altruity Wealth is an independent registered investment advisor providing discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, pooled investment vehicles, and institutional clients. The firm offers actively managed strategies across a range of risk profiles and uses a combination of technical, fundamental, and sentiment indicators to guide asset allocation and security selection.

Ivan Havrylyan is a financial advisor with Outside The Box Financial Planning, LLC in Wheeling, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 12 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2017, he worked at Securities America Advisors and Personal Financial Strategies, Inc. Outside The Box Financial Planning primarily serves individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals and business entities, providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach using index funds and ETFs, integrating ongoing financial planning with portfolio oversight.

Chetan Notaria is a financial advisor with Investment Resources Center in Palatine, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 16 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Planning Resources Center since 2001, where he also serves as president of an insurance agency and is involved in technology and business development consulting. Investment Resources Center provides personalized financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and business entities, including corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, estates, and trusts. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and offers proprietary model portfolios alongside customized management, with services that include retirement planning, tax-efficiency analysis, and estate-related investment guidance.

Hi, I'm Larry Pershing, CFP® RMA®, a flat fee financial advisor. I focus on helping people age 55+ with their retirement planning and investment management needs for a FLAT fee. Having worked in various wealth management firms in my career, I was surprised to discover many firms try to service everyone, which leads them to being average for all. Some are more concerned with amassing client assets than providing customized recommendations. I started Optimum Retirement Planning because I saw a need for specialists to help clients navigate the complex and challenging financial aspects of retirement. Our offering is different. We don’t work with everyone. We specialize in helping those who are close to and in retirement. We apply the latest financial research for retirement to help answer your complex financial questions. Optimum Retirement Planning is a flat fee financial advisor. This means we charge differently than most financial advisors. We offer retirement planning and investment management for a flat fee. For too long retirees have been overpaying for financial advice due to large commissions and/or being charged a percentage of their assets. When I’m not in the office, I’m on a tennis court, reading a book (finance or science fiction), or spending time with family and friends. I also volunteer for AARP sponsored events that help seniors receive complimentary financial advice. While I live in Chicago, I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I return often, especially during winter. You can take the guy out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the guy!

Timothy McDonald is the sole advisor at Timothy J McDonald CPA CFP, an independent firm based in Lake Barrington, IL. He holds CFP® and Series 63 designations and has 27 years of industry experience. He is also a partner in the CPA firm McDonald Doherty & Co., where he has been active since 1988. The firm provides personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals and families, integrating tax planning with investment strategies. It employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis and asset allocation tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and goals, managing approximately $65 million across about 60 client relationships.

Daniel Fudala is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience and the sole advisor at Hazel Ridge Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Palatine, IL. He has been with Hazel Ridge Advisors since its founding in 2015. Hazel Ridge Advisors is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving primarily individual clients with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm manages client assets entirely in-house, applying a combination of fundamental, cyclical, technical, and modern portfolio theory methods to asset allocation and security selection.

Peter Wright is the principal of Wright Benefit Advisors Inc. in Lake Bluff, IL, with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Kingsbury Capital Investment Advisors, Edwin C Blitz Investments, and Wright Benefit Strategies. He is also president of Wright Benefit Strategies, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm licensed for life, health, and property casualty insurance. Wright Benefit Advisors provides investment advisory and pension consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and education seminars, employing a combination of fundamental, quantitative, technical analysis, and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation.

Roy Brown is a CFP® with 28 years of industry experience and has been with Trueman Brown since 2007. He holds a Series 63 license and is based in Lake Zurich, IL. Outside of his advisory role, he is co-owner and vice president of RVTV Properties. Trueman Brown provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to create growth-oriented portfolios while focusing on capital preservation.