Preston Appleby is the principal of Appleby Advisory LLC in Evanston, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 10 years of industry experience. He has been self-employed since 2005. Appleby Advisory LLC serves individual investors, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, retirement accounts, corporations, and other business entities by referring clients to Geneva Advisors LLC for portfolio management. The firm acts solely as a solicitor and does not manage client accounts or hold custody of funds, relying on Geneva Advisors’ proprietary valuation model and investment professionals to implement and monitor client portfolios.

Jeffrey Roberts is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at North Forty Investment Advisors LLC since 2019 and previously spent 13 years at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, NA. North Forty Investment Advisors LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients, including IRAs, trusts, foundations, and estates. The firm offers wealth advisory, discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, and project-based financial consulting, emphasizing asset allocation and third-party manager selection through tiered service levels.

Robert Mesch is a CFP® with 38 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Intuitive Wealth Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he has led since 2018, following 17 years at Linsco/Private Ledger Corp operating under the same dba. He is also a licensed insurance agent. Intuitive Wealth Management serves individual clients by providing tailored investment advisory and asset management services, including discretionary and non-discretionary managed accounts. The firm customizes portfolios based on clients’ goals and risk tolerances, employing various strategies and conducting quarterly account reviews directly by the principal.

Luke Sauter is a financial advisor at Vidarrow Investment Advisors in Arlington Heights, IL, holding the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS™) designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Vidarrow Inc., he spent several years at Walgreens Boots Alliance in various roles. Vidarrow Investment Advisors is an independent, fee-only firm serving individual investors and organizational clients such as pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate plan sponsors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and educational seminars, utilizing a blend of passive and active strategies informed by modern portfolio theory and other analytical methods.

James Kirchner is the principal of Kirchner Financial Group, an independent registered investment adviser based in Chicago, IL. Holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, he has 24 years of industry experience with prior roles at firms including Allied Elite Financial and David A. Noyes. Outside of his advisory work, he also drives for Uber in Chicago on a part-time basis. Kirchner Financial Group manages approximately $15.9 million across about 29 client accounts, primarily serving high-net-worth individual investors. The firm provides ongoing portfolio management with discretionary authority, utilizing a combination of charting, fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis, mostly recommending equities and conducting monthly account reviews through Schwab Institutional.

David Oosterbaan is the founder of DCO Capital Management LLC in Chicago, IL, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been self-employed since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, he is a managing member of Jackson Partnership LLC, a private fund, and is involved in private real estate investing and consulting on recruiting and business development. DCO Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, foundations, endowments, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes a Buffett-style investment approach focused on fundamental research and long-term growth, constructing individualized portfolios based on client-specific factors.

Arthur Busby is the sole advisor at Stratford Investment Advisory Group, Inc., with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with the firm since 1990. Stratford Investment Advisory Group is a small, independent firm that provides customized portfolio management for individuals, high-net-worth clients, family trusts, and pension/profit-sharing accounts. The firm emphasizes a conservative, capital-preservation approach using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and focuses on maintaining personal contact to align asset allocation with clients’ cash-flow needs and risk tolerance.

Daniel Kaibel is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience. He is the president and chief compliance officer of Purpose Financial Planning LLC, where he has worked since 2017. Prior to founding Purpose Financial Planning, he was with Vantage Financial Partners Limited for nine years and Elite Investment Team, LLC for eight years. Purpose Financial Planning LLC is an independent, single-advisor firm that provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management to individuals and businesses, including high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of passive and active investment strategies, using ETFs, mutual funds, and individual equities, and offers clients updated financial plans annually as part of the advisory relationship.

John Couleur is the sole advisor at Couleur Investments in Wilmette, Illinois, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He has managed Couleur Investments since 2020 and previously operated under his own name from 2000 to 2022. Couleur Investments provides investment management and standalone financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, foundations, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a top-down investment approach focusing on high-quality growth and undervalued securities, incorporating fundamental, technical, cyclical, and event-driven analysis with a long-term holding strategy.

Veronica Cardenas is the principal of Cardenas Asset Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Chicago. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience. Since founding her firm in 2000, she has focused on providing investment management and financial planning services. Cardenas Asset Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable institutions, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes publicly traded equities, ETFs, mutual funds, and fixed-income instruments, using a long-term, quality-focused investment approach with tax-aware strategies and supports in-kind donations of appreciated securities as part of its planning services.

Nathan Kirckof is a CFA® charterholder and principal at Honeyguide Capital Partners in Chicago, IL. He has experience at Fitch Ratings, where he serves as a director and analyst, as well as prior roles at Bixby Research and Analytics LLC and U.S. Bank. Kirckof’s work at Fitch Ratings involves credit ratings and data analytics. Honeyguide Capital Partners provides fee-based discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a tactical asset allocation strategy using a concentrated set of exchange-listed securities, ETFs, and options, managing client assets according to a proprietary model portfolio rather than tailored individual plans.

Richard Ford is a financial advisor at Lloyd Park, LLC in Wilmette, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Lloyd Park since 2014. Lloyd Park, LLC is an independent firm providing discretionary asset and portfolio management primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and related trusts and estates, with $167.3 million in assets under management. The firm tailors investment programs to client objectives and risk tolerance, employing a range of investment vehicles and quantitative analysis, and also serves charitable organizations within its account policies.

Melanie Hummer is a CFP® and CFA® with 27 years of experience in financial advisory services. She is the founder of Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc, where she has worked since 1999. In addition to her advisory role, she is a self-employed CPA specializing in income tax return preparation and is the creator and president of costbasis.com, a website providing resources and calculators for investors to account for corporate reorganizations. Hummer Financial Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary investment supervisory services and a range of financial planning engagements for individuals, trusts, retirement accounts, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes tax-aware, buy-and-hold investment strategies with a focus on controlling taxable events and maintaining detailed tax records, supported by the firm’s integration of accounting and tax expertise.

Peigen Tao is the principal of Taos Investment Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding the CFA® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, and has 28 years of industry experience. He has worked with Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and operates several affiliated businesses, including an accounting firm and an insurance agency, where he holds management roles. Tao’s other business activities include serving as president of an insurance agency and partner in an accounting firm. Taos Investment Advisors provides financial planning, consulting, and discretionary asset management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as small business owners. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis and manages approximately $78.9 million in assets across about 116 client relationships.

Nino Lekarczyk is a financial advisor at WealthRidge Investments LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and operates a real estate rental business. WealthRidge Investments LLC is an independent investment adviser offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental and cyclical analysis along with Modern Portfolio Theory and may use long- and short-term holdings and options strategies.

Scott Wentsel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with nine years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Wentsel Wealth Management, LLC. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2016 and has been a professor at DePaul University since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a trustee for an investment-related advisory firm. Wentsel Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a low-cost, globally diversified investment approach centered on asset allocation, combining index-oriented ETFs and mutual funds with selective active management and individual securities, and offers institutional services uncommon for a firm of its size.

James Krebec is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at CIC Investment Consultants, LLC since 2003. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and maintains an Arkansas insurance license, though he spends no meaningful time in the insurance business. CIC Investment Consultants provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and advisory services on private securities and alternative investments, using a variety of analytical methods and strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

William Nedza is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC since 2018. His career includes leadership roles at Nedza Financial Advisors, LLC and Aos, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he holds active insurance licenses and engages in insurance sales. Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC is an independent registered investment adviser that provides written financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other U.S. entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, risk management tools, and diversified investment strategies across various asset classes.

Thai Thomas Tran is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Petrarch Wealth Management in Chicago. His prior work includes roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and Ameriprise Financial. Outside of his advisory duties, he owns and operates Petrarch Insurance Services LLC, which provides online non-investment financial education and consulting. Petrarch Wealth Management offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting services to individual and retirement plan clients. The firm emphasizes capital preservation and risk management through behavioral economics, goal-based planning, and strategic asset allocation, managing approximately $11.9 million across about 40 client relationships.

Kevin Yu is a CFP® and CFA® charterholder with 20 years of experience in financial advisory. He has led Yunistone Investment Group, LLC since its founding in 2009. The firm provides investment advisory and management services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, focusing on long-term, globally diversified, and tax-efficient portfolios using a core-satellite approach that combines passive index and ETF exposures with actively managed funds.