Mary Teresa Roberto is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, Telemus Capital, Sanctuary Advisors, Bank of America, and Merrill. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses, offering a range of discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial counseling, and fiduciary services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies alongside firm-affiliated funds and legacy programs.

James Bondar is a financial advisor at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at Zacks Investment Management, SheltonCapital Management, and has experience outside finance including roles at Attic Bar and Bistro and JP's Pizza and Grill. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, and non-profits by providing investment advisory services alongside financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios implemented through a combination of ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and private funds.

William Farkas is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Indiana University and Mill Ridge Wealth Management, LLP. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services serves a diverse client base including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, and institutional clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs, utilizing strategic allocation models and proprietary analytics within the broader Goldman Sachs ecosystem.

Onjada Haggard Richardson is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 29 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at Citigroup Global Markets since 2007. Richardson serves on the Board of Directors for Mercy Housing Lakefront, an organization that provides affordable housing and social services in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment advisory programs alongside broker-dealer execution and custody services. The firm combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and security-pricing activities, swap dealing, and futures commission merchant operations.

Samuel Strum is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing eight years of industry experience. His work history includes roles with Eagle Strategies, New York Life Insurance Company, Nylife Securities LLC, and Broadway Asia International. Outside of financial services, he is involved as a partner in producing Broadway Goes A Cappella concerts and serves on the boards of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s 20s and 30s group and Cadence Music NFP, a nonprofit focused on music education and development. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, institutional clients, and retirement plans, offering financial planning, investment management, and advisory services primarily linked to insurance and annuity products. The firm provides tailored advice through multiple program types, with the majority of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Renate Knippen is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having three years of industry experience. She has worked with NYLIFE Securities LLC, Evelin Flaherty Freytas, Mastermind Wealth Strategies LLC, and operated Knippen Enterprises Inc. outside of her current role. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and charitable and corporate clients. The firm provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services, delivering advice through various program types tailored to client objectives.

David Holtkamp is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Bank of America, N.A. and Merrill Lynch. He serves as Treasurer of his homeowners association, where he manages budgeting and financial reporting. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm supports a wide range of investment strategies through a large network of independent adviser representatives, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary account management and utilizing various analytical approaches and third-party platforms.

Mirjana Nikolic is a financial advisor at William Blair with 20 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 credential and has been with William Blair & Co since 2008. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm utilizes an active, research-driven approach across various asset classes and provides proprietary models, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Anthony Ceffalio is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at LPL Financial and Athletico. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers a broad range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, utilizing multiple program structures and technology tools to support advisor and client needs.

Chrysanthe Karayannis is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Evanston, IL, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and bringing 26 years of industry experience. She has been with TIAA-CREF since 2015. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected with TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm offers a range of services including point-in-time planning and ongoing discretionary management, applying a fiduciary standard to its RIA services within a vertically integrated structure.

Deborah Frazier is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with 37 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has worked at Hightower since 2019. Her prior roles include positions at Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. From 2017 to 2019, she was involved with National Junior Tennis@ Learning of Trenton. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach includes manager selection and multi-manager solutions using both affiliated and third-party managers, and it offers tailored portfolio management incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Richard Friedman is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Hwr Trading Partnership and under his own practice before joining Creative Planning in 2021. Outside of his advisory role, he is a partner in Beta Iota, LLC, a limited partnership involved in rental property investments. Creative Planning serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $217 billion in assets. The firm employs a financial planning–led investment approach emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a range of supplemental portfolio management and retirement plan services.

Xiao Liu is a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 credential. Liu has been with CIBC Wood Gundy – CIBC Private Wealth since 2015, totaling 11 years of industry experience. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and coordinated Family Office services. The firm’s investment approach includes a combination of proprietary and external strategies, governance by multiple committees, and customized portfolio solutions with options and structured notes.

Arvinder Kochar is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory in Glenview, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 21 years of industry experience. He previously worked at GWFS Equities, Inc. for nine years before joining Kestra Advisory and related affiliated firms in 2019. Kochar also serves as a Registered Field Assistant for IPPFA Benefits, providing administrative and customer service support. Kestra Advisory Services offers investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients, providing services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm serves large institutional investors and offers access to multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.

Arinola Afolabi is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, she held positions at Piper Sandler and worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base including individual investors, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs such as Private Family Office and Executive Wealth services. The firm utilizes strategic allocation models, manager selections, and operational tools including tax-aware techniques and proprietary analytics to tailor portfolios to client objectives.

Cole Charles is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Bank of America, Merrill, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Northwestern Mutual. Charles also has experience outside finance, including roles at Elmhurst University and in the hospitality industry. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a wide range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer execution and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies using both discretionary and non-discretionary programs and is notable for its large institutional scale and specialized market roles.

Kurt Wittmeyer is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving at Corient. His prior roles include positions at Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC and Northern Trust. He also mentors young adults through 3rd Decade, providing guidance on personal financial planning. Corient offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse clientele, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Katrina Jones is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. She has worked at Mesirow Financial Investment Management and Mesirow Financial since 2021, with prior experience at Bankers Life Securities and TradeStation. Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs quantitative and qualitative due diligence in portfolio construction and offers access to proprietary private investment products and third-party managers.

Benjamin House is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with four years of industry experience. He is currently with Empower Advisory Group and has previously worked at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he performs standup comedy monthly at a venue in Chicago. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, along with Empower Premier IRA and select retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes integrated services aligned with Empower’s recordkeeping and administration platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and optional managed account solutions.

James Corrigan is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Advisors, LLC with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill. Outside of financial services, he has ownership interests in a fitness center and a wellness business offering on-site self-care services. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a large network of independent advisers. The firm offers a range of portfolio management options and financial planning services, operating with a fiduciary standard under written advisory agreements.