John Hackett is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with First Advisors National, LLC, based in Downers Grove, IL. He has four years of industry experience and has previously worked at Black Edge Capital and Marquette Partners. First Advisors National manages discretionary assets for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering investment management, third-party portfolio recommendations, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes selecting and monitoring third-party money managers and combines tactical and strategic approaches with fundamental analysis to support its investment decisions.

Joel Riley is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at HighPoint Planning Partners in Downers Grove, IL. He has been with HighPoint Planning Partners, operating as Black Diamond Planners, since 2013. HighPoint Advisor Group provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $4.0 billion in client assets and employs a comprehensive investment approach that includes fundamental analysis and diversified allocations across various securities and managed programs.

James Mcdermott is a financial advisor at Wedbush Securities Inc. with 32 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Raymond James & Associates and Osaic Wealth Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he appeared in a NetJets print advertisement with his family. Wedbush Securities serves a diverse client base including individual and high-net-worth investors, foundations, and institutional clients. The firm offers both brokerage and SEC-registered investment advisory services, managing approximately $5.68 billion in regulatory assets with a range of managed account and brokerage solutions.

Susan Christoph is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 63 professional with 22 years of industry experience. She has been with RMB Capital Management, LLC since 2008. Christoph is based in Chicago, IL, and is currently affiliated with Curi Capital, LLC. Curi Capital serves individuals and families, institutional and corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental, bottom-up approach to equity strategies and a fundamental relative-value orientation for fixed income, combining in-house strategies with external managers and proprietary risk analysis tools.

Alexis Trotter is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with one year of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. Prior to joining Ausdal, Alexis worked at Clarity Group Midwest and Princeville State Bank. Alexis also serves as a non-commissioned officer with the Illinois Air Force National Guard. Ausdal Financial Partners serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $3.73 billion for over 16,000 clients and offers a range of services such as advisor-managed accounts, separately managed accounts, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning, with tailored investment strategies developed at the advisor level.

Connie Heier is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Focus Financial since 2016. She has been a shareholder at Moser & Heier Financial Solutions since 2008 and at Moser & Heier CPA Inc. since 2005, where she is involved in tax preparation and planning. Heier also holds a long-standing role at OSAIC beginning in 1998. Focus Financial Network, Inc. manages approximately $6.3 billion through a network of 118 advisors, serving individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary managed accounts, access to third-party managers, retirement plan consulting, and financial planning services, employing a variety of investment strategies tailored to client profiles.

Erin Moriarity is a financial advisor at Root Financial Partners with a Series 65 designation. Although new to the industry, she has been involved with Root Financial Partners since 2026 and has prior experience with several businesses including Superior Dental Partners and Elevate Billing Solutions. She also runs a financial education platform called Erin Talks Money. Root Financial Partners provides investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individual clients, trusts, estates, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes diversified, passive investment strategies tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance, and offers educational programs alongside its advisory services.

Brian Degrado is a financial advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. His prior roles include positions at Lake Street Private Wealth, Raymond James & Associates, and J.P. Morgan Securities. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for over 9,400 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering investment management, financial planning, wrap-fee programs, and retirement plan services, utilizing a combination of analytical methods and third-party managers.

Michael Lutz is a financial advisor at IHT Wealth Management LLC in Chicago, IL, with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at JPMorgan Securities LLC and JPMorgan Chase. He also provides administrative support for IHT Wealth Management. IHT Wealth Management serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients, offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and outsourced CIO arrangements. The firm uses proprietary model portfolios and third-party managers, combining fundamental value screening and quantitative optimization in its investment process.

Michael Hoye is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2009. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and is based in Schaumburg, IL. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in the consultation and sale of fixed insurance products, including fixed indexed annuities and fixed life insurance. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets through a network of 152 advisors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, utilizing both discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies across a broad range of asset classes.

Thomas Longo is a financial advisor at Forum Financial Management, LP with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Forum Financial Management since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an accountant at Systems Accounting Services, Inc., a firm providing accounting and tax services. Forum Financial Management, LP offers fee-based wealth management, financial planning, and qualified plan services to individual and institutional clients. The firm also acts as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for independent RIAs, using model portfolios primarily based on a Modern Portfolio Theory approach with institutional mutual funds and ETFs.

Darla Douglas is a financial advisor with GPS Wealth Strategies Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and bringing 11 years of industry experience. She has worked with firms including LPL Financial and Western Wealth Management. Douglas is also a co-owner of B & B Farms of Grafton, an LLC based in Boulder, CO. GPS Wealth Strategies Group provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, small businesses, families, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs tailored portfolios utilizing a range of investment vehicles and analytical methods, supported by third-party managers, technology platforms, and a higher client-to-advisor ratio.

Christopher Begbie is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. He is currently with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. and has prior experience at LPL Financial, Waddell & Reed, and ProShares. Begbie also provides investment advisory services through Good Life Advisors, LLC, an independent registered investment advisor. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern Trust Corporation that offers discretionary portfolio management to high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes a model-driven investment approach with a range of proprietary and third-party products delivered through the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Erica Tarantur is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 18 years of industry experience. She is currently with Curi Capital, LLC and has been with RMB Capital Management, LLC since 2010. Based in Chicago, IL, her career has focused on wealth management and financial planning. Curi Capital serves individuals, families, institutional and corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental, bottom-up approach to equity and a fundamental relative-value strategy for fixed income, combining in-house and external managers to provide comprehensive wealth management and retirement plan solutions.

James Schmelter II is a financial advisor with SpiderRock Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. He previously worked at BlackRock Investments LLC and BlackRock from 2018 to 2024. SpiderRock Advisors provides discretionary investment advisory and sub-advisory services to a diverse client base, including institutional clients, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm utilizes systematic, technical, and rules-based processes combined with quantitative and fundamental analysis to offer option-based hedges, yield-enhancing overlays, and tailored synthetic borrowing strategies.

Jeffrey Gin is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Exodus Wealth, LLC and has worked with Prosperity Wealth Management, Inc. and Fortune Financial Services Inc. He is also involved in tax preparation as part of his other business activities. Exodus Wealth serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and pension/profit-sharing plans by providing asset management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial plans, managing several hundred million dollars in assets with a focus on tailored account supervision and diversified investment strategies.

Nicholas Bravo is a financial advisor at Belpointe Asset Management LLC in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 65 designation. He has been with Belpointe since 2025 and has prior experience at AFIN Family Wealth Management and Vermillion Financial Advisors. Outside of advising, he is also an independent insurance agent. Belpointe Asset Management is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 160 advisors managing more than $7.5 billion for individuals, corporations, trusts, and other advisers. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting, utilizing customized portfolios and a variety of advisory relationships and administrative services.

Jack Hagedorn is a financial advisor at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Chicago Partners since 2017. Prior to his advisory role, he attended Indiana University - Bloomington. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, not-for-profit plans, endowments, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a long-term, diversified, asset-allocation oriented investment approach that combines fundamental analysis with quantitative optimization and model-based portfolio construction across multiple asset classes.

Kyle De Raedt is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. His prior experience includes nearly a decade with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and affiliated entities. He is a partial owner of Stewardship Enterprises LLC, an entity established for business purposes. OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners provides customized financial planning and wealth management services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, business entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a range of portfolio management strategies utilizing third-party managers and proprietary models, supported by technology and operational outsourcing.

Brian Savage is a financial advisor at Forum Financial Management, LP with 40 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 63 designation and has worked in various capacities within Forum Financial Management and his own firms since 2000. In addition to his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent. Forum Financial Management, LP provides fee-based wealth management, financial planning, and qualified plan services to individual and institutional clients. The firm also serves as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for other independent RIAs, implementing portfolios primarily with institutional mutual funds and ETFs based on Modern Portfolio Theory.