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 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Purpose Financial Planning LLC in Arlington Heights, IL. His prior experience includes roles at Elite Investment Team, LLC and Vantage Financial Partners Limited. Purpose Financial Planning serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and businesses, offering portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm uses a mix of passive and active management strategies, employing ETFs, mutual funds, and individual equities, and utilizes fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to guide investment decisions.

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.

John Eiduk is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with over 13 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Elite Asset Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Palatine, IL, and has previously worked at Equitable Advisors and Stride Investments, LLC. In addition to advisory services, he also engages in insurance sales, focusing on life, health, and long-term care insurance. Elite Asset Management serves individual clients by providing portfolio management and financial planning without a minimum account size. The firm employs both strategic and tactical investment approaches using fundamental and technical analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory, and it operates an affiliated tax and accounting practice under common ownership.

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.

Joseph Kuschman is a CFP® professional associated with Earnest Planning LLC in Chicago, IL, with six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Goldman Sachs and NextCapital Advisers, among others. Earnest Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients with wealth management that combines discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and passive management, offers ESG strategies and model portfolios, and provides a range of financial planning services while operating on a fee-only basis.

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.

Conor Mahlmann is a CFP® certified financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Ascent Financial Planning and has prior experience at SLP Wealth LLC, Kippington Capital Management, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of traditional financial advising, he works as a Student Loan Consultant at Student Loan Planner®, where he conducts consultations and creates media content related to student loan repayment and forgiveness. Ascent Financial Planning provides financial planning and portfolio management services for individuals and families, emphasizing retirement planning, cash flow and budgeting, and federal student loan guidance. The firm employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis with model ETF portfolios and selective individual securities, operates on a fee-only basis, and offers both fixed-fee and asset-based pricing options.

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.

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 experience in financial advisory roles. He is the sole advisor at Petrarch Wealth Management, an independent firm based in Chicago, IL. His prior experience includes multiple roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and ownership of Petrarch Insurance Services LLC, where he also provides online non-investment related financial education and consulting. Petrarch Wealth Management offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individual and retirement plan clients. The firm emphasizes capital preservation and risk management through behavioral economics, goal-based planning, and strategic asset allocation.

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.

Gerard Downey is a financial advisor at Linden Wealth Management LLC in Oak Park, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2011, accumulating 15 years in the financial sector. Linden Wealth Management LLC is an independent, SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small- to medium-sized businesses. The firm applies modern portfolio theory and quantitative analytics to construct diversified portfolios, emphasizes low-cost ETFs and mutual funds, and provides both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

We guide First Gen Wealth Builders to align money with purpose. When you’re a First Gen, the financial safety net didn’t exist. You built your own. We partner with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs who’ve built success from the ground up. Does this sound like you? You’re ready for guidance that feels aligned, not intimidating. Advice that honors where you came from and helps you build what’s next. Hiring a financial planner? That’s new territory. No one in your family has done this before. Success has evolved. The questions are bigger now — more strategic, more intentional. -How do I balance saving and investing for my family with still having the freedom to travel, be present and enjoy life? -How do we protect what we’ve built, legally, financially, and emotionally, in a system that wasn’t built for us? -How do I make smarter decisions around taxes, equity comp, and investments, without second-guessing every move? Enter FirstGen Wealth: A Financial Life Planning Practice - Independent - Fee-Only (one flat fee for financial planning and Investment Management) -Fiduciary 100% of the time - Virtual - Based in Chicago and work with clients nationwide (most clients are in CA, NY, NJ, WA, VA, GA, and TX) Meet Valerie Rivera, CFP®, Founder & Financial Planner: -CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with nearly 20 years of experience advising clients with $10–$20 million portfolios. Now using that same expertise to empower First Gen Wealth Builders. -Wife, mother, homeowner, and business owner bringing real-world perspective to every financial plan. - A proud First Gen who built her own financial safety net and reached Coast FI by 40. Passionate about tax planning, travel, and helping others design lives of freedom and purpose. Her six-year-old has already visited more than 15 countries, and I’m always planning the next four. -Culturally competent, inclusive, and a proud LGBTQ+ ally committed to financial equity and social justice.

Sam Bakou is a CFP® with 21 years of experience in the financial industry. He is the sole advisor at Sora Wealth, LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2021, having previously worked for 18 years at Vantage Financial Partners Limited. Sora Wealth, LLC provides personalized wealth management, financial planning, and discretionary portfolio management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to build individualized investment plans and employs a broad set of instruments and strategies, including options and alternative funds, while delegating day-to-day trading and operations to a sub-adviser.

Deidre Mcclurg is the sole advisor at Stoken Asset Management LLC, an independent firm based in Winnetka, IL. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 12 years of industry experience. Mcclurg has led Stoken Asset Management since its inception in 2013. Stoken Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment supervisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis, technical charting, and cyclical methods within a framework defined by written Investment Policy Statements.

Sam Macaluso is the founder and principal of Ripple Ridge Enterprises LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and a CPA firm, SAM D. Macaluso & Associates, which provides accounting and tax-preparation services. Ripple Ridge Enterprises serves individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach and utilizes a range of investments, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.