Gerard Downey is a financial advisor at Linden Wealth Management LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2011. Linden Wealth Management LLC provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses. The firm emphasizes modern portfolio theory, using low-cost, index-based ETFs and mutual funds, while also incorporating individualized securities and alternative investments as appropriate.

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 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Sora Wealth, LLC. He previously worked at Vantage Financial Partners Limited for 18 years before founding his independent firm in 2021. Sora Wealth provides wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm combines client-specific financial planning with tailored asset allocations, employing both fundamental and technical analysis, and uses an external sub-adviser for trade execution and back-office functions while retaining supervisory responsibility.

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.

Edwin Cogan is a financial advisor at Steeplechase Investments with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Steeplechase Investments since 1994. Steeplechase Investments provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, focusing on direct investments in stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds. The firm employs an active, tactical approach that adjusts between capital appreciation and preservation based on macroeconomic analysis and technical chart patterns, tailoring portfolios to clients’ age and income needs.

William Alt is a financial advisor at MWS Capital Consultants LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at MWS Capital Consultants since 2020. Prior to his current role, he was affiliated with UW-Madison and the Camp Randall Rowing Club, and he has over two decades of experience in public schools. MWS Capital Consultants LLC offers personalized investment management, wealth-planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes a Classic Portfolio Management strategy focused on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, managing mostly discretionary portfolios while supporting interactive financial planning through the eMoney Advisor platform.

Frances Tuite is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Sankota Capital LLC since 2024. She previously worked at Oak Family Advisors, LLC, Fairpointe Capital LLC, and RMB Capital Management. Outside of financial advising, she is co-manager of an organic brewery and restaurant and owns an organic farm. Sankota Capital LLC provides discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, pension and profit-sharing plans, foundations, endowments, and charitable institutions. The firm employs a fundamentally driven, concentrated investment approach focused on undervalued small- and mid-cap companies, incorporating corporate governance and sustainability assessments in its security selection.

Thomas Ahlbeck is a financial advisor at Ahlbeck Financial with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Cetera Financial Specialists LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he manages and owns commercial and residential real estate properties with family members and serves as the treasurer for Maine Township School. Ahlbeck Financial provides portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, tailoring investment strategies to clients' goals and risk tolerance. The firm employs fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and technical analysis, offering discretionary management across various asset classes with regular account reviews.

Bronwyn Mirretti is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving at Mirretti Perryman Wealth Strategies, LLC. She has worked with the firm and its predecessors since 2016 and is also an independent insurance agent. Bronwyn serves as a school board member, a role she has held since 2018. Mirretti Perryman Wealth Strategies, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services to individuals, trusts, and retirement plans, including high-net-worth clients. The firm builds customized, risk-based, and tax-aware portfolios using modern portfolio theory and quantitative methods, supplementing in-house advice with third-party managers and operating as a wrap fee program sponsor.

Beth Smyth is a financial advisor at MWS Capital Consultants LLC in Chicago, holding a Series 65 designation. She began her career at MWS Capital Consultants in 2024 following a year at DePaul University. MWS Capital Consultants LLC provides personalized investment management, wealth-planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients. The firm’s Classic Portfolio Management strategy focuses on direct ownership of equities, fixed income, and funds with an emphasis on long-term economic returns, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis rather than automated systems.

Philip Tetley is a financial advisor at Tetley Investments, LLC in Park Ridge, Illinois, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with Tetley Investments since 2012. Tetley Investments is an independent asset management and financial planning firm serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and trusts. The firm employs a disciplined, long-term investment process combining quantitative and fundamental research within a global asset-allocation framework.

Eduardo Caldera is a financial advisor at Retirement Systems LLC with under one year of industry experience. He previously worked with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC and Regency Capital, and has a background in mortgage banking. He is also involved in life insurance and annuity sales through Regency Capital. Retirement Systems LLC provides discretionary asset management and financial planning primarily to individual clients, offering tailored portfolios and 3(21) fiduciary services to qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis with quarterly reviews and allows clients to set written investment restrictions.

John Crawford is a financial advisor at Copperwood Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Horizon Wealth Management. Copperwood Financial provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, with a specialty practice for athletes under the Pro Athlete Wealth brand. The firm manages client portfolios on a discretionary, tactical allocation basis and offers qualified retirement plan consulting, including ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary services.

Joseph Lopresti is a financial advisor at Arlington Wealth Management in Arlington Heights, IL, with 40 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with Arlington Capital Management, Inc. and World Equity Group, Inc. since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with the Investor Education Institute and is a part-owner of Advanced Tax Reduction Group and Arlington Business Advisors. Arlington Wealth Management provides wealth management and discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients, including high-net-worth households. The firm employs a structured client process and combines proprietary quantitative models with qualitative research to implement various investment strategies, including proactive asset allocation and defined-outcome ETFs.

David Gosnell is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of experience at New England Research & Management, Inc. He is based in Chicago, IL, and has spent his entire professional career with the firm since 2008. New England Research & Management provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families, managing a range of account types including trusts, retirement plans, and estates. The firm customizes portfolios to individual client objectives and manages each account separately, employing a diversified mix of securities and instruments, with reported assets under management of approximately $337 million across 149 client accounts.

Luke Van De Loo is a financial advisor at Sullivan Mermel, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Orgel Wealth Management and held roles at St John's Catholic Newman Center and the University of Illinois. Sullivan Mermel, Inc. is a fee-only, holistic financial planning firm serving individuals and families, including high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a retainer-based fee model and focuses on customized investment strategies emphasizing low-cost mutual funds, U.S. government bonds, and cash equivalents.

John Kosar is a Series 65 licensed advisor with Asbury Research LLC, where he has worked since 2023. He has prior experience at Symetra, Allvue Systems, Equitrust Life Insurance Company, and Northern Trust. Asbury Research LLC provides subscription-based investment research and model portfolios to individual investors and money managers, and serves as a sub-adviser and model provider to other advisers and broker-dealers. The firm focuses on growth equities, income securities, and high-yield bonds, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis in its research.

Steven Goodman is a financial advisor with The Nestegg Group, Inc. in Lincolnwood, IL, holding a Series 65 credential and 28 years of industry experience. He has been with The Nestegg Group since 1993, spanning 33 years at the firm. The Nestegg Group, Inc. provides discretionary, fee-only investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, business entities, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $331 million across about 187 client relationships, using a combination of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and access to alternative investments, with approaches guided by asset allocation, qualitative manager analysis, and varied trading strategies.

Justin Mccormack is a financial advisor with First Choice Financial Services LLC in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 65 license and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with First Choice Financial Services since 2013 and is also involved with First Choice Insurance Agency, where he has served in various roles since 2005. First Choice Financial Services LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing financial advice primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and estate-planning support. The firm acts as a liaison, assisting clients with third-party paperwork and ongoing oversight, while drawing on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its recommendations.

Lamont Change is a CFP® professional with 16 years of experience, practicing at The Change Advisory Group, LLC in Chicago, IL. He holds the Series 66 designation and serves as a managing director at the firm. The Change Advisory Group primarily serves high-net-worth individuals and related entities, providing discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and consulting for trusts, IRAs, retirement accounts, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm constructs customized portfolios using asset allocation and security selection across multiple asset classes and serves a diverse client base that includes institutional and governmental entities.