Thomas Chernesky is a CFP® with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Robertson Stephens since 2024. Prior to this, he spent 11 years at CAFG Wealth Management, Inc., where he was also president of the company, a non-operating legal entity handling payments from the installment sale of a former RIA business to Robertson Stephens. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management provides advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, family offices, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm combines individualized advice with centrally developed model portfolios and oversight by an Investment Office and Committee, managing over $7 billion in client assets as of the end of 2024.

Garland Kizer is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. He is currently with Merit Financial Advisors and has held roles at Cetera, VOYA Financial Advisors, and his own firms, Kizer & Associates and Kizer Financial Services. Kizer serves as a trustee for the THSD 214 Foundation and MacMurray College, and he is chairman of the Bartlett 4th of July Festival committee. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion with 144 advisors. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, businesses, and institutions, emphasizing a long-term, diversified investment approach through model portfolios and customizable strategies overseen by a central Investment Management team.

Brendan Donlevy is a financial advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms, including Triad Advisors, Northwestern Mutual, and Capital Forensics Inc. Brendan is based in Chicago, IL. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for about 9,453 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, wrap-fee programs, and retirement plan services. Their approach integrates client-specific goal setting with various analytical methods and may include third-party managers or affiliate strategies.

Jessica Nieminski is an investment advisor representative at Fortis Capital Advisors, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. She has held positions at multiple firms, including Cetera and Network 1 Financial Securities, and operates ClearPath Financial LLC, a financial services DBA. Nieminski also sells health, life, property, and casualty insurance through ClearPath Financial Insurance, LLC. Fortis Capital Advisors serves individuals, families, businesses, retirement plans, institutional clients, and other advisers with portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm employs a range of investment strategies, including discretionary management and ESG options, and manages over $1.6 billion in discretionary assets.

Daniel Zarzynski is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Robertson Stephens with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at CAFG Wealth Management, Camping World, and Brunswick Corporation. Robertson Stephens provides investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with comprehensive planning services, managing approximately $8.76 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025.

Donna Adams is a financial advisor with Regal Investment Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at OneAmerica Securities and American United Life for 11 years. She is involved with several community organizations, serving as an owner and board member of DamYak Challenge LTD and Paradise Charitable Foundation, and as a board member of BREAK Crystal Lake Teen Center and the Chain-O-Lakes Chamber. Regal Investment Advisors, operating as LionShare, provides model portfolio implementation and discretionary investment management to unaffiliated advisers and their clients. The firm manages approximately $2.88 billion across proprietary and third-party strategies through a sub-advisory platform focused on institutional clients rather than direct relationships with end investors.

Jack Long is a financial advisor with Summit Financial, LLC and holds a Series 66 designation. He has recently started his career in the industry, gaining experience with Summit Financial and affiliated firms since 2025. Prior to his advisory roles, he has work experience outside finance, including a position at Landmark Exteriors and education at Auburn University. Summit Financial, LLC is a multi-team advisory firm with approximately $26.35 billion in assets under management, serving about 17,800 clients through 216 advisors. The firm offers a range of investment advisory, portfolio management, and retirement plan services with both discretionary and consultative approaches.

Gregg Cummings is a financial advisor at Savvy with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked for LPL Financial for 15 years. Cummings has been with Savvy since 2026. Savvy provides investment and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, businesses, ERISA plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a primarily index-based, long-term approach supplemented by active equity portfolios and tax-aware direct indexing, using third-party sub-advisers and technology platforms to customize investment plans based on client objectives and risk tolerance.

Michael Page is a financial advisor at Prospera Financial Services, Inc. with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Prospera since 2019. His prior experience includes tenures at Wells Fargo Financial Network, Wells Fargo Clearing, and Prudential Equity Group. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in purchasing rental property for his son. Prospera Financial Services is a multi-team advisory firm with 271 advisors managing approximately $14.4 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and access to multiple advisory programs and platforms.

Andrew Park is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Compound Planning, Inc., where he has worked since 2024, following seven years at Curi RMB Capital, LLC and four years at Vennwell, LLC. Compound Planning serves individuals, families, businesses, and retirement plans by providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, consulting, and a Turnkey Asset Management Program for financial intermediaries. The firm employs a customized, risk-based investment process using fundamental, technical, and modern portfolio theory analysis, incorporating low-cost ETFs, direct indexing, and alternative strategies.

Austin Righeimer is a CFP® and CFA® with three years of industry experience. He is currently with NorthRock Partners, LLC, where he previously worked from 2023 to 2025 and returned in 2026. His work history also includes positions at Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC, Northern Trust, Anixter, and Duff & Phelps. NorthRock Partners provides wealth management and advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a tailored investment approach centered on asset allocation, diversification, and periodic rebalancing, integrating private market allocations and using AI-driven tools alongside human oversight.

Robert Karstenson is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., holding Series 65 and Series 63 designations and bringing 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Ausdal Financial Partners since 2014 and also operates Karstenson Financial Services. In addition to his advisory role, he is an insurance sales agent focusing on life, health, and accident insurance. Ausdal Financial Partners serves individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities, managing approximately $3.73 billion for over 16,000 clients. The firm offers a range of services including advisor-managed accounts, separately managed accounts, unified managed accounts, retirement-plan advisory, and financial planning, with investment strategies tailored at the advisor level and accounts managed on discretionary or non-discretionary bases.

June Dinardo is a financial advisor with Arkadios Wealth Advisors in Barrington, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 16 years of industry experience. She has worked at Arkadios Capital since 2024 and Wayne Hummer Investments since 2008. Arkadios Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, businesses, and retirement plans using a combination of advisor-managed accounts, a wrap program, third-party money managers, and financial planning. The firm supports discretionary account management through its internal portfolio team and employs fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach.

Erik Olson is a financial advisor at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC with 21 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Arete Wealth Advisors and Arete Wealth Management since 2010. Olson serves as a board member and investment committee chair for the Converge Foundation and owns Olson Analytics, a data analysis and consulting business. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs both advisor-driven and proprietary rule-based model allocations, utilizes third-party sub-advisers, and acts as an ERISA fiduciary when applicable.

Andrew Mitchell is a financial advisor with Sound Income Strategies, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, and Wipfli. He also serves in a related capacity at Crystal Lake Tax and Finance, LLC. Sound Income Strategies serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporate and pension clients, and other registered advisors, offering asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan services, and co-advisory arrangements. The firm’s investment approach focuses on fixed-income and income-oriented strategies, with active portfolio management and selective use of third-party managers.

Daniel Smyczynski is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL, and has 43 years of industry experience. He has been with Ausdal since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is also involved in the sale of insurance products. 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 serves individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, offering a range of advisory programs and brokerage services that include investment management, retirement planning, and insurance products.

Chris Morgan is a financial advisor at Harbour Investments, Inc. with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Beacon Wealth Advisors, LLC and Gradient Securities, LLC. In addition to advisory work, he is involved in tax preparation through Beacon Advisors LLC and is a managing member of Beacon Wealth Advisors, LLC. Harbour Investments serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, pension and 401(k) plans, and institutional entities. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to multiple investment approaches through internal and third-party managers.

Eric Mesko is a financial advisor with VestGen Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Triad Advisors, LPL Financial, and Waddell & Reed. He serves on the board of Bartlett Learning Centers, a school for children with mental challenges. 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 discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing a blend of analytical approaches and third-party managers.

Stanley Nieminski is a financial advisor at Fortis Capital Advisors, LLC with 35 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and PFS™ designations and has worked at firms including Clearpath Financial LLC and Cetera. In addition to his advisory role, he is president of a mortgage brokerage and provides tax and accounting services through his CPA firm. Fortis Capital Advisors offers investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, businesses, and institutional clients. The firm focuses on customized portfolio construction and ongoing monitoring, employing a range of strategies including passive, active, tactical, blended, and ESG-integrated approaches.

Bryan Dern is a Series 65 licensed advisor at Savvy with one year of industry experience. His background includes roles at Maia Wealth, Mana Financial Group, Tosaf, Inc., and prior positions in various non-financial firms. Savvy provides investment and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, ERISA plan sponsors, and charitable organizations. The firm customizes investment plans based on client objectives and uses a primarily index-based, long-term approach complemented by active equity portfolios and tax-aware direct indexing.