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.

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.

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.

Angela Major Hart is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as the principal advisor at Veridian Private Wealth Management. She has held previous roles at Byline Bank, Northern Trust Securities, Northern Trust Bank, and First Midwest Bank. Ms. Hart is also a licensed attorney and an active member of the Illinois Bar. Veridian Private Wealth Management offers discretionary investment management and qualified retirement plan consulting to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, charities, and employee benefit plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation framework with a proprietary methodology emphasizing diversification and provides ERISA fiduciary services uncommon among independent advisors.

Abigail Hoon is a financial advisor at Phase III Advisory Services, LTD with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has work history including roles at Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Matrix Design LLC. Outside of advisory work, she is also active as an insurance agent. Phase III Advisory Services serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing asset management through its Vision2020 Wealth Management Platform, financial planning, and portfolio analysis services. The firm employs an active management approach guided by asset allocation tools and an in-house investment committee, combining model portfolios with direct-security and derivative strategies.

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. She is currently with Sankota Capital LLC and has previously worked at Oak Family Advisors, Fairpointe Capital, and RMB Capital Management. Outside of finance, she co-manages an organic brewery and restaurant and owns an organic farm. Sankota Capital provides discretionary investment management to individuals, family offices, and institutions, focusing on fundamentally driven portfolios of small- and mid-cap companies. The firm emphasizes concentrated, long-term holdings with low turnover and delivers transparent reporting that includes performance figures uncommon among its peers.

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.

David Valenti is a CFP® professional at Virtue Asset Management LLC with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Virtue in 2020, he worked for 30 years at Bank of America Private Bank. He is also a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois, currently non-practicing and uncompensated in that capacity. Virtue Asset Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning, focusing on customized investment strategies that incorporate risk tolerance, tax, and estate considerations. The firm manages just over $200 million in assets with a small advisory team and utilizes a variety of investment vehicles, including derivatives when suitable.

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.

Michael Walther is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed advisor with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Oak Wealth Advisors LLC since 2008. Oak Wealth Advisors provides discretionary investment management and financial planning primarily for individuals, families, trusts, estates, and certain employer retirement plans, focusing on individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes broadly diversified, low-cost, tax-efficient portfolios constructed mainly with no-load mutual funds and ETFs, guided by client-specific Investment Policies and a passive management approach.

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.

Ann Davis is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Capital Management Consultants with 14 years of industry experience. She has been with the firm since 2011. Capital Management Consultants provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management to individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and other entities, managing approximately $76 million across about 61 client relationships. The firm employs a blended investment approach that includes fundamental and technical analysis, utilizing strategic, tactical, and dynamic allocation strategies across various asset classes, with an emphasis on client risk profiles and market conditions.

Charles McKenna is a financial advisor with McKenna Capital, Inc. in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 65 and Series 63 designations and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Heart Capital, LLC since 2018, McKenna Capital since 2017, and previously at National Planning Corporation and Global Beverage Team, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he provides consulting services for GModelo USA, LLC. McKenna Capital is a small, supported advisory firm managing approximately $83 million for fewer than 40 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm utilizes a mix of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis to implement long-term strategies and options trading, managing accounts mostly on a discretionary basis while also offering financial planning and portfolio monitoring services.

Jose Cuevas III is a CFP® professional with 18 years of experience in financial advising. He has been with Wisdom Investments since 2016 and also worked at High Five Financial, LLC from 2016 to 2018. Wisdom Investments provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, nonprofit organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold approach guided by Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis, offering a range of tiered planning services and incorporating educational seminars and AI-enabled tools as part of its client support.

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 been 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, managing each account separately and employing diverse instruments such as exchange-listed securities, ETFs, and derivatives.