Sevan Meneshian is a CFP® professional with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving at Bayworth Capital since 2019. His prior roles include positions at Kestra Investment Services and Ausdal Financial Partners. Outside of his advisory work, Meneshian instructs CFP® courses at Kaplan College and Northwestern University and operates a CFP exam tutoring service. Bayworth Capital provides financial planning, portfolio management, and pension consulting to both individual and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored investment strategies utilizing a range of securities and alternative investments, managing approximately $62.7 million in discretionary assets with a team of four advisors.

Bradford Szczecinski is a financial advisor with Creative Resources Investment Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at USI, Marsh Private Client Services, and The Horton Group. He volunteers with Breakthrough Urban Ministries as a planned giving consultant and serves on the Transplant Advisory Council at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Creative Resources Investment Advisors primarily serves individual and high-income clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and other entities. The firm employs a long-term, value-oriented investment approach incorporating Modern Portfolio Theory and a blended strategic/tactical asset allocation, tailoring portfolios to client needs and conducting regular reviews.

Samuel McElroy is a financial advisor at Stride Investments, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Stride Investments since 2013, with prior roles at Stride Financial and as owner of McElroy Financial. Outside of advisory services, he serves as Chief Operating Officer of Stride Financial, an insurance and planning services firm. Stride Investments provides fee-based investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate accounts, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on purpose-based investing and retirement-income planning, using proprietary tools to assess goals and risk, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

Frank Iozzo is an advisor at FMI Financial, Ltd. with nine years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at Capital Strategies, Inc. Group, J.P. Morgan Securities, and Chase Investment Services Corp. FMI Financial, Ltd. provides investment advisory services to institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, corporate retirement plans, trusts, and estates, focusing on customized, long-term diversified portfolios and offering both discretionary asset management and non-discretionary consulting.

Dale Branda is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Steward Advisors, LLC since 2016. He holds a Series 65 license and is based in Chicago, IL. Steward Advisors serves individuals, businesses, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and family offices with fee-based financial planning and private portfolio management. The firm manages approximately $137 million in assets and integrates financial planning into its services, utilizing diversified portfolios and documented reporting practices.

Daniel Schlesser is a financial advisor with LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, L.L.C. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 37 years of industry experience. His career includes long-term roles at Tilden Loucks Woodnorth LLC, LaSalle St. Financial, Inc., McDermott LaSalle St Inc, and related LaSalle St. entities. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations with fee-based financial planning and portfolio management services. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies across multiple asset classes and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary management, with a notable emphasis on non-discretionary assets.

Mark Vincent is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Stonebrook Capital Management, Inc. since 2001. Stonebrook Capital Management provides personalized, fee-only financial planning and investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, managing approximately $70.3 million for about 108 clients. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis to create custom asset-allocation strategies with an emphasis on diversification and defensive tactics.

Daniel Carroll is a financial advisor at Stride Investments, LLC in Chicago, IL, with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Edward Jones for five years. Outside of advising, he is also licensed to sell insurance and spends a portion of his time on insurance sales and services. Stride Investments, LLC provides fee-based investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate accounts, and retirement plans. The firm focuses on purpose-based investing and retirement-income planning, using proprietary tools to document goals and asset allocation, and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management.

Michael Perna is a financial advisor at First Choice Financial Services LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been involved in the financial and insurance services industry since 1983, serving as president of Michael Perna and Associates, Inc. and First Choice Insurance Agency. First Choice Financial Services LLC provides financial advice to individual and high-net-worth clients primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and offers estate-planning support services. The firm focuses on client communication, oversight of third-party managers, and employs fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its recommendations.

Mark Murphy is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Sequoia Wealth Management, LLC in Chicago, IL. His career includes roles at JMC Wealth Management, Inc. and LPL Financial LLC, where he has been active since 2014. Murphy also provides financial planning and consulting services through JMC Wealth Management, Inc., an independent investment advisor firm. Sequoia Wealth Management advises individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and employer retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a combination of quantitative optimization, third-party research, and manager selection, serving clients through discretionary management and third-party strategist models.

Mary Mermel is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Sullivan Mermel, Inc., where she has worked since 1998. The firm provides fee-only, holistic financial planning and investment management for individuals and families, including both high-net-worth and non-HNW clients. Sullivan Mermel emphasizes a retainer-based fee model, non-discretionary trade implementation, and investment strategies tailored to clients’ tax situations, risk tolerance, and cash-flow needs.

Joshua Betancourt is a financial advisor with Quantum Capital Investments, Inc. in River Forest, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Quantum Capital since 2009 and Quantum Capital Investments since 2011. Betancourt also has a Master’s Degree in Accounting and provides accounting and tax planning services. Quantum Capital Investments, Inc. offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm uses a range of investment strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance, including fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and incorporates affiliated tax planning and insurance services.

Paul Mardoian is a CFP® with 37 years of industry experience, currently serving at Bayworth Capital since 2025. His prior experience includes roles at Fairhaven Wealth Management and Triad Advisors. He also operates a sole proprietorship providing insurance and retirement plan services. Bayworth Capital offers financial planning, portfolio management, and pension consulting to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as institutional clients. The firm manages approximately $62.7 million in discretionary assets and tailors portfolios using a range of investment strategies while providing ongoing account monitoring.

Todd Schrade is a financial advisor at Midway Capital Research & Management LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation and with 14 years of industry experience. He has been with Midway Capital Research & Management since 2014. Midway Capital Research & Management provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, consulting, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a bottom-up fundamental research investment process with a value-oriented approach and offers customized portfolios to address both long-term growth and short-term liquidity needs.

Joseph Kruse is a CFA® charterholder with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Kruse Asset Management, LLC since 2007. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with YCharts.com, contributing to research and the development of ranking and rating systems based on fundamental characteristics. Kruse Asset Management provides portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, family offices, trusts, estates, and select institutional clients. The firm employs a blend of modern portfolio theory, proprietary quantitative equity models, and security-ranking systems, and offers a range of investment strategies including options and alternative exposures.

Javier De La Torre is a Series 65-credentialed advisor with 0 years of industry experience. He is currently with 103 Advisory Group and has prior experience at Hightower Advisors and several other firms. 103 Advisory Group serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing discretionary asset management, financial planning, and business-development consulting for financial institutions. The firm combines strategic and tactical asset allocation with fundamental and technical analysis and manages a relatively large asset base for a limited number of clients.

Matthew Shapiro is a financial advisor at MWS Capital Consultants LLC with 22 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and has been with MWS Capital Consultants since 2003. The firm provides personalized investment management, wealth-planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, personal trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients. MWS Capital Consultants emphasizes a Classic Portfolio Management strategy focused on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, managing mostly discretionary portfolios while allowing client-imposed restrictions and interactive financial planning through the eMoney Advisor platform.

Kirk Kreikemeier is a CFP® and CFA® with 18 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Pebble Valley Wealth Management since 2008, where he is one of two advisors. Pebble Valley Wealth Management serves individual, charitable, and corporate clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting. The firm’s investment approach focuses on asset allocation and mutual fund/ETF selection, with a notable use of derivative-based option strategies and selective digital-asset exposures within client portfolios.

Jessica Garner is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with seven years of industry experience. She has worked at Stevard LLC since 2016 and previously spent a year at Lakeshore Financial Services. Based in Chicago, IL, she is part of a two-advisor team at Stevard LLC. Stevard LLC provides family office and investment advisory services to high-net-worth clients, including individuals, trusts, and family businesses. The firm focuses on multi-asset portfolios constructed through independent managers and emphasizes ongoing monitoring and cautious allocation toward hedge funds.

John Russell is a financial advisor with Versatile Capital Management L.L.C. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 18 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Relative Value Partners, LLC and serves as managing director and advisor for Select Innovation Investments, LLC. He is chairman of the board for Educational Choice Illinois and a board member with Children Outreach and Community Empowerment. Versatile Capital Management provides fee-only, discretionary portfolio management and occasional financial planning to individuals, family offices, trusts, foundations, endowments, and small institutions. The firm manages roughly $130 million in discretionary and non-discretionary assets and offers two investment products: a tactical Systematic Global Alpha strategy using proprietary quantitative indicators and a Strategic Core Global Asset Allocation product focused on long-term diversified portfolios.