Penny Jean Young is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Portage, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Oakwood Capital Securities, Alphastar Capital Management, MassMutual Life Insurance, and a decade at Damon Financial LLC. Wells Fargo Advisors is a national securities firm serving individual, corporate, and institutional clients with investment advisory services, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages roughly $671 billion in assets and offers a combination of brokerage and advisory solutions supported by research from Wells Fargo Investment Institute and third-party sources.

George Smojver is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Ameriprise in Kalamazoo, MI. He has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2005. Outside of advising, he is involved in business operations for FSCP, LLC, which supports shared infrastructure and continuity planning among team members. Ameriprise provides a retirement-income planning service targeting individuals with significant investable assets, combining research-driven, algorithm-supported recommendations with personalized financial advice. The firm offers a broad range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions typical of a large institutional provider.

Victoria Brown is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors and holds the Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience and a diverse background including roles in the Michigan House of Representatives, private tutoring, and work with Checker Records. Equitable Advisors serves a broad mix of individual, high-net-worth, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients, offering a range of financial planning, brokerage, insurance, and third-party asset management services. The firm operates through program sponsors and endorsed third-party managers, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory solutions.

Richard Behan Sr. is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 33 years of industry experience. He has worked at LPL Financial since 2019 and previously spent 26 years with FSC Securities Corporation. Outside of financial advising, he serves as vice president of Eastfork Ranch LTD, an equestrian-related business. LPL Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, credit unions, corporations, and charitable organizations through a national network of investment adviser representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and advisory programs, including discretionary and non-discretionary management, model portfolios, and consulting services.

David Ackley is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Equitable Advisors, he held roles at Western Michigan University and Alliance Beverage Distributing. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through LPL programs and third-party asset managers. The firm employs a hybrid referral and implementation model and offers both advisory and brokerage/insurance channels to implement client recommendations.

Thomas Schripsema is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. since 1999 and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory and investment solutions through a large network of financial advisors and branches nationwide.

Zachary Petty is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with seven years of industry experience. He has previously worked with Northwestern Mutual in various roles from 2017 to 2023 and spent a year at Sharon Yoder before joining Ameriprise in 2024. Petty holds Series 65 and Series 63 designations. Ameriprise Financial Services is a large advisory firm serving individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a Premier Retirement Income service focused on retirement income planning, combining proprietary research and third-party data to provide clients with tax-aware withdrawal strategies and dependable income sources.

Brett Sweers is a financial advisor with Stifel, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc. and Natcity Insurance Services, Inc. since 2008. Stifel serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, institutional investors, and charitable organizations, offering brokerage and investment advisory services. The firm’s investment approach utilizes a proprietary methodology developed by its Investment Strategy Group, which combines forward-looking capital market assumptions with probabilistic modeling to support asset allocation and financial planning.

Veronica Darlington is a CFP® professional with 10 years of experience in financial advising. She is currently with Edelman Financial Engines and has a long tenure at Cahill Wealth Management dating back to 2005. Edelman Financial Engines offers technology-enabled investment advisory and financial planning services to individual investors, retirement-plan participants, and institutional clients. The firm uses a committee-driven modeling process combined with planner delivery and online tools, providing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment solutions with an emphasis on diversified portfolios and long-term strategies.

Jason Erhardt is a financial advisor at Ameriprise in Portage, Michigan, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Ameriprise in 2023, he held various roles including positions at Lawrence Technological University, Cedar Point, Meijer, and local high schools. He is also involved in managing an advisory business through OKL, LLC. Ameriprise provides retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals nearing or in retirement with substantial investable assets. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to deliver personalized, non-discretionary recommendations through a centralized consulting team.

Marc Vander Beek is a financial advisor with Merrill in Portage, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 19 years of industry experience. His work history includes roles at Merrill since 2017 and Bank of America, N.A. since 2019, along with a position at Gun Lake Casino from 2016 to 2017. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm offers a range of model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations.

Stephanie Farrance is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with six years of industry experience. She has worked at Thrivent Financial and Thrivent Investment Management since 2019. Prior to her current role, Farrance spent eight years at Mattawan Animal Hospital. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients through a network of financial advisors. The firm offers holistic, goal-based financial analyses and allows clients to combine planning with managed-account programs under a consolidated billing system called “WealthPlan.”

Keith Platte is a financial advisor with OSAIC based in Kalamazoo, MI. He holds a Series 66 designation and has one year of industry experience, previously working at HFG Financial Group. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as president of a local condominium association and works as a tax preparer. Osaic Wealth, Inc. serves a broad range of retail and institutional clients through an extensive network of affiliated advisers, offering integrated brokerage, advisory services, and access to third-party money managers and wrap programs. The firm uses multiple investment tools and platforms to construct diversified portfolios tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and preferences.

Ryan Hekman is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a founding partner of the Hekman & VanderStraaten Group. He has been in the financial services industry since 1994 and joined Merrill Lynch in 1999. Ryan works alongside fellow advisors and client associates to provide comprehensive wealth planning services aimed at helping individuals, families, and businesses meet their financial goals through personalized strategies and portfolio construction. Ryan's expertise spans a range of client focus areas including divorce transition planning, family wealth management strategies, services for endowments, foundations, and non-profits, defined benefit plans, legacy planning, personal retirement planning, philanthropic planning, portfolio management, individual and corporate investment strategy, and retirement income. He holds a bachelor's degree in Finance from Western Michigan University and has earned the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. Outside of his professional endeavors, Ryan serves on the board of the Grandville Walker Foundation. He lives in Grandville with his five children and enjoys spending time with family, playing basketball, biking, boating, cooking, golfing, traveling, and watching sports.

Mark Hiegel is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Grand Rapids, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with Equitable Advisors since 2007 and previously worked at Axa Advisors, LLC from 2007 to 2020. Equitable Advisors serves individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, corporations, and charitable organizations by providing financial planning, retirement-plan support, and access to asset management through LPL programs and a broad range of third-party asset managers. The firm utilizes a hybrid referral and implementation model, offering both advisory and brokerage channels to implement client recommendations.

Darlene Hybels is a financial advisor with Raymond James & Associates in Kalamazoo, MI, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 38 years of industry experience. She has been with Raymond James & Associates since 1999. Outside of her advisory role, she serves on the Finance/Investment Committee of the YWCA of Kalamazoo, where she reviews investment and spending policies for endowed funds. Raymond James & Associates is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser that oversees approximately $501 billion in assets. The firm serves a wide range of clients including individuals, institutions, and municipalities, offering financial planning and consulting with a variety of portfolio management styles supported by affiliated research and sub-advisers.

Brett Cropsey is a financial advisor with Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. His previous roles include positions at MWA Financial Services Inc. and Modern Woodmen Of America. Outside of his advisory work, he coaches middle school football at Constantine Public Schools. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning and investment consulting to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations. The firm offers tailored, non-discretionary planning and supports municipal and public finance work through affiliated services.

David Mabis is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience, currently with Ameriprise since 2020. His prior roles include positions at Ameriprise Financial Services, Tamarron Community Association, and Waddell & Reed Inc. He serves on the Board of Directors and is President of the Gull Lake Area Rotary Club. Ameriprise offers retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals with significant investable assets, providing tailored recommendation reports that address income sources, Social Security options, and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies. The firm combines research, modeling, and automated tools overseen by a dedicated team to deliver personalized retirement planning within its institutional framework.

Matthew Weaver is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with three years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at Empower, Mercantile Bank, Kalsee Credit Union, and Huntington National Bank. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, using quantitative asset-allocation modeling combined with centralized due diligence and an ESG eligibility framework.

Frederick Freihofer is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting to qualified ERISA plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary services. The firm’s advisory process is IPS-driven and includes a broad range of investment options, including insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep programs.