Wendi Svitak is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience. She currently works at Bard Associates Inc and has prior experience at The Retirement Network Ltd, LPL Financial, and Morgan Stanley. Outside of her advisory role, she provides administrative support to independent investment advisor firms. Bard Associates, Inc. offers discretionary portfolio management and portfolio-monitoring services to a range of clients including individuals, IRAs, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes a long-term, buy-and-hold investment strategy focused on smaller-company and micro-cap equities, and also manages the Bard Micro-Cap Value Fund L.P., a private pooled vehicle closed to new investors.

Timothy Dillow is a CFP® professional with 23 years of industry experience. He is the principal at Dillow Wealth Management LLC in Oak Brook, IL, where he has worked since 2018, previously holding positions at UBS Financial Services and LPL Financial among others. Outside of financial advising, he manages a cheese production and distribution business and is involved in business consulting and literary work through separate ventures. Dillow Wealth Management provides wealth and investment management along with financial planning for individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm offers customized portfolios that include mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and alternative investments, combining fundamental and technical analysis with both discretionary and non-discretionary services.

John Hering is a CFP®-designated financial advisor at Composure Wealth Management, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Composure Wealth Management since 2019 and previously held positions at Bank of America and Merrill from 2016 to 2019. Composure Wealth Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans by providing portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a multi-disciplinary investment approach combining individual securities and third-party sub-advisors, employing both strategic and tactical asset allocation methods.

Daniel Carey is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience and has been with Mentor Capital Management Inc. since 2007. He holds a Series 66 license and is based in Chicago, IL. Mentor Capital Management Inc. serves individual clients through fee-only wealth management and financial planning, offering services such as investment management, income tax planning, and estate-planning review. The firm employs a fundamental analysis approach within a broad asset-allocation framework, favoring passive, low-expense, index-based strategies for long-term holdings.

John Swift is a CFA® charterholder with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC since 2017 and previously at Gentry Private Wealth Management LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he teaches a CFA review program. Benchmark Investment Advisors serves individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and corporate clients through discretionary asset management, retirement-plan consulting, and sub-advisory services. The firm employs a proprietary Economic Margin framework and intrinsic valuation methods within a model portfolio approach, complemented by client education materials and tactical investment overlays.

Samuel Feldman is a financial advisor at 755 Financial with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked primarily at Edward Jones before joining 755 Wealth Management LLC in 2026. Outside of finance, he owns Sweetwater Meat and Seed Company, a food review and consulting business based in Chicago. 755 Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers client-driven strategies tailored to objectives and risk tolerance and is affiliated with related tax, accounting, and insurance businesses.

Sarah Bodach is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Mentor Capital Management Inc. in Chicago, IL, with nine years at the firm and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Mentor Capital Management, she was a homemaker for six years. Mentor Capital Management Inc. is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm focuses on long-term, low-cost index-based investing combined with fundamental analysis and a broad asset-allocation approach, offering services that include wealth management, financial planning, and tax-related advice.

Lawrence Gatz is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Copperwood Financial since 2020 and previously held roles at Significant Wealth Partners Inc., Capital Management Consultants, Kingsview Asset Management, Atkins and Associates, and Wealth Planning Network. Outside of his advisory work, he co-owns KLG Management Inc., which provides personal insurance and general business management consulting. Copperwood Financial offers fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, including a specialty practice for professional athletes. The firm manages portfolios using a tactical allocation approach and provides retirement plan consulting, serving as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for employer-sponsored plans.

Timothy Obendorf is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Steward Advisors, LLC since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he is a 25% minority owner and board member of McLennan Property Management Company, which manages commercial and industrial properties in the Chicago area. 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, integrating financial planning with investment strategies that include ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and privately placed investments, while employing options and derivatives for hedging and tactical purposes.

Charles Marien III is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at CTS Financial Planning, Inc. since 1984 and has been associated with Certified Insurance Consultants, Inc. since 1989. CTS Financial Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, investment planning, and discretionary asset management, while also providing accounting and income tax preparation services. The firm employs an active, technically driven investment approach and integrates in-house tax and accounting capabilities alongside advisory services.

Robert Kristof is a financial advisor at Casey Wealth Management, Inc. in Orland Park, Illinois, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Sammons Securities Company, LLC since 2009 while also maintaining his role at Casey Wealth Management since 2005. Casey Wealth Management, founded in 2002, provides customized financial planning, consulting, and investment management primarily to individual clients and occasionally to pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs fundamental security analysis and a buy-and-hold strategy with quarterly portfolio reviews, managing non-discretionary assets without focusing on high-net-worth households.

Andrew Farinelli is a financial advisor at Wavvest Wealth with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Embree Financial Group, McAdam LLC, and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner and president of Farinelli Financial LLC, providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management services. Wavvest Wealth serves individual clients directly and through sub-advisory arrangements, as well as managing employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm uses proprietary technology to support risk profiling and portfolio construction, offering discretionary management across a diversified range of securities with oversight from an Executive Investment Committee.

Sheila Padden is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed advisor with 13 years of experience at Padden Financial Planning LLC and over 27 years as a CPA. She has led her firm since 2013, providing financial planning services from Chicago, IL. Padden Financial Planning LLC is a fee-only advisory firm serving individuals and families, including trusts, estates, and retirement plans. The firm offers comprehensive financial and tax planning with an investment approach focused on disciplined asset allocation, global diversification, and managing volatility through mutual funds, ETFs, and passive index funds.

John Van Ermen is a financial advisor at Exemplar Wealth Advisors, LLC with Series 63, 65, and 66 credentials and over 9 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Cetera and JPM Consulting. Exemplar Wealth Advisors, LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a multi-faceted investment approach that incorporates technical and fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and uses third-party managers, focusing on both traditional and alternative investments for accredited investors.

Michael Thompson is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. He currently serves as a financial advisor at Thompson Capital Management, LLC and Little Harbor Advisors, LLC, where he holds the role of Portfolio Manager. His prior experience includes positions at Kaizen Advisory and Typhon Capital. Thompson Capital Management provides investment management and financial planning primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, and also serves other advisers through sub-advisory arrangements. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach across multiple strategies, utilizing equities, fixed income, options, and exchange-traded products, including derivatives and VIX-linked instruments.

Brittany Boma is a financial advisor at Joseph Wealth Management, LLC with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and also operates BOMA LLC, a law contract review firm where she works as an attorney. Prior to joining Joseph Wealth Management, she has held roles at Joseph Eden Capital, CTA, and the City of Chicago. Joseph Wealth Management provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $17.6 million in discretionary client assets and employs a mix of fundamental, technical, cyclical, and modern portfolio theory approaches, including more active strategies such as short-term options trading for suitable accounts.

Alexander Paris Jr. is a CFA® charterholder with 38 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Barrington Research Associates, Inc. since 1985 and currently serves at Barrington Asset Management, Inc., a firm with a four-advisor team based in Chicago, IL. Barrington Asset Management, Inc. provides portfolio management services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines bottom-up fundamental research with top-down macroeconomic analysis and selective technical inputs to manage a variety of investment products, including equities, mutual funds, ETFs, options, limited partnerships, and fixed income.

Marcin Szczepaniak is a financial advisor at Kai Wealth LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, LPL Financial LLC, and M1 Finance. Kai Wealth LLC provides investment management and advisory services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, pooled investment vehicles, and corporations through separately managed accounts. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment approach incorporating quantitative modeling, third-party manager selection, and derivatives, with oversight focused on manager due diligence rather than daily trade supervision.

Jeffrey Holland is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with VIA IV Investments, LLC since 2002. VIA IV Investments, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as businesses, charities, estates, and trusts. The firm uses broadly diversified, custom-indexed model portfolios combined with periodic rebalancing and external research, and offers alternative private fund access and a discretionary digital advice program with lower minimums.

Mario Tate is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Millennial Wealth Advisors in Chicago, IL, with nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Millennial Wealth Advisors since 2018 and previously spent time at Banyan Tree Investment Consulting, LLC, and Tatewick Enterprises. Millennial Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and other entities. The firm focuses on portfolio management and consolidated reporting, employing technical analysis and a mix of long- and short-term trading strategies, primarily using non-discretionary assets with client trade approval.