Paul Fousek is a financial advisor with Horizon Wealth Management in La Grange, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Horizon Wealth Management since 2014 and has worked with LPL Financial since 2005. He serves as a business fellow at Norwich University, meeting regularly to support the enhancement of student offerings. Horizon Wealth Management is an SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a primarily long-term, fiduciary investment approach with diversified portfolios and offers discretionary management, financial planning, and ERISA 3(21) and 3(38) retirement-plan advisory services.

Nickolas Brait is a CFP® professional with 44 years of industry experience, currently serving at SAGE Private Wealth Group, LLC. He has held roles at the firm since 2013 and has been involved with Raymond James Financial since 1999. Outside of his advisory work, he coaches financial advisors on business development through the Oechsli Institute. SAGE Private Wealth Group is an SEC-registered advisory firm that serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers wealth management and discretionary portfolio management with a client-specific process that includes goal setting, risk assessment, and tailored asset allocation using a variety of investment vehicles and analytical approaches.

Lisa Bussenger is a financial advisor with Rothschild Wealth LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. She has 16 years of industry experience, including roles at Kinetic Investment Management and Global Financial Private Capital. Bussenger is also the owner of Bussenger Insurance & Financial Services, LLC, an investment-related business. Rothschild Wealth LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate executives, trusts, pension plans, and other institutional entities. The firm uses asset-allocation models and quantitative tools to construct and monitor portfolios tailored to clients' objectives, time horizons, tax situations, and risk tolerances.

Steven Franzen is a financial advisor at Vertex Partners with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 66 license. Franzen has held roles at LPL Financial since 2009 and operates his own CPA firm, Steven P. Franzen, CPA, PC, providing tax preparation and accounting services. He also acts as a trustee for family trusts. Vertex Partners serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement consulting. The firm customizes portfolios based on clients’ risk tolerance and goals, utilizing a range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms, and maintains an affiliation with an accounting firm that provides additional tax and consulting services.

Luke Baumgarten is a financial advisor with Harvest Investment Services, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Harvest Investment Services since 2014. Harvest Investment Services provides advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and institutions through discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting. The firm uses a combination of active tactical strategies and fundamental, technical, and quantitative analyses to deliver customized or model-based investment solutions.

Steven Mc Gowan is a CFP® and CFA® credentialed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently with Rothschild Wealth LLC and has prior experience at Wealth Enhancement Group, LPL Financial, and CLA Financial Advisors. Mc Gowan also provides investment brokerage services through Rothschild Investment, LLC. Rothschild Wealth LLC advises individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate executives, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other institutional and tax-exempt entities. The firm utilizes asset-allocation models tailored to client objectives and employs a range of investment vehicles and tools, including third-party software and sub-advisers, to implement and monitor portfolio strategies.

Ma Navarro is a CFP® professional with Capstone Financial Advisors Inc in Downers Grove, IL. Navarro joined the firm in 2023 and has prior experience in education and instructional computing services. Capstone Financial Advisors serves individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering portfolio management and financial planning with an emphasis on asset allocation, cost control, and tax positioning. The firm manages approximately $2.44 billion in client assets and provides access to private fund investments and in-house tax services.

Daniel Knapp is a financial advisor at Rothschild Wealth LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Abbott Labs for 12 years. Rothschild Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate executive groups, retirement plans, trusts, foundations, and other institutional clients by providing portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement and investment consulting. The firm uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, asset-allocation models, and ongoing monitoring to manage client portfolios.

Michael Russo is a financial advisor with Chicago Investment Advisory Group, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 32 years of industry experience. He has been with the firm since 2006 and serves as president of its independent insurance sales division. Chicago Investment Advisory Group offers discretionary portfolio management and pension consulting to individuals, high-net-worth investors, trusts, estates, corporations, and employer retirement plans. The firm utilizes diversified, asset-allocation driven portfolios informed by fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, employing both long-term and active trading strategies tailored to client suitability.

Robert Kuhn is a partner at Kuhn Capital Partners with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has previously worked at Epus Global Energy, LLC. In addition to his advisory role, Kuhn operates as an independent insurance agent and is involved in managing several investment-related businesses and private funds. Kuhn Capital Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients as well as pooled investment vehicles, providing discretionary asset management, financial planning, retirement rollover advice, and access to third-party managed solutions. The firm constructs portfolios based on client objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon, employing fundamental and technical analysis and offering alternative investments and private funds for qualified clients.

Thomas Fogelsong III is a financial advisor at Harvest Investment Services, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience in education and the gig economy, including roles at Illinois State University and DoorDash. Harvest Investment Services, LLC manages approximately $534 million in client assets and offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and other advisory services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs an actively managed tactical strategy utilizing a range of analytical approaches and offers specialized services such as held-away 401(k) management and ERISA 3(38) investment management.

Jeffrey Gritis is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving at Bentley Financial Group since 2014. He has also worked with LPL Financial and Waterstone Financial Group, and operates Gritis & Associates, where he provides tax preparation services. Bentley Financial Group offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs fundamental analysis and third-party independent managers, providing both asset management and retirement-plan advisory services while managing approximately $393 million in discretionary client assets.

Sean Condon is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience. He is currently with Rothschild Wealth LLC and previously spent 19 years at Perritt Capital Management. Rothschild Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporate executive groups, retirement plans, trusts, foundations, and other institutional clients by providing portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement and investment consulting. The firm uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to implement asset-allocation models that consider tax, estate, cash-flow, and risk factors, employing a range of investment vehicles including mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and third-party managers.

Robert Borchardt is a financial advisor with SAGE Private Wealth Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has worked at Raymond James Financial and Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. for over two decades before joining SAGE Private Wealth Group in 2016. SAGE Private Wealth Group is an SEC-registered advisory firm that serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—as well as retirement plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers wealth management and discretionary portfolio management using a client-specific process that includes asset allocation, rebalancing, and a range of investment strategies, alongside services such as donor-advised fund advice, retirement-plan fiduciary support, and coordinated family office solutions.

Kevin Hawley is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Navalign, LLC since 2018 and previously worked at Carter Jacobs, LLC and Avondale Asset Management. Navalign, LLC provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and pension consulting services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $655.6 million for about 677 clients and employs a mix of fundamental analysis, long-term and short-term strategies, and the use of borrowing and derivatives within separately managed accounts.

Carlo Airdo Jr. is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently with Chicago Oakbrook Financial Group, where he has worked since 2024, following a decade at Commonwealth Financial Network. Chicago Oakbrook Financial Group is a registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides customized wealth management, discretionary portfolio management, and comprehensive financial planning, utilizing a wide range of securities and strategies tailored to client objectives.

Robert Byrns is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with Strategic Investment Solutions, Inc. in Orland Park, IL, bringing 36 years of industry experience. He has worked at Forum Financial Management, LPL Financial, and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. In addition to his advisory role, Byrns provides tax preparation and accounting services. Strategic Investment Solutions is an SEC-registered multi-advisor firm offering discretionary portfolio management and model-portfolio services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a hybrid passive investment approach focused on asset allocation and uses diversified portfolios primarily constructed with institutional funds from Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Thomas Broderick is a financial advisor at Signature Financial Services, Ltd with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and has worked at Signature Financial Services and First Heartland Capital since 2000 and 2001, respectively. Outside of finance, he is a minority investor and silent partner in a bar and event space. Signature Financial Services, Ltd provides portfolio management and financial planning to individual clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm employs a modern portfolio theory-based investment approach using mutual funds, ETFs, and third-party asset allocation strategies, offering services on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Michal Gicala is a CFP® professional at Capstone Financial Advisors Inc with six years of experience, including prior work at Ikenberry Dining Services and a background in full-time education. Based in Downers Grove, IL, Michal has been with Capstone since 2020. Capstone Financial Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers portfolio management and financial planning with an investment approach focused on asset-class allocation, cost control, and tax positioning, managing approximately $2.44 billion in client assets across a multi-advisor team.

Tom Sleeter is a financial advisor with Ruggaard & Associates, holding a Series 66 credential and over 27 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at LPL Financial and Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, and he has been involved with multiple family farming enterprises since the early 1990s. Outside of financial advising, he serves as a board member for two nonprofit organizations related to a recreational island and a rural cemetery. Ruggaard & Associates provides investment management and financial planning services to individual clients, including high-net-worth households, as well as pension and corporate retirement plans. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches and strategies tailored to client objectives, combines investment management with tax preparation, and offers quarterly reviews and detailed reporting.