Jay Plourde is a financial advisor at Joseph Wealth Management, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Riposte Capital and Wedbush Securities. Plourde serves on the boards of two nonprofit organizations: Joseph Business School in Forest Park, Illinois, and Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas. 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 client assets and employs a mix of analytical approaches, including fundamental, technical, and modern portfolio theory, to tailor portfolios to client objectives and risk tolerances.

Anita Mauro is a financial advisor at Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor, Inc. She holds a Series 65 designation and has four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor, she worked at Thompson Coburn, LLP for six years. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor, Inc. is an SEC-registered firm that manages portfolios for individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and various business and charitable entities. The firm provides discretionary investment management and coordinated tax and estate planning support, employing strategies such as laddered bonds for capital preservation and dividend-focused equity investments.

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.

Katie Blechschmidt is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience. She has worked at FMI Financial, Ltd. since 2021 and was previously with Capital Strategies Investment Group from 2016 to 2021. FMI Financial, Ltd. provides investment advisory services to institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, corporate retirement plans, trusts, and estates. The firm focuses on creating individualized Investment Policy Statements and employs a long-term, diversified approach using various investment vehicles, including mutual funds, ETFs, and derivatives for risk management.

John Swift is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC since 2017. His prior experience includes roles at Gentry Private Wealth Management, Swift Wealth Management, Leonetti & Associates, Harrisdirect, and AllianceBernstein. He also works as a CFA review program instructor with Becker Professional Development Corp. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm focuses on long-term strategic allocation between global equity and fixed-income model portfolios, employing proprietary valuation metrics and tactical overlays, and offers formal quarterly client communications along with specialized services such as retirement plan consulting and sub-advisory arrangements.

Joshi Koneru is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Watershed Private Wealth since 2022. Prior to this, he worked for 15 years at Creative Planning. Watershed Private Wealth provides investment advisory services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and pension plans, offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm builds customized investment programs using a blend of fundamental, quantitative, technical, and modern portfolio theory analyses, and integrates financial planning into ongoing portfolio management.

Samuel Feldman is a financial advisor at 755 Financial with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Edward Jones for a total of ten years. Outside of finance, Feldman is the owner of Sweetwater Meat and Seed Company, a food review and consulting business based in Chicago. 755 Financial is an SEC-registered adviser providing portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a client-driven approach tailored to objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance, utilizing strategies such as asset allocation and dollar-cost averaging.

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 CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with 13 years of industry experience. He is currently a financial advisor at Copperwood Financial and has held prior roles at Significant Wealth Partners Inc., Capital Management Consultants, Kingsview Asset Management, Atkins and Associates, and Wealth Planning Network. Outside of advisory work, he is co-owner of KLG Management Inc., where he 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 business entities. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach for discretionary portfolio management and provides retirement plan consulting and fiduciary services, including a specialized division focused on financial literacy and coaching for professional athletes.

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.

Brian Bullington is a financial advisor at First Choice Financial Services LLC with one year of industry experience. Prior to his advisory role, he was a professional athlete for nine years. First Choice Financial Services LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing financial advice primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and estate-planning support, acting as a liaison to facilitate documentation, disclosures, and reviews. The firm does not manage assets directly but selects external managers using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis while maintaining ongoing oversight and client communications.

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.