Joseph Kruse is a CFA® charterholder with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Kruse Asset Management, LLC since 2007. In addition to his advisory role, he contributes to YCharts.com by working on ranking and rating systems based on fundamental characteristics. Kruse Asset Management advises individuals, trusts, estates, family offices, charitable organizations, and business entities, offering portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm combines Modern Portfolio Theory with proprietary quantitative equity models and uses third-party tools like YCharts to construct diversified portfolios and manage risk.

Timothy Reeves is the sole advisor at Tim Reeves & Associates in Midlothian, IL, holding a Series 63 designation with 51 years of industry experience. He has worked at Fortune Financial Services, Inc. since 2015 and has operated Tim Reeves & Associates since 1972. Tim Reeves & Associates provides portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles and institutional clients, alongside financial planning services. The firm uses hourly and flat fee arrangements rather than asset-based fees and often recommends mutual funds, variable annuities, and insurance products as part of its advisory approach.

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 CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. She has worked at Stevard LLC since 2016 and previously spent one year at Lakeshore Financial Services. Stevard LLC provides family office and investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, family LLCs, partnerships, private foundations, and family businesses. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, and expanded family office functions such as accounting, tax compliance, property management, insurance review, and estate planning, with an investment approach centered on multi-asset portfolios and manager selection.

John Russell is a financial advisor with Versatile Capital Management L.L.C. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Versatile Capital Management since 2014 and has been associated with Relative Value Partners, LLC since 2007. Outside of his advisory roles, he serves as chairman of the board for Educational Choice Illinois and is a board member with Children Outreach and Community Empowerment. Versatile Capital Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and various institutional and private entities through discretionary asset management and financial planning. The firm employs quantitative, model-driven investment strategies including a tactical global allocation and a strategic core asset allocation approach.

Danielle Woods is a Series 65 credentialed advisor with 21 years of industry experience. She is currently with Propel Financial Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Merriment Advisors, LLC, DW Lenski Law Group, DW Agosto Tax Planning LLC, and Mitchell, Vaught and Taylor Inc. Woods owns DW Agosto Tax Planning LLC, a tax planning and preparation business. Propel Financial Advisors, LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients with investment management and financial planning services. The firm operates as a four-advisor team across three offices, managing approximately $38.84 million in assets for 111 clients, and integrates legal and tax considerations into client advice through formal affiliations and educational programs.

Charles Brown III is a financial advisor at CB3 Financial Group, Inc. in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with CB3 Financial Group in various capacities since 2006. The firm provides investment management and wealth-planning services to individuals, families, business entities, and nonprofit organizations. CB3 offers discretionary portfolio management through several programs that utilize fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis, including an aggressive strategy focused on global equities and emerging companies in generative artificial intelligence.

Vincent Incerto is a financial advisor at Tilden Loucks & Woodnorth LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at LaSalle St. Securities, L.L.C. since 2013, following an eight-year tenure at TrancenDex. Tilden Loucks & Woodnorth, LLC provides fee-based financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes fundamental and qualitative research, asset allocation, and long-term investment strategies, operating largely under a subadvisory arrangement with Roberts, Glore & Co.

Stephanie Laude is a financial advisor at K2 Wealth Management LLC in Chicago, IL, holding CFP® and Series 65 credentials with nine years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Corient, Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC, and CIPW Service Company, LLC. Outside of financial advisory, she has worked as an Instacart driver on a limited basis. K2 Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients, providing discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial counseling that includes retirement, tax, and estate planning. The firm employs a goals- and risk-based investment approach using quantitative methods and third-party sub-advisers, while coordinating with attorneys and accountants as part of its service model.

Lingke Cheng is a financial advisor at Zephyr Capital LLC in Chicago, IL, holding the CFA® designation and Series 63 license with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Zephyr Capital, Cheng worked at Aicapital LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, and Dynamic Holding LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he holds interests in non-investment businesses including a financial data research company, a Pilates club management company, and a Hong Kong-based operational business. Zephyr Capital LLC provides discretionary investment advisory and portfolio management services exclusively to qualified clients under performance-based fee arrangements. The firm uses a tactical, long-short investment approach that incorporates derivatives and active trading techniques, focusing on daily monitoring and weekly rebalancing within client-specific investment policies.

Daniel O'Halloran is a financial advisor with Asset Strategies, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 41 years of industry experience. He has worked at several firms, including American Trust Investment Services Advisory, Inc., American Trust Investment Services, Inc., and Chicago Capital Management Advisors, LLC. He is involved with the Upward Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Asset Strategies, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning for individual and charitable clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, managing approximately $59.7 million in discretionary assets.

William Laipple is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently a partner at Stonebridge Wealth Management LLC in Oak Brook, IL. He has worked at Stonebridge since 2011 and has held roles at APW Capital, Inc. and Comprehensive Asset Management Serving Inc. since 2016. Stonebridge Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, corporations, partnerships, tax-exempt entities, and other legal entities, managing approximately $283 million for around 288 clients. The firm provides customized portfolio construction and offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family-office/business consulting services.

Joann May is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience. She has been with Forest Asset Management LLC since 2006. In addition to her advisory role, she serves as a general partner in an investment club, Riverside Fund Money Club, since 1995. Forest Asset Management LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and small businesses. The firm follows a long-term, asset-allocation-driven investment approach using primarily passive and evidence-based funds, supported by written investment policy statements and portfolio modeling techniques.

Peter Claeys is a financial advisor with Arbor Financial Services, LLC in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 27 years of industry experience. He has been with Arbor Financial Services since 2012 and is also involved with Profitability Concepts & Consulting, LLC, a holding company for Arbor Financial Services. Arbor Financial Services provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts and estates. The firm uses firm-developed model portfolios and a combination of analytical methods to manage client assets, typically on a discretionary basis, and offers both bundled wrap-fee and unbundled advisory services.

Andrew Kaminski is a financial advisor with HK Private Client, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 10 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Fifth Third Bank and The Northern Trust Company. Based in Naperville, IL, Kaminski focuses on portfolio management and financial planning. HK Private Client is a small registered investment adviser serving individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management and integrated financial planning. The firm uses quantitative tools and model-driven analysis to tailor portfolios that align with clients’ objectives and risk tolerance.

Marc Pershan is a financial advisor with Valley Financial Management, Inc. based in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and totaling 35 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Bank Leumi USA and Leumi Investment Services, Inc. from 2008 to 2022. He serves on the advisory committee for Chicago Neighborhood Housing Services, a nonprofit supporting low-income housing. Valley Financial Management operates as Valley Digital Investor, offering discretionary portfolio management through an online platform that serves individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm implements automated model ETF portfolios based on client profiles and maintains an affiliation with Valley National Bank.

Patrick Kirvan is a financial advisor with Advanced Planning Advisors Group Inc. in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 65 designation and 13 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Gradient Advisors, LLC, and has been with Advanced Planning Advisors Group in various capacities since 2017. Kirvan is also involved in fixed insurance sales as part of his business activities. Advanced Planning Advisors Group Inc. provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and estates through a co-advisor model and financial planning at no extra cost. The firm refers assets to an SEC-registered third-party manager for portfolio management and custodian services, focusing on model selection aligned with clients’ risk tolerance and reviewing accounts quarterly.

Norman Chiodras is a CFP® professional with 40 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been associated with Mack Investment Securities, Inc. for 36 years and owns Retirement Planners, Inc. (dba RPI, Inc.), where financial planning and fixed insurance products are offered. Outside of finance, he is a freelance trumpet player with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet and serves as treasurer for Holy Spirit Ministries, a nonprofit organization, as well as a board member of the Briarwood Lakes HOA in Oak Brook, IL. Mack Investment Securities, Inc. advises individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and other custodial accounts through discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, manager-of-managers programs, and financial planning. The firm’s investment approach combines oversight of independent sub-advisers with firm-run model strategies that employ technical, seasonal, and tactical indicators, allowing for tactical asset shifts and use of ETFs, including leveraged and inverse products.

Christopher Hurst is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 14 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with Oak Mountain Advisors LLC since 2012, working as one of two advisors at the firm based in Chicago, IL. Oak Mountain Advisors serves high-net-worth and individual clients through separately managed accounts and a private pooled vehicle for accredited investors. The firm employs a value-conscious, research-driven investment approach focused on economic fundamentals and company analysis, managing portfolios on a discretionary basis with attention to tax implications and detailed governance practices.