Robert Bower is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at The Invictus Collective, LLC since 2021. Prior to this, he worked for seven years at Health Care Service Corporation. He is also involved as a manager and investor in Invictus Proprietary Opportunity 1 LLC and Invictus Private Group 1, LLC, entities that invest in a synthetic graphite manufacturer, Monomyth Anovion, LLC. The Invictus Collective provides financial planning, consulting, and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and institutional clients. The firm integrates traditional wealth management with advisory services for pooled investment vehicles and other advisers, employing a variety of investment vehicles and strategies tailored to client objectives.

Michael Klenn is a CFA® charterholder with one year of experience currently with Significance Capital Management LLC. He previously worked at Allspring Global Investments for three years and Calamos Investments for two years, with prior roles at Timpani Capital Management and periods of unemployment. Significance Capital Management LLC is an independent investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs its Enhanced Alpha Strategy, which tactically allocates among large-cap equities using a combination of fundamental, quantitative, factor, and technical analyses, and serves as sub-adviser to the Significance Capital Enhanced Alpha ETF.

Christine Sibrava is a financial advisor at Stevard LLC with 14 years of industry experience. She holds the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license. Prior to joining Stevard in 2016, she worked at Whitnell & Co. for five years. Stevard LLC provides family office and investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, family LLCs, private foundations, and family businesses. The firm focuses on multi-asset portfolios using independent investment managers and managed products, complemented by expanded family office functions such as accounting, tax compliance, and philanthropic planning.

David Vaught is a CFA® charterholder with 29 years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Propel Financial Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously spent over two decades at Mitchell, Vaught & Walker, Inc., as well as operating as a sole proprietor. He holds a Series 65 license and is based in Chicago, IL. Propel Financial Advisors is an independent, employee-owned firm serving individuals, small businesses, nonprofits, and institutional clients. The firm offers customized portfolio management and financial planning, employing a combination of fundamental, technical, and cycle analysis with a focus on long-term holdings and active adjustments during volatile markets. Several principals at the firm also provide tax and legal services through affiliated firms.

Leanne Raskob is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with one year of experience in financial advising. She currently works at Von Haefen Financial Management and previously held positions at Grant Thornton, LLP, Dixon Hughes Goodman, and operated her own advisory firm. Von Haefen Financial Management is a fee-only, holistic financial planning firm serving individuals, families, and trusts through a two-advisor team. The firm offers comprehensive planning services including tax, estate, and retirement planning, providing customized, non-discretionary investment recommendations without using percentage-of-assets fees or commissions.

Natalie Baros is a financial advisor at Aurelien Capital Partners with a Series 65 designation and three years of industry experience. Before joining Aurelien Capital Partners, she worked at Merrill and Firstrock Capital and has consulting experience with NEB, LLC, assisting in operations and business development for a CPA firm. Aurelien Capital Partners serves individuals, families, and high-net-worth clients, including professional athletes and exonerees, offering wealth management, financial planning, and family office services. The firm employs an open-architecture investment approach combining active and passive strategies across public and private markets.

Allison Meers is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience. She has worked at Pebble Valley Wealth Management since 2021 and previously was with CIBC from 2012 to 2021. Pebble Valley Wealth Management serves individual, charitable, and corporate clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and pension consulting. The firm’s investment approach includes asset allocation and mutual fund/ETF selection supported by technical analysis and third-party research, with a notable use of derivative-based option strategies within separately managed accounts.

Thomas Stecich is a financial advisor at Athena Advisor Services, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked with Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and Athena Advisor Services since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a volunteer firefighter and treasurer for the Ogden Dunes Amateur Radio Club. Athena Advisor Services provides asset management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and ongoing planning services, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor portfolios that are reviewed quarterly.

Benjamin Wilson is a Series 65 licensed advisor at Stabile Investment Management with one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Aerotek, North American Derivatives Exchange, Crypto.com, The Small Exchange, Illinois Institute of Technology, and United Launch Alliance. Benjamin is based in Chicago, IL. Stabile Investment Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting. The firm follows a documented investment process emphasizing diversification and fundamental analysis, primarily using ETFs and no-load mutual funds, and conducts regular portfolio reviews.

Brian Schaeffer is a CFP® with 14 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Impact Financial. He previously worked for 11 years at Shankervalleau Wealth Advisors, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he is an accountant assisting with tax preparation and serves as treasurer for the Morrison-Shearer Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of dancer-choreographer Sybil Shearer and photographer Helen Balfour. Impact Financial provides fee-only wealth management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and small business owners. The firm uses a factor-based, smart-beta investment approach primarily with low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, supported by in-house planning and tax expertise, serving a notable non-U.S. client base with cross-border financial analysis capabilities.

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.

Peter Jankovskis is a CFA® charterholder with four years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Arbor Financial Services, LLC since 2021. He previously worked at Oakbrook Investments, LLC for 12 years. Arbor Financial Services provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning primarily to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts and estates. The firm uses proprietary model portfolios and a combination of analytical methods to manage client assets, typically on a discretionary basis.

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.

Katharine Schwartz is a financial advisor at Arbor Financial Services, LLC with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. She previously worked at Lifestart Wellness Network for nine years before joining 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 approaches to manage client assets, typically on a discretionary basis.

Peter Newman Jr. is a CFA® charterholder with 12 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has been with Peak Wealth Planning, LLC since 2014 and previously worked at the University of Illinois for 27 years. Peak Wealth Planning is a small, supported advisory firm serving individual, high-net-worth, trust, and select institutional clients. The firm employs an asset-allocation driven investment approach using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and provides financial planning, discretionary investment management, and due diligence on alternative investments.

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.