Lauren Hunt is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience. She is the sole advisor at Daybreak Wealth, LLC, where she has worked since 2022. Prior to this, she spent eight years at Pinnacle Financial Group LLC. Daybreak Wealth, LLC provides customized financial planning and ongoing wealth management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and estates and trusts. The firm focuses on primarily passive, long-term portfolios using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, applying principles from Modern Portfolio Theory and the Fama–French three-factor model.

Brian Huckstep is a CFA® charterholder and principal of Huckstep Asset Management, LLC with five years of industry experience. He previously worked at Morningstar Investment Management from 2016 to 2019. Huckstep Asset Management provides financial planning, investment management, and model portfolio services to a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm focuses on low-cost, globally diversified portfolios using asset allocation as the primary driver of returns and offers both strategic and tactical portfolio strategies, including customized institutional mandates and wrap-model portfolios for third-party platforms.

Andrew Baxley is a CFP® professional based in Oak Park, IL, with 10 years of industry experience. He is the principal advisor at Two Trails Financial Planning, an independent firm he has led since 2024. His prior experience includes roles at BuilderFP, The Planning Center, TIAA, Strategic Advisers, Inc., and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Two Trails Financial Planning provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses proprietary portfolio models blending passive and active funds tailored to client risk tolerance and preferences, including options for values-based investing, and operates on a fee-only basis without percentage-of-AUM charges.

Anthony Krcmar is the managing member of Paisley Financial LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has held roles at Grassland Capital, LLC and Bluestem Capital Partners, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with Kwiktrading, where he dedicates time as an associated person. Paisley Financial serves individual clients, including high-net-worth households, as well as pension and institutional clients, providing financial consulting, retirement and estate planning, and portfolio management. The firm employs an individualized asset-allocation approach using a broad range of securities and strategies, with regular portfolio reviews and third-party custodianship.

Brian Gilmartin is the sole advisor at Trinity Asset Management, Inc. in Clarendon Hills, IL. He holds the CFA® designation and has 27 years of industry experience, having been with Trinity since 1995. Trinity Asset Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management primarily for individual investors, including taxable brokerage and IRA accounts, as well as higher-net-worth clients and a family foundation. The firm constructs long-only portfolios using mutual funds, individual equities, ETFs, and fixed income, applying modern portfolio theory to tailor asset allocations based on client-specific factors.

Steven Johnson is a financial advisor at SRJ Financial Consulting LLC in Lombard, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Willamette Management Associates and Charles River Associates. SRJ Financial Consulting LLC provides investment advisory services, financial planning, tax-planning analyses, and tax-return preparation for a diverse client base that includes individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment advice on a non-discretionary basis and features a formal no-fee program of educational seminars and workshops along with compensated tax-return preparation.

Marc Farmer is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Monroe Financial Inc. in Chicago, IL, where he has worked since 2019. He has 10 years of industry experience, including prior roles at HD Vest Investment Services and HD Vest Advisory Services. In addition to his advisory work, Farmer owns a CPA firm and serves on the board of directors for the Monroe Arts Center, where he reviews and presents financial statements. Monroe Financial Inc. provides financial planning, portfolio management, and pension consulting services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm offers a range of investment options, primarily recommending ETFs alongside mutual funds, equities, fixed income, real estate funds, and non-U.S. securities, with client strategies tailored through Investment Policy Statements and managed on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

John Beck is a financial advisor at Midwest Retirement Partners, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at ADP LLC, ADP Broker-Dealer Inc., and Inland Securities Corporation. Midwest Retirement Partners is an independent, single-advisor firm that primarily serves pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm emphasizes quantitative analysis and a long-term investment approach, focusing on plan consulting and referring clients to third-party advisers rather than managing individual client portfolios directly.

Michael Von Lunen is the founder and sole advisor at Wheel Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Harrer Law, P.C., T3 Trading Group, LLC, and Purchasing Platform. Outside of financial advising, he owns and operates Ripple360 LLC, a professional coaching business assisting entrepreneurs in building and managing their businesses. Wheel Advisors LLC provides discretionary asset management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses, with an investment approach focused on asset allocation and low-cost index investing. The firm offers financial planning and small-business consultation tailored to employers with 1–20 employees and combines percentage-based asset management with hourly-billed planning services.

Steven Petrovich is a financial advisor at Petrovich Capital Advisors LLC holding a Series 65 designation with nine years of prior experience at Dodger Investments LLC and eight years at NYC Health and Hospitals Corp. He has no prior industry experience as a registered advisor. Petrovich Capital Advisors provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management primarily for individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on long-term strategies using publicly traded liquid securities such as ETFs and individual equities. The firm employs fundamental analysis, asset allocation, and diversification without using leverage, derivatives, or private placements.

Mary Deshong Kinkelaar is the sole advisor at Kinkelaar & Associates in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 21 years of industry experience. She has led Kinkelaar & Associates since 2004. Kinkelaar & Associates is an independent, fee-only firm providing tailored financial planning and investment advice to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, offers educational workshops, and serves small-business and corporate plan clients without accepting commissions or managing client assets directly.

Clayton Lawrie is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Trac Asset Management LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Trac Asset Management since 2015. Trac Asset Management provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals as well as institutional clients including trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm employs both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across a range of investment vehicles, and offers educational seminars and workshops for clients and the public.

Elizabeth Buffardi is a CFP® and Series 65 registered advisor with 14 years of experience. She is the President and Investment Adviser Representative of Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc., where she has worked since 2009. Prior to Crescendo, she was with FinancialPlanning4Me, LLC for one year. Crescendo Financial Planners provides fee-only holistic financial planning to individuals and families, focusing on middle-income clients without a formal asset minimum. The firm emphasizes long-term, primarily passive investment strategies using ETFs and index mutual funds, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with a fee structure based on fixed retainers and hourly engagements.

Mark Nelson is a financial advisor at NFO Financial Advisory LLC in Westmont, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. He previously worked at Crestline Denali Capital from 2014 to 2020. NFO Financial Advisory LLC serves individual clients through a subscription membership model with no minimum asset requirement. The firm provides financial planning, investment guidance, tax filing services, and consulting, emphasizing long-term investing with strategic and tactical asset allocation primarily using ETFs and mutual funds. NFO charges fixed monthly fees rather than asset-based fees and does not manage or take custody of client assets.

Bradford Tyl is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience and the principal of Bradford Capital Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2003. He also serves on the faculty of Keller Graduate School of Business since 2003. Bradford Capital Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm emphasizes ETF-based portfolios using Modern Portfolio Theory with a passive asset-allocation and regular rebalancing approach, and it is noted for its pension consulting services and work with charitable organizations.

Brian Peterson is the principal of Pluto Wealth Management, an independent firm based in Woodridge, Illinois. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has six years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, he operates a corporate consulting business focused on reviewing and establishing Treasury functions and department structures on a project basis. Pluto Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing comprehensive financial planning, discretionary investment management, and project consulting. The firm employs a mixed analytical approach to portfolio management and offers services such as subscription-style planning, client newsletters, and educational seminars.

Leela Rao is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with 20 years of industry experience. She has been with Goodwin Asset Management Inc. since 2002. Rao serves as a director of the Raagalaya Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization registered in Florida. Goodwin Asset Management provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a conservative, value-oriented investment strategy combining top-down macro allocation with bottom-up security selection, and it also offers pension-plan consulting and retirement-plan management services.

Kyle Matkaitis is a CFP® professional with 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the founder and Chief Compliance Officer of Whisper Wealth Builders, an independent advisory firm he established in 2020. Prior to founding Whisper Wealth Builders, Matkaitis worked at SNS Financial Group, LPL Financial, and Fidelity Brokerage Services. Whisper Wealth Builders serves individual and corporate clients, offering discretionary investment management alongside project-based and ongoing financial planning. The firm primarily uses passive investment strategies based on Modern Portfolio Theory while incorporating fundamental and cyclical analysis, and it also conducts educational seminars for groups such as college and professional athletes.

Daniel Rooker is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He is the principal of Rook Financial LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Oak Park, IL. His prior work includes roles at SLP Wealth, Hightower Advisors, and Private Vista, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, Rooker coaches swim classes at Tennis Corporation of America. Rook Financial LLC provides financial planning, discretionary investment management, and retirement plan consulting to individuals and small-business plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes a long-term, risk-based asset allocation with global diversification and low turnover, serving clients with substantial investable assets and employer retirement plans.

Dale Wong is a financial advisor at Missio Investment Management LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Missio since 2018. Prior to that, he was employed at Northeastern University and Convergence Investments. Missio Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, endowments, and corporate clients. The firm uses a predominantly passive investment approach combined with active management for up to 30% of assets, tailoring portfolios to client-specific investment policy statements.