Himanshu Patel is the sole advisor at Lakshmi Wealth Management LLC in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He has led Lakshmi Wealth Management since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, he provides occasional consulting on insurance carrier business through an expert network firm. Lakshmi Wealth Management serves individual investors and trusts, offering personalized financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs actively managed, customized portfolios and uses a range of instruments, including options and derivatives, to manage risk and pursue returns.

James Jacobson is a financial advisor at Capital Ideas in Naperville, IL, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at JP Morgan Securities and RiverNorth Capital Management. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with a franchised bakery and acts as a partner in a business consulting firm. Capital Ideas serves a range of clients including individuals, families, and charitable organizations, managing approximately $336 million in assets through a team-based approach that uses fundamental and technical analysis, proprietary models, and outside research.

Michael Pensinger is the sole advisor at Pensinger Financial, Inc. in Lemont, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 12 years of industry experience. He has led Pensinger Financial, LLC since 2014. Outside of financial advising, he is involved in real estate development through Denanson Development LLC Series Drexel Manor. Pensinger Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses. The firm’s approach is based on efficient market theory and modern portfolio theory, focusing on long-term investing primarily through indexed mutual funds and ETFs.

Venkatakrishna Vedam is a financial advisor with V2 Financial Group, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with V2 Financial Group since 2006 and also works as a mortgage consultant and loan officer at ABS Home Mortgage, where he has been involved since 2004. Additionally, Vedam serves as president of Millennium Financial and Business Services, Inc., providing business consulting to small businesses. V2 Financial Group is a registered investment adviser serving individual and small-business clients, including high-net-worth individuals, with discretionary asset management and personalized portfolio construction. The firm combines modern portfolio theory with macroeconomic, technical, and behavioral analysis to manage multi-hundred-million dollar portfolios across various asset classes.

Greg Rutherford is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience, currently serving at Sound Asset Management, Inc. He has been with the firm since 2009. Sound Asset Management serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm provides personalized financial planning and investment management on a fee-only basis, emphasizing strategic asset allocation and global diversification.

Venkatram Krishnamurthy is a financial advisor at V2 Financial Group, LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with V2 Financial Group since 2006. In addition to his advisory role, he has been involved with the College of Lake County since 2004. V2 Financial Group serves individual and small-business clients, including high-net-worth individuals, offering discretionary asset management and personalized portfolio construction. The firm combines modern portfolio theory with macroeconomic, technical, and behavioral analysis to manage multi-hundred-million dollar client assets through strategic and tactical investment approaches.

Ibrahim Galaria is the principal of Galaria Capital Management, LLC in Naperville, IL, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Galaria Capital Management since 1994. Outside of advisory work, he manages a family-owned medical office property in Virginia. Galaria Capital Management provides asset management and investment planning services to individuals, families, trusts, small businesses, and employer retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized strategies based on client age, time horizon, and risk tolerance, focusing on asset allocation, diversification, and accommodating faith-based or socially conscious preferences when practicable.

Alzena Saleem is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Galaria Capital Management, LLC since 2012. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and is based in Naperville, IL. Galaria Capital Management provides asset management and investment planning services to individuals, families, trusts, small businesses, and employer retirement plans. The firm emphasizes customized strategies based on client age, time horizon, and risk tolerance, focusing on asset allocation and diversification across various investment styles and sectors.

Curtis Stowers is a financial advisor at F5 Financial Planning, L.L.C. in Naperville, IL, with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with F5 Financial Planning since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he owns a Subway restaurant franchise in Lakin, KS. F5 Financial Planning is a NAPFA-approved, fee-only firm serving corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and families with comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm emphasizes long-term, fundamental analysis and risk-managed portfolios, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment supervision as part of ongoing planning relationships.

Christopher Odonnell is a financial advisor at North South Capital, LLC in New Lenox, Illinois, with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with North South Capital since 2008. In addition to his advisory role, Odonnell is a licensed agent for fixed life insurance sales. North South Capital serves retail and high-net-worth individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, estates, and trusts, managing approximately $25.9 million across around 120 client accounts. The firm employs a multi-method investment approach and offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and insurance- and brokerage-related services, with a focus on tailored plans and fiduciary responsibilities.

Brian Bardachowski is a financial advisor at Pensinger Financial, Inc. with one year of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. In addition to his advisory role, he owns and operates Wisdom Financial, Inc., a mortgage brokerage that provides residential mortgage services. Pensinger Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and small businesses. The firm follows an investment approach based on efficient market theory and modern portfolio theory, emphasizing long-term investing primarily through mutual funds and ETFs.

Philip Dorr is a financial advisor at Water Valley Investment Advisors, Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Water Valley since 1999 and Dain Rauscher Incorporated since 1998. Water Valley Investment Advisors provides portfolio management services to individual and high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary management. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis and long-term trading, acting as an ERISA 3(38) investment manager for retirement plans and providing periodic educational newsletters.

Aaron Vasil is a financial advisor at North South Capital, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with North South Capital since 2009. In addition to his advisory role, he is a partner at Fundamental Financial Group, LLC, where he offers insurance products to securities clients and teaches college courses approximately one night per month. North South Capital serves retail and high-net-worth individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, estates, and trusts. The firm employs multiple methods of analysis and goal- and risk-based model allocations, tailoring plans through client interviews and periodic reviews, and combines investment advisory and broker-dealer services with a focus on education and conflict monitoring.

Charles Meeder is a CFP® professional with 24 years of experience in financial advising. He has operated Sound Asset Management, Inc. since 2001 and has been running Charles Meeder, CPA, Inc. since 1991. Sound Asset Management, Inc. provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm focuses on strategic, globally diversified asset allocation using primarily no-load or low-load mutual funds and ETFs, and it is notable for its work with institutional retirement clients and pension consulting services.

Stephen Truesdale is a financial advisor at North South Capital, LLC in New Lenox, Illinois, with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked for CN Railroad for ten years before joining North South Capital in 2021. Outside of advising, he manages a small rental property in Cedar Lake, Indiana. North South Capital serves retail and high-net-worth individuals, businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, estates, and trusts, managing approximately $25.9 million across about 120 client accounts. The firm uses multiple methods of analysis and goal- and risk-based model allocations, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and insurance- and brokerage-related services.

Nicole Kustok is a financial advisor at Evansbrook Capital Management with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Romano Brothers and Company, Madison Capital Funding, and Sharmac Capital Funding. Kustok has been with Evansbrook Capital Management since 2023. Evansbrook Capital Management serves individual clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, charities, and retirement plans, providing discretionary investment management, custom portfolio construction, and qualified plan consulting. The firm uses a strategic, diversified asset-allocation framework supported by various analytical approaches and manages over $225 million with a small advisory team.

Eric Wills is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor at Park River Advisors with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Point72, Zazove Associates, and Calamos Investments. Park River Advisors is a small, state-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and investment consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm manages approximately $28.1 million for a compact client roster and employs a tactical allocation approach combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across multiple asset classes.

Prakhar Bansal is a CFA® charterholder with one year of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at V2 Financial Group, LLC. Prior to joining V2 Financial Group, he spent eleven years at The University of Chicago and took a year for extended travel. V2 Financial Group provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals and small businesses, managing approximately $350 million in client assets. The firm’s investment approach combines modern portfolio theory with macroeconomic and behavioral analysis, using strategic allocations along with tactical adjustments informed by fundamental and technical research.

Adam Ogle is a financial advisor at Park River Advisors with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. He has worked at SAP since 2011 as a Principal Enterprise Architect, focusing on guiding customers from on-premises legacy software applications to SAP’s cloud-based solutions. Park River Advisors is a small, state-registered firm providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and investment consulting to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach blending fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to manage customized portfolios across various asset classes.

Osman Arain is a CFA charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He currently serves as an advisor at Evansbrook Capital Management and previously worked at Romano Brothers and PNC Wealth Management. Evansbrook Capital Management serves individual clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, charities, and retirement plans by providing discretionary investment management, custom portfolio construction, and qualified plan consulting. The firm employs a strategic, diversified asset-allocation framework supported by multiple analytical approaches and manages over $225 million with a small advisory team.