At Wysopal Wealth, we specialize in helping high-income professionals and former athletes manage the complexities of equity compensation and variable income. Our goal is to make sure your money works for you—today and for the future. We focus on creating personalized, values-driven financial plans that allow you to live fully now while planning for what’s next. I’m Brett Wysopal, a proud girl dad of two and a former minor pro hockey player. My experience in sports taught me discipline, focus, and resilience, all of which I apply to financial planning. After spending years navigating the world of equity compensation, I’ve made it my mission to help families simplify their finances, reduce tax burdens, and achieve their life goals. Our approach at Wysopal Wealth is rooted in personalized attention. We keep our client list small, ensuring every client receives the time and care they deserve. We dive deep into your financial situation, understanding your numbers, values, and what matters most to you. This allows us to tailor your financial strategy to your unique goals, whether that’s managing your equity, preparing for retirement, or planning a family legacy. Equity compensation is often the largest part of our clients' wealth, but it comes with complexities—ISOs, RSUs, stock options, and significant tax implications. Many people wait too long to make decisions about their equity, resulting in missed opportunities or unexpected tax bills. At Wysopal Wealth, we take a proactive approach, creating a strategy for when and how to execute your equity plans, minimize tax liability, and diversify your holdings. At Wysopal Wealth, financial happiness is the goal. We believe that money should support the life you want, and we’re here to help you make that happen.

Dennis Karstens is a financial advisor at Karstens Wealth in Oak Brook, IL, with 11 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Interactive Financial Advisors for eight years. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner-member of Karstens Financial LLC. Karstens Wealth serves individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, small businesses, and retirement plans, offering comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management. The firm employs a primarily passive, cost- and tax-efficient investment approach, with flexibility to use active management when appropriate, and integrates digital planning tools alongside discretionary account management.

Lawrence Lewandowski is a CFP® and PFS™ credentialed advisor and the sole owner of LRL Financial Planning Services, Inc., with 12 years of experience in financial planning and 48 years as a CPA. He operates an independent financial planning firm in Countryside, IL, and also maintains a separate tax and accounting practice under his CPA designation. LRL Financial Planning Services provides comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory to individuals, primarily middle- to high-net-worth clients. The firm emphasizes a buy-and-hold investment approach with non-discretionary management and offers educational seminars alongside personalized financial plans and periodic reviews.

Richard Patap is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 27 years of industry experience. He has led Patap Financial Services since 2011 in Naperville, IL. In addition to his advisory work, he is involved in insurance and annuity sales through a related business. Patap Financial Services provides personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals, estates, and small businesses, managing approximately $50.7 million for about 135 clients. The firm serves both high-net-worth and non-HNW clients, using a strategic asset allocation approach that combines index funds, ETFs, and actively managed funds, and offers both fee-based advisory services and commissionable insurance products through an affiliated agency.

Christopher Jones is a CFP® certificant and Series 66 license holder with 14 years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He has worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 10 years before founding Azalea Wealth Management LLC, where he has been the sole advisor since 2020. Azalea Wealth Management LLC is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning, using tailored strategies that include option writing and structured products alongside conventional investments, combining technical, fundamental, and modern portfolio theory analyses.

Shawn Roberts is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with three years of experience in the financial industry. He is the principal of SMR Strategic Investments, LLC and has prior experience managing trading-related businesses, including SMR Crescent LLC and Shawn M. Roberts Trading Company. Outside of financial advisory, he serves as Assistant Treasurer for the Glen Ellyn Library Foundation, where he assists with investment decisions and financial reporting. SMR Strategic Investments, LLC provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to individual clients, focusing on ongoing portfolio management and financial planning. The firm manages approximately $8.6 million in assets across 16 client relationships.

Eeshan Ahuja is a financial advisor at Baker Street Investment Partners LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked as an independent private equity investor and at Woodlawn Partners. Baker Street Investment Partners provides discretionary investment management primarily to pooled vehicles and institutional-type clients, serving a broad mix of entities including banks, sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm’s investment approach focuses on fundamental analysis and concentrated, long-term equity ownership, with flexibility to invest across various asset classes and employ derivatives, margin, and short-selling as appropriate.

Charles Horonzy is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Focused Up Financial, LLC, where he has worked since 2017. Prior to that, he was employed at Sullivan Mermel, Inc. and Accountemps. Outside of his advisory role, Horonzy is employed as a Tax Pro for Intuit and has worked as an independent contractor for Bluestem Financial Advisors, LLC. Focused Up Financial serves individual and family clients as well as businesses and plan sponsors, offering comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, and tax preparation services. The firm emphasizes integrated planning that coordinates investment allocation with tax, risk management, and business-planning considerations, primarily employing passive, asset-class-based investment strategies with discretionary portfolio management delegated to a third-party sub-adviser.

I'm Linda Rapisardo, CFP® and founder of Canela Wealth, a flat-fee, advice-only financial planning firm for first-generation wealth builders. My clients are first-gen professionals in their 30s and 40s who have worked hard to build successful careers, but never got a roadmap for what comes next. They're the ones who 'made it,' so the family might turn to them with money questions. Meanwhile, they're asking themselves: Am I saving enough? Am I spending too much? What should I be prioritizing right now? That mental load can feel overwhelming, especially when you've spent most of your life figuring things out on your own. I know that feeling. I grew up in a working-class, immigrant family where my parents navigated an unfamiliar financial system without anyone trustworthy to guide them. The 2008 financial crisis hit us hard. My parents were smart, resourceful, and hardworking, but the system wasn't designed with them in mind. I saw what it costs a family to go it alone, and it shaped who I am as a planner today. My goal is to be the person my parents never had: someone who cuts through the noise, explains how things actually work, and makes sure you never feel alone navigating the financial system. I believe transparency and education are everything. I'm an advice-only planner, which means you pay for advice and maintain control of your assets. I do not sell products or earn commissions. I help with comprehensive financial planning, including cash flow, debt strategy, retirement projections, tax planning, insurance review, home-buying decisions, and investment guidance for those managing their own portfolios. When I'm not helping clients, I'm chasing my two kiddos, Luca (5) and Camila (2), and dreaming up our next big family trip.

Michael Willman is the sole advisor at Blue Sky Investment Partners, Inc., an independent firm based in Evanston, IL. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 18 years of industry experience, having been with Blue Sky Investment Partners since 2007. Blue Sky Investment Partners serves individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, and retirement plan sponsors with discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive wealth management, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm constructs diversified portfolios using mutual funds and ETFs, providing regular account monitoring and rebalancing, and also works with plan sponsors on participant education and plan-level services.

Michael Cope is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the sole advisor at Pinnacle Planning Advisors, LLC since 2010, operating an independent firm in Evanston, IL. Pinnacle Planning Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients with ongoing portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning, covering areas such as retirement, education, insurance, and estate planning. The firm emphasizes client education through seminars and workshops, manages assets directly without third-party managers, and typically operates with written discretionary authority to implement customized investment plans.

Dustin Javier is a financial advisor at Defined Capital LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Defined Capital, he worked at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. and operates a sole proprietorship focused on fixed insurance sales. Defined Capital provides discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes customized portfolio construction with regular reviews and offers a specialized limited-scope ERISA 3(21) fiduciary service for retirement plans.

Nicholas Mansour is a financial advisor at New Capital Management, LLC with 28 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with New Capital Management since 1995. New Capital Management is a fee-only registered adviser serving a single-family office and a small number of discretionary family accounts. The firm focuses on bottom-up growth-at-a-reasonable-price portfolio management through a core-and-satellite construction, emphasizing large- and mid-cap high-quality companies alongside selective satellite exposures.

My goal is to provide working professionals with sound financial advice to help them best position themselves and their financial lives for success. While the majority of our clients have medical backgrounds or are business owners, our services are best targeted to those with investable assets and are in the asset accumulation phase of their life. I provide comprehensive financial planning services as well as investment advisory services. PVA Financial LLC is a SEC-registered RIA firm. We focus our business on providing PRACTICAL, VALUABLE and ALIGNED advice. I found that to be missing when I was looking for an advisor more than two decades ago and have vowed to keep focused on those three tenets. Before founding PVA Financial, I worked as a private equity executive. With over 15 years of financial services experience, I've spent the majority of my career evaluating businesses, investing in them, finding ways to accelerate their growth and improve their operational efficiency. This background has given me unique insight into the importance of building strong foundations and the necessity for clear and effective communication...both of which are incorporated into our relationships with clients. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. I also received my MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, with a focus on Finance & Accounting. I also hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation, which requires comprehensive knowledge in all areas of financial planning, including insurance planning, risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning. On the personal side, I enjoy spending time with my wife, three kids and our goldendoodle Leo. I was the Cubmaster for my kids Scout group (sadly a while ago) and am heavily involved in a few charitable organizations. I'm an avid Chicago Bears fan and enjoy playing tennis, basketball and golf. Additional information can be found at www.pvafinancial.com and I can be reached at [email protected]

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.

Erik Barnes is a financial advisor at Retirement Portfolio Partners in Warrenville, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with The Farm Capital Management, LLC since 2008. Retirement Portfolio Partners provides wealth management services to individuals, high-net-worth households, and families, combining portfolio management with comprehensive financial planning. The firm employs passive, cost- and tax-aware strategies using mutual funds, ETFs, and select individual securities, and offers ongoing portfolio oversight through quantitative tools and client digital portals.

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.

Eddie Patel is a CFP® certificant and financial advisor at Zendamentals with 18 years of industry experience. He has held leadership roles in multiple affiliated businesses, including accounting and tax service firms, and serves as president and CEO of Zen Wealth Management Group, Inc., which provides bookkeeping, payroll, virtual CFO, and tax preparation services. His other activities include managing holding companies involved in real estate investments. Zendamentals provides discretionary asset management to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a range of investment strategies, including the use of derivatives and leverage, and manages approximately $160.7 million in client assets across more than 400 relationships.