Hi, I'm Larry Pershing, CFP® RMA®, a flat fee financial advisor. I focus on helping people age 55+ with their retirement planning and investment management needs for a FLAT fee. Having worked in various wealth management firms in my career, I was surprised to discover many firms try to service everyone, which leads them to being average for all. Some are more concerned with amassing client assets than providing customized recommendations. I started Optimum Retirement Planning because I saw a need for specialists to help clients navigate the complex and challenging financial aspects of retirement. Our offering is different. We don’t work with everyone. We specialize in helping those who are close to and in retirement. We apply the latest financial research for retirement to help answer your complex financial questions. Optimum Retirement Planning is a flat fee financial advisor. This means we charge differently than most financial advisors. We offer retirement planning and investment management for a flat fee. For too long retirees have been overpaying for financial advice due to large commissions and/or being charged a percentage of their assets. When I’m not in the office, I’m on a tennis court, reading a book (finance or science fiction), or spending time with family and friends. I also volunteer for AARP sponsored events that help seniors receive complimentary financial advice. While I live in Chicago, I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I return often, especially during winter. You can take the guy out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the guy!

Joshua Kortenkamp is a financial advisor with Kortenkamp, Joshua F, holding a Series 65 designation and three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Lawrence E Grandt for six years, Powers & Moon, LLC for one year, and Uline Shipping Supplies for two years. Kortenkamp, Joshua F is a solo independent advisory firm providing discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients, including high-net-worth households, as well as trusts and estates. The firm utilizes a top-down macroeconomic framework combined with growth, value, and momentum styles in security selection, incorporating market-timing elements and customized investment policy statements with full discretionary authority.

Krzysztof Marzec is a financial advisor at Trove, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Geneva Trading LLC for 15 years. Outside of his advisory role, he is the creator of Meegorun, a neighbor-to-neighbor delivery app, and a managing member of Festa, LLC, which invests in several Midwest restaurants. Trove provides continuous, individualized investment management primarily focused on option-based overlay strategies, serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm emphasizes protective hedging and listed-options strategies applied to clients’ existing securities, implementing these strategies on a discretionary basis.

Gabriel Salimi is a financial advisor at Watchtower Wealth, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Red Oak Capital Management, Fifth Third Securities, Fifth Third Private Bank, and BMO Private Bank. Watchtower Wealth is an independent investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, corporations, partnerships, and retirement plans. The firm combines fundamental research with quantitative techniques and technical analysis to manage discretionary portfolios and provide fiduciary services, offering a diverse range of investment vehicles and institutional-style retirement plan support.

Daniel Fudala is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience and the sole advisor at Hazel Ridge Advisors, LLC, an independent firm based in Palatine, IL. He has been with Hazel Ridge Advisors since its founding in 2015. Hazel Ridge Advisors is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving primarily individual clients with discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm manages client assets entirely in-house, applying a combination of fundamental, cyclical, technical, and modern portfolio theory methods to asset allocation and security selection.

Peter Wright is the principal of Wright Benefit Advisors Inc. in Lake Bluff, IL, with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Kingsbury Capital Investment Advisors, Edwin C Blitz Investments, and Wright Benefit Strategies. He is also president of Wright Benefit Strategies, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm licensed for life, health, and property casualty insurance. Wright Benefit Advisors provides investment advisory and pension consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and education seminars, employing a combination of fundamental, quantitative, technical analysis, and modern portfolio theory with a long-term trading orientation.

Nathaniel Gandy is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience. He is the principal of Obar Wealth Management LLC, an independent firm he joined in 2024. Prior to this, he worked at Wealthfront Brokerage LLC and USAA, among other firms. He also owns Gandy Fintech Solutions LLC, where he consults business owners on fintech and technology integration. Obar Wealth Management is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, and tax preparation, using a portfolio approach based on asset allocation and Modern Portfolio Theory. It serves both individual and institutional clients, providing a range of planning services including business and employee benefits planning.

Roy Brown is a CFP® with 28 years of industry experience and has been with Trueman Brown since 2007. He holds a Series 63 license and is based in Lake Zurich, IL. Outside of his advisory role, he is co-owner and vice president of RVTV Properties. Trueman Brown provides financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to create growth-oriented portfolios while focusing on capital preservation.

Daniel Fisher is the sole advisor at Fisher Financial Group, LLC in Kildeer, IL, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has led Fisher Financial Group since 2008. In addition to his advisory role, he is an independent insurance agent involved in the sale of annuity, life, health, and accident insurance. Fisher Financial Group serves individual investors, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and business entities with personalized financial planning and portfolio management. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis, employs both long- and short-term strategies, and offers modular planning and third-party manager selection tailored to clients’ objectives and risk tolerance.

Edward Leszynski is a financial advisor at KGL Financial Advisors, LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Praetorian Wealth Management Inc for ten years. Outside of advising, he is a CPA involved in individual tax preparation and holds a significant ownership interest in a sports and events center. KGL Financial Advisors is an independent wealth management firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients with combined financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm manages approximately $30 million in assets and employs a long-term investment approach using diversified portfolios of mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, and options.

Michael Mc Clain is a CFA® charterholder with nine years of industry experience. He is currently the sole advisor at PAC Capital, LLC in Lake Forest, IL. Prior to founding PAC Capital, he worked at Hedeker Wealth LLC and Hedeker Capital, LLC from 2016 to 2019. PAC Capital provides discretionary and occasional non-discretionary investment management through separately managed accounts, sub-advisory services, and institutional consulting. The firm serves individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients, employing a multi-strategy approach that includes hedge-style strategies such as convertible arbitrage and active shorting, combining fundamental and systematic analysis tailored to client mandates.

Gary Hart is a financial advisor with Wealth Management Associates, Inc. in Lincolnshire, Illinois, holding a Series 63 designation and 38 years of industry experience. He previously worked at GSH Advisory Services, Inc. for over three decades and has been with Mowery & Schoenfeld, LLC since 2016, where he provides tax and financial consulting services. Wealth Management Associates offers discretionary portfolio management and asset-allocation services to a select group of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and institutional entities. The firm emphasizes tailored investment strategies and continuous portfolio supervision, serving a concentrated client base with approximately $78.8 million in assets under management.

Christina Walasik is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. She is the principal of Pickwick Wealth Management in Deerfield, IL, and has previously worked at Goldbloom and Associates. Walasik also owns an affiliated insurance agency through which she provides insurance and annuity services. Pickwick Wealth Management offers discretionary asset management and financial planning services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm implements portfolios using third-party programs and model managers, tailoring strategies to client objectives and risk tolerance, and incorporates co-advisor arrangements and hourly-fee planning options.

Gregory Smith is a CFP® with 14 years of industry experience and has served as an independent consultant since 2009. He is the sole advisor at Long Run Investment Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Long Grove, IL. Long Run Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individual investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and unaffiliated advisers. The firm emphasizes pension consulting and retirement-plan fiduciary services, implementing portfolios using a combination of fundamental, charting, and cyclical analysis within a Modern Portfolio Theory framework.

David Do is a CFP® and Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at JPMorgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing before founding Heritage Legacy Wealth LLC in 2026. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning services tailored to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and business entities. Heritage Legacy Wealth utilizes a range of analysis methods, including fundamental, technical, quantitative, and Modern Portfolio Theory, with ongoing monitoring and tax-loss harvesting, managing accounts either on a discretionary basis or by client approval.

Benjamin Tisser is a financial advisor at Benari Capital, LLC with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and is also the owner of Benari Insurance Agency LLC and Sacred Strategic Solutions LLC, a consultancy. Prior to his current roles, he was involved with Beth El Synagogue and NSS Beth El for several years. Benari Capital provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized portfolio management, family office coordination, and a charitable giving advisory, emphasizing individualized planning and a diverse analytical approach.

Matthew Kline is the founder and managing member of Kline Capital Management LLC, an independent firm based in Northfield, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 15 years of industry experience, including roles at Neurotech LLC and US Markets, Inc. Outside of financial advising, he is involved in several business ventures, including managing an aerial and construction equipment company and owning a consulting firm and an insurance agency. Kline Capital Management provides fee-only financial planning, wealth management, and investment portfolio management primarily to individual clients, with some corporate and pension clients. The firm emphasizes goal-based planning and strategic asset allocation, using index funds and ETFs alongside active funds when necessary, and maintains written investment policy statements with a focus on tax efficiency and ongoing reporting.

Benjamin Gutstein is a financial advisor at White Crest Capital in Glencoe, IL, with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with White Crest Capital since 2015. White Crest Capital provides discretionary asset management and portfolio supervision to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm manages a broad range of securities using a combination of cyclical, fundamental, and technical analysis, tailoring advice through personalized interviews and questionnaires.

Adam Faust is the sole advisor at Deep Blue Financial LLC in Northbrook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 22 years of industry experience. He has led Deep Blue Financial since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, Faust owns a photography business and serves on the board of a nonprofit theater. Deep Blue Financial serves individuals, families, and related entities, including high-net-worth clients, offering portfolio management and retirement income planning with an emphasis on diversified, tax-efficient ETF-based index portfolios. The firm typically operates on a non-discretionary basis, allowing clients to retain final trading authority.

John Choi is the sole advisor at Epiphany Capital in Vernon Hills, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 25 years of industry experience. He has led Epiphany Capital since 2006. Choi is also licensed as an independent insurance agent specializing in fixed, indexed annuities, and health insurance. Epiphany Capital offers financial planning, coaching, and investment management by coordinating with third-party portfolio managers to implement portfolio models. The firm serves individual investors, families, and small business owners, providing services across retirement, estate, tax, college, and insurance planning.