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.

Michael Grady is a financial advisor with Asset Strategies, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and over 41 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at E.F. Hutton & Co. LLC and Chicago Capital Management Advisors, where he serves as president. Grady is also a director of the Upward Foundation, a charitable organization providing support and scholarships to disadvantaged individuals. Asset Strategies, Inc. offers discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and charitable clients, managing approximately $59.7 million in discretionary assets. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis across various asset classes and employs both long- and short-term investment strategies.

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.

Austin Mitchell is a financial advisor at Maverick Thomas Capital with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at OneAmerica Securities, Johnson & Johnson, and Workout Anytime. Outside of advising, he is involved in non-variable insurance sales, including fixed life and fixed annuities. Maverick Thomas Capital provides ongoing portfolio management and integrated financial planning, managing allocations across various asset classes such as mutual funds, ETFs, equities, fixed income, annuities, and non-U.S. securities. The firm employs a long-term trading approach combining multiple analysis methods and offers financial planning services alongside portfolio management.

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.

John Swift is a CFA® charterholder with 21 years of industry experience. He has worked at Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC since 2017 and previously at Gentry Private Wealth Management LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he teaches a CFA review program. Benchmark Investment Advisors serves individual investors, pension plans, trusts, and corporate clients through discretionary asset management, retirement-plan consulting, and sub-advisory services. The firm employs a proprietary Economic Margin framework and intrinsic valuation methods within a model portfolio approach, complemented by client education materials and tactical investment overlays.

Joshi Koneru is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Watershed Private Wealth since 2022. Prior to this, he worked for 15 years at Creative Planning. Watershed Private Wealth provides investment advisory services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and pension plans, offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm builds customized investment programs using a blend of fundamental, quantitative, technical, and modern portfolio theory analyses, and integrates financial planning into ongoing portfolio management.

Samuel Feldman is a financial advisor at 755 Financial with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked primarily at Edward Jones before joining 755 Wealth Management LLC in 2026. Outside of finance, he owns Sweetwater Meat and Seed Company, a food review and consulting business based in Chicago. 755 Financial is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers client-driven strategies tailored to objectives and risk tolerance and is affiliated with related tax, accounting, and insurance businesses.

Sarah Bodach is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Mentor Capital Management Inc. in Chicago, IL, with nine years at the firm and three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Mentor Capital Management, she was a homemaker for six years. Mentor Capital Management Inc. is a fee-only advisory firm serving individual clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm focuses on long-term, low-cost index-based investing combined with fundamental analysis and a broad asset-allocation approach, offering services that include wealth management, financial planning, and tax-related advice.

Paul Craig is a financial advisor with Tower Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and over 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at several firms, including Ausdal Financial Partners and Formula Folios Distributors, and has been associated with Tower Financial Management since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, he is a teacher in the Glenbard Township High School District and serves as the head golf coach at Wheaton College. Tower Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $47 million across about 218 accounts. The firm focuses on exchange-traded equities and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management alongside 401(k) plan assistance.

Joseph Madden is a financial advisor at Madden Funds Management with 28 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 designation and operates out of Oak Park, Illinois. Madden Funds Management provides financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm focuses on tailored investment programs using asset-class funds primarily managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors, supplemented with Fidelity funds, emphasizing diversification and long-term holdings.

Lawrence Gatz is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Copperwood Financial since 2020 and previously held roles at Significant Wealth Partners Inc., Capital Management Consultants, Kingsview Asset Management, Atkins and Associates, and Wealth Planning Network. Outside of his advisory work, he co-owns KLG Management Inc., which provides personal insurance and general business management consulting. Copperwood Financial offers fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, including a specialty practice for professional athletes. The firm manages portfolios using a tactical allocation approach and provides retirement plan consulting, serving as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for employer-sponsored plans.

Timothy Obendorf is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Steward Advisors, LLC since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he is a 25% minority owner and board member of McLennan Property Management Company, which manages commercial and industrial properties in the Chicago area. Steward Advisors serves individuals, businesses, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and family offices with fee-based financial planning and private portfolio management. The firm manages approximately $137 million in assets, integrating financial planning with investment strategies that include ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and privately placed investments, while employing options and derivatives for hedging and tactical purposes.

Christopher Casey is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He has been with Windrock Wealth Management since 2013 and currently serves as an advisor at the firm in Naperville, IL. Windrock Wealth Management serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and retirement-plan sponsors, providing discretionary portfolio management, family office solutions, and fiduciary retirement-plan consulting. The firm uses a macroeconomic, multi-year asset-allocation approach across traditional and alternative investments and is notable for sponsoring private funds and offering those opportunities to clients alongside standard advisory services.

Jeffrey Schear is a financial advisor at Schear Investment Advisers, LLC in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with the firm since 2025. Outside of advising, he owns and operates Jeff Schear Visuals, a commercial photography and video production business he started in 2008. Schear Investment Advisers, LLC provides discretionary investment management and securities advice to individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and charitable organizations. The firm focuses on long-term growth through fundamental and technical analysis, managing portfolios concentrated in equities, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs, with occasional use of options and margin.

Brian Bullington is a financial advisor at First Choice Financial Services LLC with one year of industry experience. Prior to his advisory role, he was a professional athlete for nine years. First Choice Financial Services LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing financial advice primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and estate-planning support, acting as a liaison to facilitate documentation, disclosures, and reviews. The firm does not manage assets directly but selects external managers using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis while maintaining ongoing oversight and client communications.

Charles Marien III is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience. He has worked at CTS Financial Planning, Inc. since 1984 and has been associated with Certified Insurance Consultants, Inc. since 1989. CTS Financial Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients with comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, investment planning, and discretionary asset management, while also providing accounting and income tax preparation services. The firm employs an active, technically driven investment approach and integrates in-house tax and accounting capabilities alongside advisory services.

Brian Beasley is a financial advisor with Athena Advisor Services, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Athena Advisor Services since 2013 and is a co-host of the Fierce Fiduciary Podcast. He also serves as an unpaid administrator for several online investment and financial planning discussion groups, providing educational content without offering individual advice. Athena Advisor Services, LLC provides asset management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities, including high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and an ongoing planning subscription with account aggregation and planning software, employing a tailored approach with continuous supervision and quarterly reviews.

Robert Kristof is a financial advisor at Casey Wealth Management, Inc. in Orland Park, Illinois, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Sammons Securities Company, LLC since 2009 while also maintaining his role at Casey Wealth Management since 2005. Casey Wealth Management, founded in 2002, provides customized financial planning, consulting, and investment management primarily to individual clients and occasionally to pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm employs fundamental security analysis and a buy-and-hold strategy with quarterly portfolio reviews, managing non-discretionary assets without focusing on high-net-worth households.

Andrew Farinelli is a financial advisor at Wavvest Wealth with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Embree Financial Group, McAdam LLC, and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments. Outside of his advisory role, he is owner and president of Farinelli Financial LLC, providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management services. Wavvest Wealth offers portfolio management and financial planning to individuals through a technology-enabled platform and a direct advisory service. The firm focuses on diversified, long-term asset allocation and utilizes proprietary technology to support client risk profiling and portfolio management.