Jon Knotts is a financial advisor at Expressive Wealth LLC in Chicago, with two years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has a background that includes roles at Zacks Investment Research and Benzinga.com. He is also the owner of Fiscal Investor, a financial literacy website. Expressive Wealth LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and retirement plans by offering discretionary asset management, ERISA 3(38) plan services, and modular financial planning. The firm employs fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor investments to clients’ goals and risk tolerances and maintains active oversight of sub-advisors and portfolio risk.

Phillip Johnson is a financial advisor at Rothschild Wealth LLC with 31 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at multiple related firms, including Rothschild Financial Partners, LLC and Halo Securities LLC. He has served as president of Rothschild Wealth LLC since 2018 and as managing director of Rothschild Investment LLC since 2023. Rothschild Wealth LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporate executives, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm’s investment approach uses asset-allocation models based on client questionnaires and quantitative analysis, with implementation across various securities and third-party sub-advisers.

Donovan Sanchez is a CFP® with 10 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Model Wealth, Inc. He has previously worked at Skyview Financial Planning, Savant Capital Management, and Northwestern Mutual. Sanchez is also a full-time financial planning instructor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Model Wealth, Inc. is a virtual, fee-only financial planning and wealth management firm serving individuals, families, estates, trusts, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes a broadly passive investment approach with cost-effective, tax-aware implementation and integrates both robo-managed strategies and direct indexing within a flat annual fee structure.

Susan Oleari is a financial advisor at Trifecta Capital Advisors, LLC with four years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 credential and previously worked at BMO Private Bank for six years. Susan serves on the boards of the Joffrey Ballet, Recipe for Change, and the Evan Joseph Gerstein Foundation, holding treasurer roles at the latter two. Trifecta Capital Advisors provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, families, business owners, trusts, and foundations. The firm manages over $700 million with a focus on long-term strategic asset allocation combined with tactical adjustments using proprietary capital-market assumptions.

Alison Brandt is a financial advisor at Pendulum Wealth Partners with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Pendulum Wealth Partners is a team of nine advisors providing discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a fundamental, primarily long-term investment approach with diversified portfolios and operates under common control with an affiliated tax and accounting firm.

Michael Thrasher is a CFP® professional at Timothy Financial Counsel, Inc. in Wheaton, IL, with nine years of industry experience. He has been with Timothy Financial Counsel since 2015. Timothy Financial Counsel, Inc. is a fee-only, hourly financial planning firm serving individuals, families, businesses, trusts, charities, and retirement plans. The firm offers project-based advice on a range of financial topics and emphasizes a time-based billing model with no custody of client funds or discretionary authority, focusing on advisory and implementation coaching rather than ongoing portfolio management.

Janice Hennessy is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at ShankerValleau Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2014. She also dedicates part of her time to accounting work at ShankerValleau Accountants, Inc., assisting with tax preparation. ShankerValleau Wealth Advisors is a six-advisor team managing approximately $550 million for a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm emphasizes diversified, low-cost, research-driven portfolio management, primarily implemented through a wrap-fee program and ongoing financial planning.

Chad Whiteley is a CFA® charterholder with three years of industry experience. He is currently with Sierra Summit Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to that, he was with Innovis Asset Management LLC for two years and Premier Asset Management LLC for nine years. Sierra Summit Advisors primarily serves high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis across various equity and fixed-income strategies and manages over $600 million for approximately 115 clients.

Valerie Larson is a financial advisor at Romano Brothers and Company with 10 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation. Romano Brothers and Company serves individuals—including high-net-worth clients—employee benefit plans, non-profits, trusts, estates, and corporate entities. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and brokerage services, employing a generally conservative, long-term, fundamentals-based investment approach with both active and passive strategies.

John Gritis is a financial advisor with Bentley Financial Group and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 39 years of industry experience and has been with Bentley Financial Group since 2014. Prior to this, he worked at LPL Financial starting in 2009 and has operated his own firm, Domino, Gritis & Co., since 1976. Gritis is also a one-third owner of a manufacturing company and provides tax preparation and corporate accounting services through his accounting firm. Bentley Financial Group provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $393 million in discretionary client assets, employing fundamental analysis and third-party managers, while offering a range of LPL-sponsored managed account programs and a proprietary wrap program.

Randall Bruns is a CFP® with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Model Wealth, Inc. He has held positions at several firms including Chase Investment Services Corp. and LPL Financial. Bruns has been with Model Wealth since 2018, contributing to the firm’s virtual, fee-only financial planning and wealth management services. Model Wealth, Inc. serves individuals, families, estates, trusts, and small businesses with a broadly passive investment approach focused on cost-effective, tax-aware implementation. The firm operates fully virtually and utilizes flat annual fees, integrating robo-managed strategies and direct indexing in its portfolio management.

Allan Peil is a financial advisor at Vertis Wealth, LLC with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Trifound Advisory, LLC and Northwestern Mutual. In addition to his advisory role, he is also an insurance agent offering insurance products and services. Vertis Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as corporations and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes long-term, value-oriented equity selection, strategic asset allocation, and option strategies, with services tailored to client objectives.

Ryan Bellis is an advisor at Vertex Partners in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has been with Vertex Planning Partners since 2024 and has prior experience at Natixis Investment Managers. Ryan entered the industry recently after completing his studies in 2024. Vertex Partners provides advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and charitable and corporate entities through financial planning, investment and wealth management, consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a diverse investment process focusing on asset allocation, diversification, and behavioral finance, utilizing a combination of active and passive model portfolios across various platforms and strategies.

Julia Khazan is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving at MEDIQUS Asset Advisors, Inc., where she has been with the firm since 2007. She is based in Chicago, IL, and is part of a five-advisor team. MEDIQUS Asset Advisors serves individuals, including many physicians and medical groups, as well as retirement plans and not-for-profit medical organizations. The firm provides investment advisory, financial planning, and educational services, using a long-term asset allocation strategy managed via the Betterment for Advisors platform.

Michael Adler is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Rothschild Wealth LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and The AYCO Company, L.P./Mercer Allied. He is also a licensed insurance agent and registered representative of Rothschild Investment, LLC. Rothschild Wealth LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporate executive groups, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm employs asset-allocation models supported by quantitative analysis and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

Joshua Beachler is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with Goldstone Financial Group, LLC and has previously worked at Clearwater Capital Partners and Bank of America, N.A. Beachler holds the Series 66 designation. Goldstone Financial Group is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser managing over $1 billion for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to sub-advisers and third-party model portfolios, using a range of investment strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and select alternatives.

Jeremy Lorenz is a CFP® professional with four years of experience at Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. He has a background that includes roles at Illinois State University, Ikea, LegoLand Discovery Center, and Schaumburg High School. Capstone Financial Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes asset-class allocation, cost control, and tax positioning, managing approximately $2.44 billion in client assets through a multi-advisor team and offering private fund investments and in-house tax services.

Patricia Musachio is a financial advisor at Walsh & Associates, LLC with 34 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at LPL Financial (Dba Kinnare & Associates Financial Consultants) since 2003. She joined Walsh & Associates in 2025 as part of an eight-advisor team. Walsh & Associates serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans, providing portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm manages approximately $660 million on a discretionary basis and employs strategies that emphasize asset allocation along with fundamental, quantitative, and qualitative security analysis.

James Oswald is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. He has worked at T2 Asset Management, LLC since 2015 and was previously with Asbury Investment Management LLC from 2019 to 2023. Based in Naperville, IL, he is part of a seven-advisor team at T2 Asset Management. T2 Asset Management provides investment management, wealth planning, and business advisory services to individuals, small businesses, and institutions. The firm uses proprietary, rules-based models combining technical and fundamental analysis to manage multi-asset portfolios across various risk profiles.

Ricki Hanna is a financial advisor at Asset Strategies, Inc. with 13 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at RR Donnelley & Sons for seven years. Asset Strategies, Inc. provides discretionary investment management and standalone financial planning to individual clients and charitable organizations. The firm constructs portfolios using equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs, and offers negotiable AUM-based advisory arrangements alongside fixed-fee planning engagements.