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!

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.

Peter Wright is the principal of Wright Benefit Advisors Inc. in Lake Forest, IL, with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at several firms, including Kingsbury Capital, LLC, and Edwin C Blitz Investments, Inc. 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 Inc. provides portfolio management, financial planning, pension consulting, and participant education to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, and pension or profit-sharing plans. The firm combines fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis with modern portfolio theory to implement long-term investment approaches, with a focus on pension consulting and corporate plan services.

Leonard Fensterheim is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. He is the principal of HealthQuant Associates LLC, where he has worked since 2014. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as Director of Clinical Outcomes and Analytics at Catamaran Corporation and is a partner at Highbeam Capital LLC, where he dedicates time to research on biotechnology and healthcare investments. HealthQuant Associates LLC is a state-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management with an investment approach combining fundamental, technical, and cyclical economic analysis. The firm focuses on tailored portfolios primarily in the healthcare and life-sciences sectors, employing strategies ranging from long-term buy-and-hold to shorter-term trading, including the use of short sales and options.

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.

Aaron Shafter is the principal advisor at Great Mountain Capital Management LLC, holding a Series 66 designation with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Great Mountain Capital Management since 2004. Great Mountain Capital Management provides discretionary investment management and financial consulting to individuals, institutional, and corporate clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, municipalities, and sovereign funds. The firm combines fundamental stock screening with technical analysis and market-timing strategies, often utilizing derivatives and leverage in managed accounts.

Christina Walasik is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience. She is the owner and sole advisor at Pickwick Wealth Management, an independent firm based in Deerfield, Illinois. Prior to establishing Pickwick Wealth Management, she worked at Gradient Advisors, LLC for eight years. In addition to her advisory role, she operates an affiliated insurance business. Pickwick Wealth Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a client-tailored investment approach based on fundamental analysis and maintains ongoing portfolio management with quarterly reviews.

David Do is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and holds a Series 66 license, with 13 years of experience in the financial services industry. He founded Heritage Legacy Wealth LLC in 2026 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing, JPMorgan Securities LLC, and Morgan Stanley. Heritage Legacy Wealth LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management as well as financial planning and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers customized investment programs based on client goals, risk tolerance, and time horizons, employing various analysis methods with ongoing monitoring and rebalancing.

Benjamin Tisser is the sole advisor at Benari Capital, LLC, an independent firm based in Northbrook, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has two years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, Tisser owns and operates Benari Insurance Agency LLC as a licensed insurance agent and runs Sacred Strategic Solutions, LLC, a consultancy. Benari Capital provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes individualized planning and portfolio construction using a mix of analytical methods and primarily recommends ETFs and mutual funds, while also offering family office coordination, separately managed accounts, direct indexing strategies, and a charitable giving advisory.

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.

Harold Rosen is the sole advisor at Pinnacle Peak Capital Management LLC in Arlington Heights, IL, with 26 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at H.P. Becker & Co. for 19 years. Rosen has been operating Pinnacle Peak Capital Management since 1998 and conducting part-time business and financial consulting since 1999. Pinnacle Peak Capital Management is an independent registered investment adviser providing discretionary asset management to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of fundamental and technical analysis with a generally long-term investment approach and offers tailored equity portfolios including optional equity-options strategies.

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 credentials with 22 years of industry experience. He has led Deep Blue Financial since its founding in 2014. Outside of financial advising, Mr. Faust is the owner of a photography business specializing in author and wedding photography and serves on the board of directors for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, a nonprofit theater in Arlington Heights. Deep Blue Financial LLC provides investment advisory services to individuals, families, and related entities, focusing on portfolio management, retirement income planning, and investment consulting. The firm constructs low-cost, tax-aware portfolios primarily using diversified ETFs, incorporates loss harvesting and periodic rebalancing, and offers non-discretionary management to clients who retain trade decision authority.

Danielle Schultz is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. She is the sole advisor at Haven Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent advisory firm based in Evanston, IL. In addition to her advisory work, she devotes time to freelance writing outside of securities trading hours. Haven Financial Solutions primarily serves individual clients, offering comprehensive financial planning and investment supervisory services. The firm employs a strategic, passive investment approach focused on diversified asset allocation using indexed mutual funds and ETFs, with an emphasis on long-term buy-and-hold and periodic rebalancing. It also provides educational workshops and written financial contributions, with specialized services in divorce and college planning.

James Martinelli is a financial advisor with JDN Financial LLC in Glenview, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked with WSP Commodity Trading, LLC since 2011 and has been an independent insurance agent since 2003, including activities involving equity indexed annuities. JDN Financial LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as institutional clients such as banks, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches for portfolio implementation and offers commissionable insurance products through its principal’s insurance licensure.

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.