Michael Cope is a financial advisor at Pinnacle Planning Advisors, LLC in Evanston, IL, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® designation and Series 66 license. His prior experience includes roles at Citigroup Global Markets and Ehlert Financial Group. Pinnacle Planning Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm employs detailed Investment Policy Statements and uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across long- and short-term strategies, with a focus on client education and periodic account reviews.

Elizabeth Elswick is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 10 years of industry experience. She is the principal of Elswick Investments LLC in Chicago, IL, where she has worked since 2025. Prior to founding her firm, she spent nearly a decade at Edward Jones. Outside of her advisory work, she owns and operates Paper Ashtray Music LLC as a composer and performer. Elswick Investments LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA retirement-plan services for a broad client base, including individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, nonprofits, and retirement plans. The firm uses a customized portfolio approach incorporating fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis, with ongoing monitoring through quarterly reviews, rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting.

Amy Rosenow is the founder of Bold Vision Financial (formerly Fearless Financial Planning), an advice-only financial planning and education firm focused on women, families, and entrepreneurs. Prior to Bold Vision, Amy worked as a consultant providing strategic advisory and outsourced COO services to growing start-ups and small businesses. Amy also founded Jugl LLC, a software company focused on making it easier to be a working parent. Before Jugl, Amy served as Partner, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer of Sheffield Asset Management, L.L.C. for over a decade. In this role, she oversaw a variety of functions including operations, client service, investor relations, marketing, risk management, compliance, and technology for the Chicago-based investment management firm. She began her career on Wall Street, working for Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Bear Stearns. She also serves as President of both RUOK Management investment partnership and Kaplan Rosenow Family Foundation. Amy graduated from Cornell University. She lives in Chicago with her husband, two daughters, and their two Labrador retrievers. She is involved in a variety of community and non-profit initiatives, serving as Treasurer on the board of Temple Sholom of Chicago, as a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women and the Economic Club of Chicago, and as a mentor at 1871, Chicago’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. In addition, she is the co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of the Josephine Collective, a women-led group of angel investors co-investing small amounts in early-stage startups.

Samer Simaan is a CFA charterholder and the sole advisor at Simaan Investment Management, L.L.C. He has eight years of industry experience and has been affiliated with BMO Harris Bank since 2015. Based in Chicago, IL, he leads an independent advisory firm specializing in portfolio management. Simaan Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, corporations, and other investment advisers. The firm employs a value-oriented, margin-of-safety equity philosophy combined with tactical use of covered and listed options to generate income and manage downside risk.

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.

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.

Kevin Hebson is the principal and sole advisor at Kevin Hebson & Company, an independent firm based in Winnetka, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 46 years of industry experience. Since 1991, he has also owned New Cumnock Consulting Inc., providing tax planning and bookkeeping services. Kevin Hebson & Company offers investment advisory and standalone financial planning services to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis, technical/charting methods, and Modern Portfolio Theory to construct and manage tailored portfolios, while also providing business-oriented planning services not commonly found at similarly sized firms.

Mark Kollar is the principal of Kollar Wealth Advisors, LLC in Northbrook, Illinois, with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked in estate planning and insurance services since 1995. Kollar is the founder and trustee of the Myositis Association Cup Golf Challenge Trust and serves on the board of Loyola Academy Sailing. Kollar Wealth Advisors provides personalized financial planning and discretionary investment management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm employs a goal- and risk-based investment approach using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and manages approximately $12.4 million across about 40 client relationships.

Larry Hightower is a CFP® professional with 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is the principal advisor at Hightower & Boler, LLC, where he has worked since 2017. His prior experience includes roles at Protective Life Insurance, EverGreen Capital Management, BMO Harris Financial Advisors, and Ameriprise. Hightower serves as a board member for the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, a nonprofit providing child and family development programs. Hightower & Boler, LLC is an independent, fee-only registered investment advisor serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts and estates, as well as state and municipal government entities. The firm offers customized portfolios primarily composed of individual bonds and exchange-traded funds, employing a long-term investment focus with flexibility for rebalancing and cash needs.

Brian Rhoads is a CFA® charterholder and the principal of Checkpoint Financial Planning in Highland Park, IL, with two years of experience in financial advising. He previously worked for 18 years at Quantitative Risk Management. Checkpoint Financial Planning provides fee-only, advice-only financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses through project-based engagements, focusing on areas such as retirement strategies, estate planning, and business planning. The firm emphasizes risk-aware, tax-conscious planning and delivers written reports following video consultations, without managing client assets or charging fees based on assets under management.

Patrick Hager is a CFA® charterholder with a Series 66 license and 17 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Oppenheimer from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2026 before founding Theta Wealth Partners in 2026. The firm provides portfolio management and investment advisory services primarily to individuals and high-net-worth clients, employing a multi-disciplinary investment approach that includes charting, fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and quantitative methods. Theta Wealth Partners offers wrap-fee portfolio management with discretionary authority and conducts regular account reviews and reporting.

Eddie Patel is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Zendamentals in Chicago, IL. He has held leadership roles in several affiliated entities, including accounting and tax service firms where he oversees operations and corporate accounting. Patel also manages real estate investment activities through a holding company. Zendamentals provides discretionary asset management to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a range of investment strategies including fundamental and technical analysis, option writing, and the use of derivatives, managing approximately $160.7 million in client assets across about 424 relationships.

Jeffrey Cohen is a financial advisor at US Advanced Computing Infrastructure, Inc. with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2018, he worked at International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation for three years. US Advanced Computing Infrastructure provides non-discretionary stock analysis and quantitative research to institutional investors, accredited high-net-worth clients, and individual investors. The firm uses a proprietary quantitative algorithm called the Chicago Quantum Net Score to evaluate stocks and construct portfolios, delivering services primarily through written reports, client-directed research, and subscription-based content.

Steven Johnson is a financial advisor at SRJ Financial Consulting LLC in Lombard, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with one year of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Willamette Management Associates and Charles River Associates. SRJ Financial Consulting LLC provides investment advisory services, financial planning, tax-planning analyses, and tax-return preparation for a diverse client base that includes individuals, small businesses, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment advice on a non-discretionary basis and features a formal no-fee program of educational seminars and workshops along with compensated tax-return preparation.

Michael Vodicka is the principal of Vodicka Group, Inc., an independent advisory firm based in Highland Park, Illinois. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 17 years of experience in the financial industry, including 15 years with his current firm. Vodicka Group, Inc. provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and small corporations. The firm manages discretionary accounts tailored to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances, employing strategies such as asset allocation, dollar-cost averaging, technical analysis, and both long- and short-term trading.

Marc Farmer is a financial advisor at Monroe Financial Inc. in Chicago, IL, with 11 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Monroe Financial since 2019, following roles at Hd Vest Investment Services and HD Vest Advisory Services. Outside of his advisory work, Farmer owns a CPA firm and serves on the board of directors for the Monroe Arts Center, where he reviews financial statements and provides financial advice. Monroe Financial provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, and businesses. The firm integrates multiple analytical approaches in managing portfolios with a primarily ETF-focused strategy and offers both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Nirmal Kartari is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with nine years of industry experience. He has previously worked with Avantax Advisory Services and HD Vest Investment Services. Kartari is also the owner and sole proprietor of a tax preparation and accounting business. Financial Solutions, Inc. is an independent investment adviser providing investment management and comprehensive financial planning services for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm emphasizes tax-aware planning and employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analyses alongside both passive and active strategies.

Louis Orloff is a financial advisor with Reserve Fund Advisers, holding a Series 65 credential and four years of industry experience. He has been involved with several business ventures since 1988, including founding Orloff Advisers LLC and operating multiple companies over the past decades. His various companies require minimal time commitment. Reserve Fund Advisers specializes in financial planning, investment monitoring, and consulting for condominium and homeowner association reserve funds, offering educational seminars at no charge. The firm serves individuals, associations, trusts, estates, and business entities using an academic-based investment approach that incorporates fundamental and technical analysis across diverse strategies.

Matthew Ward is a financial advisor with K.W. Andersen Investment Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has worked with K.W. Andersen Investment Group since 2017 and previously with MW Financial LLC and Advocate Financial Solutions LLC. Outside of financial advising, he works as a bookkeeper for an interior design business in Chicago. K.W. Andersen Investment Group provides financial planning, investment consultation, portfolio management, and business consultation to individuals, including high net worth clients, and small businesses. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis and diversified strategies to construct tax-efficient, customized portfolios managed predominantly on a discretionary basis.