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.

Erik Barnes is a financial advisor at Retirement Portfolio Partners in Warrenville, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with The Farm Capital Management, LLC since 2008. Retirement Portfolio Partners provides wealth management services to individuals, high-net-worth households, and families, combining portfolio management with comprehensive financial planning. The firm employs passive, cost- and tax-aware strategies using mutual funds, ETFs, and select individual securities, and offers ongoing portfolio oversight through quantitative tools and client digital portals.

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.

Brian Gilmartin is the sole advisor at Trinity Asset Management, Inc. in Clarendon Hills, IL. He holds the CFA® designation and has 27 years of industry experience, having been with Trinity since 1995. Trinity Asset Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management primarily for individual investors, including taxable brokerage and IRA accounts, as well as higher-net-worth clients and a family foundation. The firm constructs long-only portfolios using mutual funds, individual equities, ETFs, and fixed income, applying modern portfolio theory to tailor asset allocations based on client-specific factors.

Eddie Patel is a CFP® certificant and financial advisor at Zendamentals with 18 years of industry experience. He has held leadership roles in multiple affiliated businesses, including accounting and tax service firms, and serves as president and CEO of Zen Wealth Management Group, Inc., which provides bookkeeping, payroll, virtual CFO, and tax preparation services. His other activities include managing holding companies involved in real estate investments. Zendamentals provides discretionary asset management to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a range of investment strategies, including the use of derivatives and leverage, and manages approximately $160.7 million in client assets across more than 400 relationships.

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.

Nirmal Kartari is a financial advisor at Financial Solutions, Inc. in Skokie, IL, with eight years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at 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 a state-registered investment adviser providing investment management and comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analyses to build portfolios and emphasizes accounting and tax expertise in its advisory work.

John Beck is a financial advisor at Midwest Retirement Partners, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at ADP LLC, ADP Broker-Dealer Inc., and Inland Securities Corporation. Midwest Retirement Partners is an independent, single-advisor firm that primarily serves pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm emphasizes quantitative analysis and a long-term investment approach, focusing on plan consulting and referring clients to third-party advisers rather than managing individual client portfolios directly.

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.

Michael Von Lunen is the founder and sole advisor at Wheel Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Harrer Law, P.C., T3 Trading Group, LLC, and Purchasing Platform. Outside of financial advising, he owns and operates Ripple360 LLC, a professional coaching business assisting entrepreneurs in building and managing their businesses. Wheel Advisors LLC provides discretionary asset management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses, with an investment approach focused on asset allocation and low-cost index investing. The firm offers financial planning and small-business consultation tailored to employers with 1–20 employees and combines percentage-based asset management with hourly-billed planning services.

Theodore Barnhart is the sole advisor at Barnhart Investment Advisory in Elmhurst, Illinois, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 20 years of industry experience. He has led Barnhart Investment Advisory since 2009. Barnhart Investment Advisory serves individuals, families, trusts, and estates with discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting, focusing on active, tactical asset allocation and inflation-sensitive strategies. The firm manages a concentrated client base with customized solutions and requires clients to use a designated custodian platform for managed-account services.

Matthew Nordman is a financial advisor with Crown Financial Group, Inc., holding a Series 65 designation and 28 years of industry experience. He operates as the sole advisor at an independent firm. Crown Financial Group provides investment supervisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors such as corporate pension plans, charitable institutions, and municipalities. The firm employs a multi-method investment process incorporating technical, cyclical, and fundamental analysis and offers a range of strategies from long-term buy-and-hold to short-term trading.

Clayton Lawrie is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Trac Asset Management LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Trac Asset Management since 2015. Trac Asset Management provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals as well as institutional clients including trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm employs both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across a range of investment vehicles, and offers educational seminars and workshops for clients and the public.

Elizabeth Buffardi is a CFP® and Series 65 registered advisor with 14 years of experience. She is the President and Investment Adviser Representative of Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc., where she has worked since 2009. Prior to Crescendo, she was with FinancialPlanning4Me, LLC for one year. Crescendo Financial Planners provides fee-only holistic financial planning to individuals and families, focusing on middle-income clients without a formal asset minimum. The firm emphasizes long-term, primarily passive investment strategies using ETFs and index mutual funds, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with a fee structure based on fixed retainers and hourly engagements.

Mark Johnson is a financial advisor with Dogwood Investment Advisors in Northbrook, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 12 years of industry experience, including a prior role at TransUnion, LLC. He has operated Dogwood Investment Advisors since 2014. Dogwood Investment Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing fee-based discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach using fundamental, cyclical, and technical analysis, with portfolio decisions made on a discretionary basis and tailored to client goals. Its single-advisor structure and provision of written communications such as periodicals and newsletters distinguish it from similar independent firms.

Monarch Bhatt is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Ascent Fintech LLC. His work background includes roles at Ascent Infotech LLC and Roadrunner Transportation Services, where he is a Senior Financial Analyst in the shipping and logistics sector. He holds an executive position in an IT services business through Ascent Infotech LLC. Ascent Fintech LLC is an independent advisory firm that serves individuals, families, pension and retirement plans, and institutions, managing approximately $4.85 million in discretionary assets. The firm employs both passive and active investment strategies tailored to client goals and offers a range of services including asset management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services.

Mark Nelson is a financial advisor at NFO Financial Advisory LLC in Westmont, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. He previously worked at Crestline Denali Capital from 2014 to 2020. NFO Financial Advisory LLC serves individual clients through a subscription membership model with no minimum asset requirement. The firm provides financial planning, investment guidance, tax filing services, and consulting, emphasizing long-term investing with strategic and tactical asset allocation primarily using ETFs and mutual funds. NFO charges fixed monthly fees rather than asset-based fees and does not manage or take custody of client assets.

Jac Cerney is the principal of JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Evanston, IL. He holds CFP® and CFA® designations and has 21 years of industry experience. Cerney has led his firm since 2009, providing financial planning and portfolio management services. JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC offers fee-only financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm uses fundamental analysis and longer-term purchase strategies, typically employing exchange-traded funds and bank certificates of deposit, with portfolio allocations tailored to clients’ objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

Bradford Tyl is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience and the principal of Bradford Capital Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2003. He also serves on the faculty of Keller Graduate School of Business since 2003. Bradford Capital Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm emphasizes ETF-based portfolios using Modern Portfolio Theory with a passive asset-allocation and regular rebalancing approach, and it is noted for its pension consulting services and work with charitable organizations.

I’m Matthew, the founder of Maplewood Wealth. I’m a financial planning nerd, hard stop. Standard financial advice is heavily geared toward retirees, leaving mid-career professionals with complex compensation without a clear place to turn. You don't need a generic roadmap, and you certainly don't need a cheerleader. You need a dedicated expert to take the heavy lifting of tax strategy, equity compensation, and investment management completely off your plate so you can protect your time and energy. I built Maplewood Wealth specifically for high-earning professionals, law firm partners, and dual-career parents. Whether you are dealing with a complex K-1 buy-in, navigating vesting RSUs, experiencing a sudden liquidity event, or managing the intense financial realities of chronic illness, I step in to handle the mechanics so you don't have to. Why work with me? The "Professor" Flex: I actually love the complex math of this stuff so much that I teach it to the next generation of advisors as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois (UIUC), and I help write official exam questions for the CFP® Board. Taxes, Minus the Stress: As an Enrolled Agent (EA) admitted to practice before the IRS, I don't just give high-level advice. I do in-house tax preparation and tax-smart investment management to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing: I don't require a $1M portfolio to work together. I offer two clear paths: a one-time $495 Clarity Session to solve an immediate, painful financial headache, or a $500/month Principal Partnership (capped at roughly 30 clients) where I take wealth and tax management entirely off your hands. I live in the Chicagoland area with my wife, our two kids, and our dog, but I operate a completely virtual practice serving professionals across the country. If you are ready to offload the mental load of your finances, let's talk.