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.

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.

Steven Petrovich is the sole advisor at Petrovich Capital Advisors LLC in Burr Ridge, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience with Dodger Investments LLC from 2017 to the present and NYC Health and Hospitals Corp. from 2009 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a separate non-investment consulting business. Petrovich Capital Advisors LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management to individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on long-term investment strategies with publicly traded liquid securities such as ETFs and individual equities. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis, asset allocation, and diversification, avoiding leverage, derivatives, margin, and private placements, and offers ongoing portfolio monitoring and account reviews.

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.

Aaron Linden is a financial advisor at Vestment 401K Advisors LLC in Naperville, IL, holding Series 65, 63, and 66 licenses with two years of industry experience. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Outside of his advisory role, Linden is a part-owner of Edison Motors, a company that produces diesel-electric trucks for commercial use, and works part-time as a contractor at Central Dupage Hospital. Vestment 401K Advisors LLC provides fiduciary consulting and investment advisory services primarily to participant-directed defined contribution retirement plans, plan sponsors, and committees, while also offering private wealth management and financial planning. The firm emphasizes a passive, index-based investment approach and follows ERISA guidelines with discretionary and advisory management options.

James Richter is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Monotelo Wealth Partners in Elgin, IL. He previously worked at Hd Vest Advisory Services and Hd Vest Investment Services before founding Monotelo Wealth Partners in 2017. In addition to his advisory role, he owns and operates Monotelo Advisors, an accounting and tax preparation practice. Monotelo Wealth Partners is an independent firm that provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advisory services to a select client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm manages balanced, diversified portfolios with a focus on exchange-traded funds and employs multiple methods of analysis to implement tax-efficient investment strategies.

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.

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.

Patrick Crowley is a financial advisor at Crowley Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his independent firm in 2024, he worked for 11 years at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. He holds a Series 66 designation. Outside of his advisory role, he is listed as treasurer and vice president of a family-owned real estate company. Crowley Capital Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, small businesses, and estates. The firm customizes portfolio management based on client objectives and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis, and may employ third-party sub-advisors.

Brian Peterson is the principal of Pluto Wealth Management, an independent firm based in Woodridge, Illinois. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has six years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory role, he operates a corporate consulting business focused on reviewing and establishing Treasury functions and department structures on a project basis. Pluto Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing comprehensive financial planning, discretionary investment management, and project consulting. The firm employs a mixed analytical approach to portfolio management and offers services such as subscription-style planning, client newsletters, and educational seminars.

Leela Rao is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with 20 years of industry experience. She has been with Goodwin Asset Management Inc. since 2002. Rao serves as a director of the Raagalaya Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization registered in Florida. Goodwin Asset Management provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a conservative, value-oriented investment strategy combining top-down macro allocation with bottom-up security selection, and it also offers pension-plan consulting and retirement-plan management services.

Darryl Franklin is a financial advisor at Oakwood Wealth Advisors Ltd. in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Oakwood Wealth Advisors since 2012. In addition to his advisory work, he serves as a graduate school lecturer at Benedictine University. Oakwood Wealth Advisors provides portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, offering both active and passive management along with discretionary account authority and performance-based fee arrangements for qualified clients.

Gary Rychtanek is a CFP® and Series 66 registered financial advisor with 29 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at GCR Financial Services, LLC, an independent firm based in Naperville, IL. Rychtanek has worked at Chauner Securities, Inc. since 2003 and Clune & Associates since 1996. In addition to his advisory role, he provides tax preparation services as a CPA, focusing on corporate, individual, and partnership tax returns. GCR Financial Services offers fee-based financial planning, investment supervisory services, and tax preparation/advice to individual clients, trusts, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $47.4 million across about 39 clients, operating primarily on a non-discretionary basis with diversified portfolios and quarterly supervisory reviews. Its integration of accounting and tax services into the advisory process is a distinctive feature.

Henry Glodny is a financial advisor with Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. in Hoffman Estates, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 17 years of industry experience. He is the principal and founder of Terra Nimbus Systems, Inc., an IT consulting business that develops software tools for his financial planning practice. Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. is a solo independent firm serving primarily middle-class individual clients with fee-only, hourly financial planning and investment advice. The firm employs an evidence-based, data-driven investment approach using a proprietary Asset Allocation Database to analyze portfolio allocations and risk, and it maintains a policy of no percentage-of-AUM fees, no product sales, and no discretionary trading authority.

Dale Wong is a financial advisor at Missio Investment Management LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Missio since 2018. Prior to that, he was employed at Northeastern University and Convergence Investments. Missio Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management and limited financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, endowments, and corporate clients. The firm uses a predominantly passive investment approach combined with active management for up to 30% of assets, tailoring portfolios to client-specific investment policy statements.