Thomas Foertsch is the principal and sole advisor at Volsurface Capital Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 11 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Volsurface Capital Management, he was involved with Dairyfunds, LLC, and since 2009 has served as CEO of Exchange Capital Resources, a consulting firm focused on business strategy and operations. Additionally, Mr. Foertsch holds a Realtor license with Berkshire Hathaway Home Service. Volsurface Capital Management provides separately managed account services employing market-neutral, relative-value volatility strategies using listed index derivatives primarily for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients. The firm utilizes proprietary models to identify pricing dislocations in S&P 500 and U.S. 10-year Treasury index options and related futures, maintaining hedged positions to preserve a market-neutral stance with embedded tail-risk protection.

Holistic financial planning for creatives, freelancers, small business owners, and independent thinkers. Indie Financial Planning is a woman-run, fee only financial planning firm with a background in arts and entertainment. We are licensed in Illinois and California. Before becoming a CFP® Professional, I spent over 20 years working in the independent music industry. I have a unique awareness of the challenges facing artists, creatives, or anyone looking to build a career or business not tied to a traditional 9-5 position. IFP caters to self-employed entrepreneurs or anyone looking to plan for a future on their own terms. I founded IFP as an alternative to a financial industry widely viewed as only serving the very wealthy. There are no investment minimums to work with IFP. We are an independent resource ready to partner with you when you are ready to take control of your financial life. Whatever your planning needs – from investments to budgeting – IFP will consider the many moving parts of your situation and work with you to build a plan based on trust. We focus on holistic planning and helping to educate you, so you are better positioned to achieve your goals. We treat planning as a partnership. We provide you with the tools and knowledge to take control of your finances. We offer advice and expertise to answer your questions and pursue your goals. Investment management and ongoing planning allows us to create a roadmap with clients and travel that path with them adjusting to changes along the way. After graduating from Pomona College with degrees in Economics and French, I moved from California to Boston for a change of scenery. There, I began working in a record store and eventually moved into sales and distribution for a small independent record label. I continued working in independent music when I moved to Chicago including 16 years as Head of Sales and Distribution for Touch and Go Records. When I left the music industry in 2009, I saw an opportunity to offer financial planning and investment advice to the many talented and creative folks in my circle of friends and others like them. Outside of work, I have a soft spot for animals including my 2 cats and 2 dogs all rescued from Chicago area rescues. The dogs arrived at the house as 2-week-old puppies along with their mama dog and 7 siblings during the 2020 Covid pandemic. If the pets give me the I still enjoy seeing live music and enjoy the many venues around Chicago.

Yousef Salama is a financial advisor at Museum Park Capital with a Series 65 designation and recent industry experience beginning in 2026. He has held roles at Deloitte Professional Services (DIFC), Global Affairs Canada, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, among others. Salama also serves as Director of Education for the Association for the Improvement of American Infrastructure through his related entity, Salama Research Group. Museum Park Capital provides non-discretionary portfolio management and tailored advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, small businesses, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes a long-term, thematic approach combining top-down analysis with bottom-up research, maintaining a small number of high-conviction positions and offering fixed-fee consulting engagements alongside portfolio management.

Charles Horonzy is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Focused Up Financial, LLC, where he has worked since 2017. Prior to that, he was employed at Sullivan Mermel, Inc. and Accountemps. Outside of his advisory role, Horonzy is employed as a Tax Pro for Intuit and has worked as an independent contractor for Bluestem Financial Advisors, LLC. Focused Up Financial serves individual and family clients as well as businesses and plan sponsors, offering comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, and tax preparation services. The firm emphasizes integrated planning that coordinates investment allocation with tax, risk management, and business-planning considerations, primarily employing passive, asset-class-based investment strategies with discretionary portfolio management delegated to a third-party sub-adviser.

John Mayer is a financial advisor at Invest Capital LLC in Chicago, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 35 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated for 10 years before founding his sole proprietorship and joining Invest Capital in 2018. Outside of finance, he provides transportation services through an affiliation with Uber Technologies, Inc. Invest Capital provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as ERISA-qualified plans. The firm employs a variety of analytical methods and offers tailored strategies, including both discretionary and non-discretionary authority, alongside public educational seminars and workshops.

I'm Linda Rapisardo, CFP® and founder of Canela Wealth, a flat-fee, advice-only financial planning firm for first-generation wealth builders. My clients are first-gen professionals in their 30s and 40s who have worked hard to build successful careers, but never got a roadmap for what comes next. They're often the person their family turns to with money questions, even while quietly asking themselves: Am I saving enough? Am I spending too much? What should I even be prioritizing right now? That mental load is real. And it can feel heavier when you've spent most of your life figuring things out on your own. I know that feeling. I grew up in a working-class, immigrant family where my parents navigated an unfamiliar financial system without anyone trustworthy to guide them. The 2008 financial crisis hit us hard. My parents were smart, resourceful, and hardworking, but the system wasn't designed with them in mind. I watched what it costs a family to go it alone, and it shaped everything about how I show up for clients today. My goal is to be the person my parents never had: someone who cuts through the noise, explains how things actually work, and makes sure you never feel alone navigating the financial system. I believe transparency and education are everything. As an advice-only planner, I never manage assets or earn commissions. My flat-fee structure means my only incentive is to give you excellent, unconflicted advice. I help with comprehensive financial planning, including cash flow, debt strategy, retirement projections, tax planning, insurance review, home-buying decisions, and investment guidance for those managing their own portfolios. My favorite moments are when the weight lifts. When a client stops stressing about money and starts focusing on the things they actually care about. That's why I do this work. When I'm not helping clients, I'm chasing my two kiddos, Luca (4) and Camila (1), and dreaming up our next big family trip.

Peter Skoufis is the sole advisor at Skoufis Capital Management in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 17 years of industry experience, including 15 years leading his independent firm since 2011. Skoufis Capital Management provides discretionary investment management to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm applies a CAN SLIM-based investment process focused on growth-oriented stocks, managing concentrated and actively traded portfolios with the ability to adjust cash allocations and take short positions during market downturns.

Michael Willman is the sole advisor at Blue Sky Investment Partners, Inc., an independent firm based in Evanston, IL. He holds a Series 65 credential and has 18 years of industry experience, having been with Blue Sky Investment Partners since 2007. Blue Sky Investment Partners serves individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, and retirement plan sponsors with discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive wealth management, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm constructs diversified portfolios using mutual funds and ETFs, providing regular account monitoring and rebalancing, and also works with plan sponsors on participant education and plan-level services.

Michael Cope is a CFP® professional with 19 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the sole advisor at Pinnacle Planning Advisors, LLC since 2010, operating an independent firm in Evanston, IL. Pinnacle Planning Advisors serves individual and high-net-worth clients with ongoing portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning, covering areas such as retirement, education, insurance, and estate planning. The firm emphasizes client education through seminars and workshops, manages assets directly without third-party managers, and typically operates with written discretionary authority to implement customized investment plans.

Dustin Javier is a financial advisor at Defined Capital LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Defined Capital, he worked at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. and operates a sole proprietorship focused on fixed insurance sales. Defined Capital provides discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes customized portfolio construction with regular reviews and offers a specialized limited-scope ERISA 3(21) fiduciary service for retirement plans.

Elizabeth Elswick is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience. She is the principal and sole advisor at Elswick Investments LLC, an independent firm based in Chicago, IL. Prior to founding her firm, she worked at Edward Jones for nearly a decade. Outside of her advisory work, Elswick is involved in the music industry as a composer and performer through her ownership of Paper Ashtray Music LLC. Elswick Investments LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA retirement-plan services. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, nonprofits, and retirement plans, offering customized portfolios using a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analyses.

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.

My goal is to provide working professionals with sound financial advice to help them best position themselves and their financial lives for success. While the majority of our clients have medical backgrounds or are business owners, our services are best targeted to those with investable assets and are in the asset accumulation phase of their life. I provide comprehensive financial planning services as well as investment advisory services. PVA Financial LLC is a SEC-registered RIA firm. We focus our business on providing PRACTICAL, VALUABLE and ALIGNED advice. I found that to be missing when I was looking for an advisor more than two decades ago and have vowed to keep focused on those three tenets. Before founding PVA Financial, I worked as a private equity executive. With over 15 years of financial services experience, I've spent the majority of my career evaluating businesses, investing in them, finding ways to accelerate their growth and improve their operational efficiency. This background has given me unique insight into the importance of building strong foundations and the necessity for clear and effective communication...both of which are incorporated into our relationships with clients. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. I also received my MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, with a focus on Finance & Accounting. I also hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation, which requires comprehensive knowledge in all areas of financial planning, including insurance planning, risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning. On the personal side, I enjoy spending time with my wife, three kids and our goldendoodle Leo. I was the Cubmaster for my kids Scout group (sadly a while ago) and am heavily involved in a few charitable organizations. I'm an avid Chicago Bears fan and enjoy playing tennis, basketball and golf. Additional information can be found at www.pvafinancial.com and I can be reached at [email protected]

Lauren Hunt is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience. She is the sole advisor at Daybreak Wealth, LLC, where she has worked since 2022. Prior to this, she spent eight years at Pinnacle Financial Group LLC. Daybreak Wealth, LLC provides customized financial planning and ongoing wealth management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and estates and trusts. The firm focuses on primarily passive, long-term portfolios using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, applying principles from Modern Portfolio Theory and the Fama–French three-factor model.

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.

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.

Larry Hightower is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Hightower & Boler, LLC since 2017. His prior experience includes roles at Protective Life Insurance and EverGreen Capital Management. He also serves on the board of the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, a nonprofit organization focused on child and family development. Hightower & Boler, LLC provides fee-only investment advisory services, financial planning, and tax preparation to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and state or municipal government entities. The firm manages approximately $5.9 million in discretionary assets and offers customized investment strategies primarily using individual bonds and exchange-traded funds, with services notable for including institutional and government clients.