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 Series 65-licensed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience, operating as the sole advisor at Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. in Hoffman Estates, IL, where he has worked since 2007. He is also the principal and founder of Terra Nimbus Systems, Inc., an IT consulting business focused on developing software tools for his financial planning firm. Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. is an independent advisory firm serving primarily middle-class individual clients with hourly, fee-only financial planning and investment advice. The firm utilizes an evidence-based, data-driven investment process supported by a proprietary Asset Allocation Database to deliver non-discretionary advice and emphasizes written client-specific research and virtual education.

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.

William Geiger is the sole advisor at Geiger Wealth Management in Oak Brook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 14 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Geiger Wealth Management since 1995 and has operated under the firm SSB 5, Inc. d/b/a Geiger Wealth Management since 2011. Outside of advisory work, he is also an insurance agent at De Blanco Inc., dedicating a significant portion of his time to insurance activities. Geiger Wealth Management is a state-registered investment adviser offering fee-based portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a tactical allocation strategy incorporating technical and cyclical analysis and provides customized investment recommendations across various instruments while also overseeing third-party money managers.

Anthony Razza is a financial advisor with Prospect Trading LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 10 years of industry experience. He has been self-employed since 2014. Outside of financial advising, he is also a licensed real estate agent in Florida, operating through Premiere Plus Realty Co. Prospect Trading LLC provides investment management and planning services to individuals and corporate clients, utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis. The firm employs a range of strategies, including derivatives and short-selling, and offers performance-based fee arrangements for qualified clients.

Roger Manske is a CFP® professional with 25 years of experience in the financial planning industry. He has operated as a sole proprietor since 2000. His firm provides independent, fee-for-service comprehensive financial planning to individuals, couples, families, and small business owners. The firm serves approximately 25 clients, focusing on personalized advisory services without discretionary trading authority, and emphasizes a fiduciary approach with active monitoring of client holdings.

George Panopoulos is the principal advisor at The Panopoulos Group with 34 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Linsco/Private Ledger Corp. for 19 years before founding his current firm in 2017. The Panopoulos Group is an independent registered investment adviser serving high-net-worth individuals with personalized portfolio management and financial planning. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analyses, employing both active and passive investment strategies tailored to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

Dina Weiss is a financial advisor at Redwing Financial with 19 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at LPL Financial and The Lighthouse Institute, Inc. In addition to her advisory work, she is a certified holistic nutritional consultant and engages in pro bono speaking on nutritional topics. She is also a co-author and provides public speaking on financial matters. Redwing Financial is an independent firm serving primarily individual clients with investment advisory and portfolio management services. The firm manages approximately $29.5 million across about 95 client relationships and offers a combination of advisory and brokerage services, including educational seminars and pension consulting.

Christopher Delarme is a financial advisor at First Wealth Advisory, Inc. in St. Charles, IL, with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at Red Oak Capital Management, Hayden Royal, and Great Lakes Wealth Management and Advisory Partners. He is also a licensed insurance agent. First Wealth Advisory serves individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management and written financial planning, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to build portfolios with ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and option strategies.

Daniel Rotter is a CFP® professional with 24 years of experience in financial planning, currently serving at Hampton Financial Services since 2001. He is the president and owner of Hampton Financial Services, a firm he has led since 1991, providing both contracted and pro-bono financial planning, including tax planning and life insurance sales. Hampton Financial Services offers investment advisory and financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, estates, and charitable or business entities, focusing on advice and planning rather than asset management. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis with an emphasis on long-term strategies and operates primarily on a fee-for-advice basis without exercising discretionary control over client assets.

Tyler Murphy is a financial advisor at Strongside Asset Management LLC in Elmhurst, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. Prior to founding Strongside Asset Management in 2021, he worked at Crowe LLP from 2018 to 2020. Strongside Asset Management provides ongoing portfolio management and financial planning services primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis with a long-term trading horizon and manages approximately $26.7 million across about 56 client relationships.

Andre Thomas is a financial advisor with Elite-Pro Wealth Advisors LLC in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has worked at Lincoln Investment since 2018 and previously spent 14 years with Alliance One Food Group. Thomas holds a life insurance license, though he has not actively used it. Elite-Pro Wealth Advisors provides investment management and advisory services to a small client base, including individual investors, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers a range of strategies tailored to client objectives, utilizing equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, options, and insurance products, with a focus on ongoing monitoring and periodic rebalancing.