Susan Pedersen is a Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management with over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has been with Merrill Lynch since 1991 and focuses on helping clients develop potential solutions and provide investment guidance for individuals, families, and businesses by understanding their short- and long-term financial objectives. Susan holds the designations of Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Benefits Consultant (RBC). She is a graduate of DePaul University. Susan specializes in areas including college education planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, philanthropic planning, portfolio management services, socially responsible and ESG investing, women and wealth, and retirement income. She follows a disciplined process that begins with getting to know her clients and their financial situations to craft customized financial strategies aimed at helping them pursue their goals. Susan lives in DuPage County with her husband and two sons. She and her family are active in the community, supporting Christ Church and participating in local missions. She has committed to giving 10% of her time to help others with their financial goals without obligation or cost.

Kristin McCracken is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, a role she began in 2024. Prior to this, she worked as a Financial Services Advisor at Merrill Lynch from 2019 to 2024. Kristin collaborates with clients to develop personalized financial plans that align with their individual priorities and needs. Her professional experience spans several years in the financial services industry, where she has focused on crafting comprehensive financial strategies with her clients. Kristin emphasizes understanding what matters most to each client to co-create tailored financial plans. Outside of her professional work, Kristin enjoys family activities, gardening, and traveling.

Maryan Khalil is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Oak Brook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and seven years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Money Concepts Capital Corp. and BMO Harris Bank. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is a large broker-dealer and registered investment adviser affiliated with Wells Fargo, offering investment and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm provides a broad range of planning services, including specialized areas such as business-owner transition and special-needs analysis, using proprietary research and planning tools.

Michael Koehler is a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors in Hinsdale, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with one year of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Growth Beverage Group, LP and BMO Harris Bank. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is a large broker-dealer and registered investment adviser affiliated with Wells Fargo, serving individuals, trusts, and institutional clients with a broad range of investment and financial planning services. The firm offers tailored planning across various areas, including retirement and business-owner transition planning, using proprietary research and tools.

Jeffrey Becker is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. He has been with UBS since 2006. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a successor trustee for a family living trust. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, including financial planning and portfolio management. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services, operating as a broker-dealer, investment adviser, and futures commission merchant.

Haya Deis is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and has worked at multiple firms within the JPMorgan Chase organization as well as Fifth Third Securities. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, endowments, and other institutional clients through a non-discretionary advisory program focused on asset allocation advice, investment manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative research in its advisory process and offers a broad range of derivatives and commodities capabilities.

Jonathan Blaisdell is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 22 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2004, including its predecessor Axa Advisors, and spent a year at Ameriprise. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Director of Travel Baseball for Lockport Boys Baseball, overseeing scheduling, recruiting, and planning on a volunteer basis. Equitable Advisors provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset management services to individuals, pension plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm delivers these services through a network of investment adviser representatives, utilizing both proprietary programs and third-party asset managers.

Bruce Hodo is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors in Orland Park, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 18 years of industry experience. He has worked with PFS Investment Inc. since 2007 and Primerica Financial Services since 2005. Outside of advisory services, he is involved in sales of loan products and home-related services through affiliated companies. Primerica Advisors provides discretionary asset management through its Lifetime Investment Program, serving individual and high-net-worth clients with model-delivery strategies and separately managed accounts. The firm uses third-party asset managers and offers a percentage-based wrap fee structure.

Daniel Straub is a financial advisor at Fidelity with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked across multiple Fidelity divisions since 2000, including Fidelity Brokerage Services and Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors. Strategic Advisers LLC, a Fidelity Investments company, offers investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, including charitable funds and registered investment companies. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction to deliver model portfolios and manages oversight and allocation with a focus on addressing conflicts of interest.

Marion Smith is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at CitiGroup Global Markets, Merrill Lynch, and Bank of America. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and investment strategies, supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Conor Nelson is a financial advisor at Charles Schwab with seven years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has worked previously at DWS Distributors, Inc., Northwestern Mutual Investment Services LLC, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, and PayNet. Nelson is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves a large client base, primarily high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, offering advisory, brokerage, custody, and cash-sweep services through its Schwab Wealth Advisory wrap fee program and affiliated managed-account and financial planning services. The firm combines non-discretionary advisory relationships with access to affiliated discretionary separately managed accounts and emphasizes multi-asset model portfolios with strategic asset allocation and alternative investment due diligence.

Rita Boudreau is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. She has been with UBS Financial Services since 2011. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through a range of brokerage and investment advisory services, combining institutional trading capabilities with wealth management offerings. The firm employs proprietary capital market assumptions and research to tailor investment plans according to clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Robert Davis Jr. is a financial advisor with Cetera, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at VOYA Financial Advisors and Cetera Wealth Services. He is also the owner and president of Robert Davis & Associates, a firm involved in the sale and service of insurance and securities products, and works as an independent insurance agent focusing on fixed insurance products. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is an SEC-registered firm serving a broad client base that includes individuals, retirement plans, corporate and charitable clients, and institutional accounts. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with a variety of portfolio management options and oversees over $256 billion in assets through more than 10,000 advisors.

Lucas D'arcy is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked in various roles across financial services firms since 2016. Outside of his advisory work, he is a 50% owner of Spaulding Suite LLC, a real estate entity focused on residential property rentals. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to plan sponsors, corporations, and endowments through a non-discretionary program emphasizing written asset allocation advice, manager searches, and customized performance reporting. The firm’s process integrates quantitative and qualitative research supported by a centralized due diligence team and includes access to specialized derivatives and commodities capabilities.

Carey Freimuth is a CFA® charterholder with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Ameriprise Financial Services LLC since 2021 and previously spent eight years at LPL Financial. Ameriprise offers retirement-income planning services primarily for individuals with substantial investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to provide non-discretionary, written recommendations delivered by a centralized consulting team.

Anthony Raia is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 24 years of industry experience. He has worked at Equitable Advisors since 2002 and previously at Axa Advisors, LLC from 2002 to 2020. He is a member of the DBA Wells, Roselieb & Raia Wealth Management, LLC, where he is involved in operational expenses and payroll without compensation. Equitable Advisors serves a broad client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management programs through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives and leverages third-party asset managers and advisory programs in its investment approach.

John Coffey is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Hinsdale, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 37 years of industry experience. He has been with LPL Financial since 1995. Outside of his advisory work, he is associated with The Coffey Corporation, a business entity used for tax and accounting purposes. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plan participants, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers financial planning, model portfolio programs, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms, supporting a range of investment strategies and utilizing advisor-facing tools for research and operational support.

Joseph Sacramento is a financial advisor with Equitable Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Meridian Compensation Partners, MacLean Fogg, Lowe's Home Improvement, and the University of Iowa. Equitable Advisors serves individuals across wealth levels, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations, providing financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset management through a network of Investment Adviser Representatives. The firm utilizes a range of advisory models and implementation tools, including third-party managers and proprietary funds, without sponsoring its own wrap fee program.

Michael Lee is a Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He specializes in delivering personalized wealth management strategies that address the complex needs of high net worth individuals. Michael takes a systematic approach to develop customized financial plans aligned with each client's unique circumstances, focusing on simplifying the complexities of financial lives through time-tested, goal-based principles. Michael's areas of expertise include college education planning, executive compensation, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management, individual and corporate investment strategy, and retirement income. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor's degree and earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University. Before joining Merrill in 2005, Michael practiced as a corporate and securities attorney for 11 years. He holds professional designations including Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the CFA Society of Chicago. In addition to his professional work, Michael participates in community volunteering inspired by the Merrill tradition of serving local communities. His personal interests include chess, genealogy, hunting, and watching movies.

Meagan Fitzgerald is a financial advisor with Merrill based in Oak Brook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. She has been with Merrill since 1993 and concurrently associated with Bank of America, N.A. since 2014. Merrill, along with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program. The firm offers model-based and discretionary investment strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations.