Mark Pietsch is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, holding Series 63 and 65 credentials and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Guardian Life and its affiliated entities since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he is associated with The Pietsch Financial Group, Inc. and True Wealth Strategies LLC. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients with brokerage services, financial planning, and investment advisory programs that include both proprietary and third-party strategies.

Sharon Zumstein is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Merrill, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of financial advising, she is an independent contractor at Century 21, holding an Illinois real estate license. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns through integrated services tied to Empower’s administrative platforms.

Jeffrey Hackman is a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 designations and has previously worked at firms including Icba Securities and Vining Sparks. Hackman also served the Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Protection District for over two decades. In addition to his advisory role, he assists with life insurance business through an affiliated insurance activity. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, offering fiduciary consulting, plan design, compliance testing, and investment advice. The firm serves a broad client base including large institutional investors and employs a comprehensive due diligence process for recommended investments.

Maury Fertig is a financial advisor at NorthCoast Asset Management LLC with 21 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Focus Partners Wealth, Kovitz Investment Group Partners, and Relative Value Partners Group. He serves as a director on the board of Benefit Security Insurance Company, participating in quarterly meetings. NorthCoast Asset Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a quantitative and systematic investment approach using proprietary models and offers a wide range of strategies including equity, income, and alternatives.

Thomas Buhrmann is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked previously at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC and Strategic Wealth Partners Group LLC. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term investment approach that emphasizes tax- and fee-sensitivity within an enhanced open architecture framework, combining active and passive strategies along with private and registered funds.

James Hammack is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with William Blair and has previously worked at InterOcean Capital Group, InterOcean Capital, Kestra Advisory, and NFP Corporate Services. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients, employing an active, research-driven approach across various asset classes and providing access to proprietary models and private investment opportunities.

Cole Pedro is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. He is currently with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services, where he has worked since 2019, previously holding roles at The Ayco Company and Mercer Allied. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individual, corporate, executive, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored investment strategies supported by proprietary research, and integrates resources across the broader Goldman Sachs network to deliver specialized wealth and advisory services.

Maxwell Thompson is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Performance Wealth Partners and Brad Scott - State Farm Agency. Outside of advising, he has been involved in entrepreneurial ventures including a moving company and a yogurt business. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a broad client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, providing financial planning and portfolio management. The firm offers tailored plans using strategic allocation models and proprietary research, with integrated access to the wider Goldman Sachs ecosystem and a variety of specialized programs.

Jay Pollack is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations. He has 43 years of industry experience, including roles at Guardian Life Insurance Company and Park Avenue Securities. Outside of his primary advisory work, he is involved with Laurus Strategies for Wealth, a separate investment-related business. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a diverse retail client base, offering brokerage and advisory services along with financial planning and consulting. The firm employs a range of investment strategies through proprietary and third-party portfolios and supports various account-level services.

Mariam Sargsyan is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and EY Armenia. Her background includes academic roles at the University of Florida and Nebrija University. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services supports a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, and institutional clients, by providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs such as Private Family Office services and Executive Wealth management. The firm uses strategic allocation models and proprietary analytics within the broader Goldman Sachs ecosystem to tailor solutions aligned with client objectives.

Allison Swanson is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with one year of industry experience. She holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations. Prior to joining Creative Planning, she worked at Sageview Advisory Group and Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. Outside of financial advising, she provides private softball pitching lessons through her business, Coach A Softball Stars. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led approach that integrates low-cost indexing, tax-loss harvesting, and selective private market exposure.

Jason Petitte is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience. He is currently with NorthCoast Asset Management LLC and has previously worked at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, and Kovitz Securities, LLC. NorthCoast Asset Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations through a quantitative and systematic investment approach. The firm offers a broad range of strategies including separately managed accounts, private credit, private equity, and private real estate interval funds.

Clint Fyffe is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. since 2007. He holds a Series 63 designation and is based in Highland Park, IL. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to private individuals, institutional clients, and government entities. The firm employs a comprehensive investment process that includes setting asset allocation targets, due diligence on various asset classes, and access to proprietary private investments and third-party managers.

Alan Abramson is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 32 years of industry experience, including 31 years at Mesirow Financial. Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products, employing a disciplined investment process that includes setting asset allocation targets and performing due diligence across a diverse set of asset classes.

Adam Ritter is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors, holding Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and 17 years of industry experience. Prior to joining NewEdge in 2025, he worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services. He is also involved as a private wealth advisor with Cubit Wealth Management and provides consulting services related to wealth planning. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent advisors. The firm offers a broad range of portfolio management and consulting services and utilizes multiple program structures combining in-house and third-party strategies, supported by technology and centralized due diligence.

Daniel Lockwood is a CFP® certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. He currently works at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC and has previously been employed by Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Waddell & Reed, Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member for the Foundation for Heating and Speech Resources, a nonprofit organization in Chicago. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered, enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations, offering a range of investment advisory and financial planning solutions.

Natalie Williams is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Nordstrom and positions in educational institutions such as Lake Forest College and Villanova University. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth households, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes centralized investment resources and offers tailored services such as Executive Wealth, Personal Wealth, and Private Family Office support.

Erica Berning is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Deerfield, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 19 years of industry experience. She has been with Eagle Strategies since 2012 and maintains concurrent roles with Nylife Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Co. Berning serves on the boards of the Cadence Cares Foundation and Beat The Streets Chicago, both nonprofit organizations focused on community programs. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers a variety of program types and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives, with most assets managed on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Shelton Mudzingwa is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he worked at Palisades Growth Capital and has a background that includes four years at Lake Forest College as both a student and, more recently, as an assistant rugby coach. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth households, and institutional clients. The firm leverages centralized investment resources and offers tailored services through both discretionary and non-discretionary managers within a large integrated financial group.

Jack Newman is a financial advisor at NorthCoast Asset Management LLC with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at Newman & Schimel, LLC, Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, and Focus Partners Wealth, LLC. NorthCoast Asset Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a quantitative and systematic investment approach, offering a wide range of portfolio management strategies and acting as a fiduciary for ERISA and IRA accounts.