Gerald Gilbertson is a CFP® with 38 years of industry experience, currently serving at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. since 2010. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and is based in Mount Prospect, IL. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to a range of clients including individuals, charitable organizations, corporate and business clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Jennifer Frahm is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 22 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with GWFS Equities, Inc. and Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she teaches financial fluency to high school students and medical students at the University of Illinois Medical School through her initiative, Intentional Investment Education. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management mainly to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Connor Simios is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. He has six years of industry experience, including prior roles at Vermillion Financial Advisors and Willow Creek Community Church. He joined Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services in 2025. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized retirement consulting through a network of advisors, employing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Donald Cafero Sr. is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 42 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with TLG Advisors, Inc. He has worked at several firms including The Leaders Group Inc and Highland Capital Brokerage. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance brokerage through The Cafero Group and works as a point of sale and wholesale specialist with FSG. TLG Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary client assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors, offering services such as portfolio management, comprehensive financial and estate planning, and ERISA fiduciary services. Their investment approach combines fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, with a direct-to-consumer program called Starlight Portfolios that tailors portfolios based on client risk profiles.

Brian Marshall is a financial advisor at William Blair with 31 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1994. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm utilizes an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, offering proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Jeffrey Graff is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Deerfield, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Graff Financial Group since 2015 and Oakwell Financial Partners from 2017 to 2019. Outside of his advisory work, he volunteers as a youth football coach in Orland Park. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional sponsors, offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm provides tailored advisory solutions through various program types, with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Philip Cole is a CFP® professional with 19 years of industry experience. He has worked at MAI Capital Management since 2021 and previously spent 12 years with Hochman Cole Investment Advisors, Inc. and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. MAI Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, wealth management, retirement plan consulting, and family-office services to individuals, families, sports professionals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm manages a range of investment strategies and integrates financial planning and tax services into client relationships.

Eric Freckman is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Private Advisor Group, LLC since 2015, following a 22-year tenure at LPL Financial, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, Mr. Freckman is also a notary public. Private Advisor Group, LLC is an SEC-registered firm managing over $41 billion across more than 135,000 client relationships. The firm serves individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate and retirement plan clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party asset management programs.

George Costakis is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life), based in Deerfield, IL, with 49 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies since 2003 and maintains long-standing affiliations with Nylife Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Company dating back to the 1980s and 1970s, respectively. Outside of his advisory role, he is a shareholder in an entity reinsuring life insurance policies issued by New York Life. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individuals and institutional investors, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers tailored solutions through various program types and manages a significant portion of assets on a non-discretionary basis while operating within the broader New York Life affiliate framework.

Candace Vondra is a CFA® charterholder with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at William Blair since 2006. She holds the Series 63 designation and is based in Des Plaines, IL. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

David Ferrante is a financial advisor at William Blair with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Goldman Sachs in 2023. Outside of finance, he has been involved with Huntley Community School District 158 and Northwestern University since 2014. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and offers access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

Ryan Begley is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Merrill and Wells Fargo Advisors. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, foundations, universities, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm provides both investment advisory and brokerage services, utilizing a combination of proprietary models and third-party managers through the Envestnet platform, while engaging in a range of activities including financial planning, ERISA consulting, and investment banking.

Grace Bossert is a CFP® professional at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with two years of industry experience. Her work history includes roles at Mercer Global Advisors since 2021, as well as positions at MOKA and T. Anton Investment House. Outside of finance, she was involved with Rags Consignments for five years. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using low-cost index vehicles and multi-factor tilts, complemented by financial planning, retirement consulting, tax support, and estate-planning coordination.

Samuel Pollack is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Primerica Advisors, based in Deerfield, IL, and has three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Guardian Life Insurance Company, Park Avenue Securities, The Pietsch Financial Group, and CliftonLarsonAllen. Outside of advising, he provides tax preparation services through SP Tax Services, LLC. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a broad retail client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers both brokerage and advisory services, utilizing a mix of proprietary model portfolios, third-party managers, and digital advice solutions.

Joshua Walters is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 14 years of industry experience. He currently works at Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. and has held positions at several firms, including LPL Financial LLC, Calamos Wealth Management, and J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individual clients, retirement plans, and charitable and corporate entities, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and brokerage and insurance products. The firm utilizes model portfolios, affiliated strategies, and third-party managers, delivering advice primarily on a non-discretionary basis.

Jonathan Baker is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Corient, where he has worked since 2022, following prior roles at Balasa Dinverno Foltz and CIPW Service Company. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party managers and specialized offerings such as family office and trustee services.

James Vanderbilt is a Certified Financial Planner® with 39 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC. His prior work includes over 25 years with Securities America Advisors, Inc. and two years at LPL Financial. Vanderbilt also holds Series 63 and Series 65 registrations. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and leverages technology platforms to provide portfolio management, estate planning, and third-party referrals.

Heather Locus is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. She is currently with Corient, where she has worked since 2022, following a 22-year tenure at Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and utilizes various risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Benjamin Krotky is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc., holding a Series 66 credential and beginning his industry experience in 2026. Prior to joining Bankers Life, he worked in various roles including positions at United Parcel Service and educational institutions. In addition to his advisory role, he is licensed as an insurance agent, brokering Medicare-related health insurance plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm’s investment approach focuses on customized asset allocation, periodic rebalancing, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Rod Russell is a financial advisor at Farther with 13 years of industry experience. He has previously worked at BNY Mellon and J.P. Morgan. Outside of his advisory role, he coordinates property development at Lake Roots Holdings, LLC. Farther provides discretionary investment management and related advisory services primarily to individual investors, trusts, and estates, using a platform that combines proprietary model portfolios with algorithmic rebalancing and AI tools. The firm’s approach emphasizes Modern Portfolio Theory and utilizes a range of investment vehicles including ETFs, mutual funds, equities, and fixed income.