John Kosar is a financial advisor at Asbury Research LLC with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Asbury Investment Management LLC from 2018 to 2023 and has been with Asbury Research since 2005. Asbury Research LLC provides subscription-based investment research and model portfolios to individual investors, money managers, and third-party advisers. The firm’s research focuses on growth equities, income securities, and high-yield bonds using fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis.

Michelle Smalenberger is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 14 years of industry experience. She has worked at Financial Design Studio, Inc. since 2017 and previously spent 12 years at Kabarec Financial Advisors, Ltd. Financial Design Studio, Inc. serves individuals, small businesses, and charitable organizations with portfolio management and financial planning. The firm provides additional services including personal tax preparation, business bookkeeping, and educational seminars, emphasizing long-term asset allocation and buy-and-hold strategies using mutual funds and ETFs.

Ryan Siepka is a financial advisor at Rudwall Wealth Management LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Videckis Financial Services, Inc. since 2019 and at Comprehensive Insurance Agency, LLC since 2009. Rudwall Wealth Management LLC provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a client-tailored, fundamentally oriented, long-term investment approach and manages discretionary portfolios across various asset classes.

George Maroudas is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience in financial advising. He is currently with PMG Wealth Management and has also worked with LPL Financial. His background includes roles at John Cabot University and Michigan State University. PMG Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, and business owners with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis to manage customized portfolios and offers strategies such as the “Advance & Protect” approach, blending in-house management with outside managers to address diverse client needs.

Brett Detterbeck is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-registered advisor with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Detterbeck Wealth Management since 2000, where he is part of a three-advisor team based in Palatine, IL. Detterbeck Wealth Management is a small SEC-registered firm managing approximately $252 million for individuals, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm employs a Core & Satellite investment approach combining low-cost passive core allocations with actively managed satellite exposures and offers discretionary investment management alongside comprehensive financial planning services.

Brian Dunn is a financial advisor at Black Elm Advisers, LLC in Skokie, IL, with 10 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has served as president of Epic Sky, Inc., a marketing company, since 2015. Dunn is also involved in hedge fund management through Black Prime, LLC, an affiliated entity. Black Elm Advisers provides discretionary investment management to individual and high-net-worth clients, employing a mix of fundamental and quantitative analysis. The firm utilizes a range of strategies, including long and short positions, margin trading, and options, with performance-based compensation and active use of derivatives distinguishing it from many peers.

Maria Graft is a financial advisor at Simplified Wealth Management, LLC in Barrington, IL, with five years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and is involved in several outside business activities, including serving as a marketing manager for MJG Construction, LLC and working as an insurance agent with Our Family Office, LLC. Simplified Wealth Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning for individual and high-net-worth clients, managing approximately $23 million. The firm employs a diverse investment approach that includes fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis and offers strategies ranging from long-term holdings to options trading, along with ongoing portfolio monitoring and reporting.

Daniel Dame is a financial advisor at PMG Wealth Management with 40 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has worked at PMG Wealth Management since 2016 and has been associated with LPL Financial since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he acts as a broker for various non-variable insurance products through Dame Financial Services. PMG Wealth Management serves individuals, trusts, estates, and business owners with discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm manages customized portfolios using a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis, often blending in-house management with outside managers to address client-specific needs.

Matthew Nadeau is a CFA® charterholder with 20 years of industry experience. He is a partner at Barzideh & Nadeau Wealth Management LLC, where he has worked since 2025. His previous experience includes roles at Apollon Wealth Management, Triad Advisors Inc, and Piershale Financial Group. Barzideh & Nadeau Wealth Management LLC provides comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $60 million in discretionary assets across about 90 clients, utilizing a broad mix of analytical techniques and various asset-allocation approaches to create and monitor portfolios.

Donald Monsen is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Woodfield Financial Advisors, Inc. in Deer Park, IL, and has prior experience with Independent Financial Group LLC and Woodfield Planning Corp. Woodfield Financial Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm provides financial planning, investment advisory, and portfolio management services, developing tailored asset-allocation models implemented through mutual funds and ETFs, with ongoing portfolio monitoring and periodic rebalancing.

Barbara Bridgman is a financial advisor at Succession Financial, Inc. with a Series 65 credential and three years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at WealthStar Advisors, LLC, Mueller Financial Services, Inc., and operating her own advisory practice. Succession Financial, Inc. serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering discretionary investment management, comprehensive financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and tax preparation services. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory with both passive and active strategies.

Elizabeth Schneider is a CFP® professional with 30 years of industry experience. She is currently with Whealthy Empowerment Network and has previously worked at firms including CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, Adviceperiod LLC, and Mariner Platform Solutions. Schneider is also involved with Infinity Wealth Company, LLC, where she provides investment advisory services. Whealthy Empowerment Network is a two-advisor registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, charities, and business entities. The firm manages approximately $106 million in client assets using a tactical allocation strategy that incorporates a variety of instruments and analytical methods.

Leslie Herr is a financial advisor at Simplified Wealth Management, LLC with 18 years of industry experience and holds the Series 66 designation. Herr has worked at firms including JP Morgan Securities and Auburn Group, and is involved in non-investment activities such as managing office operations for Signal Hill Partners and MJG Construction, as well as serving as a managing member and insurance agent at Our Family Office, LLC. Simplified Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to support various investment strategies, including options trading, and provides client-specific portfolio monitoring and reporting.

Jeffrey Moran is a CFA® charterholder and an advisor at SCV Capital LLC with five years of experience at the firm and 22 years in the industry, including 17 years at PPM America. He is based in Tower Lakes, Illinois. SCV Capital LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management primarily to pooled investment vehicles and institutional clients such as banks, pension funds, and nonprofit organizations. The firm employs fundamental analysis for public equities and detailed reviews for private securities, focusing on long-term strategies while allowing for shorter-term adjustments as needed.

Steven Briggs is a financial advisor at Briggs Financial Inc. with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Waddell & Reed and Wizards of the Coast prior to founding his own practice. Briggs Financial serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing discretionary investment management, ongoing financial planning, and in-house tax preparation. The firm manages approximately $52 million in assets and focuses on fundamental analysis with a long-term investment approach.

Melissa Dailey is a financial advisor with Clearwater Capital Partners, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Lincoln Financial, and individual advisors Andrew Watters and Scott Penning. Clearwater Capital Partners provides family office services, private wealth management, institutional advisory, and retirement plan advising. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and various institutional clients, using a combination of asset-allocation, fundamental, technical, quantitative, and thematic investment strategies.

David Andrews is a CFP® professional with 27 years of industry experience. He is currently with Sequoia Wealth Management, LLC, where he has worked since 2015, and also maintains a role at LPL Financial. Sequoia Wealth Management advises individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and employer retirement plans with services including asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm combines quantitative optimization, third-party research, and manager selection to tailor portfolios and offers both discretionary management and third-party strategist models.

Linda Grizely is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with four years of industry experience. She is currently with Nectarine, a financial planning firm, and has held roles at multiple firms including Fidelity Investments and Sageview Advisory Group. Outside of advisory work, she owns Linda Grizely Ventures, LLC, through which she engages in public speaking and writing, and she also operates Mindset & Money, LLC, a mindset coaching business. Nectarine serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing consultative financial planning through advisor representatives selected via the firm’s website. The firm emphasizes long-term asset allocation with low-cost, index-based funds and offers a proprietary financial-aggregation app, providing advice without managing or monitoring client portfolios.

Lisa Zarkin is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience. She is currently with Sequoia Wealth Management, LLC, where she has worked since 2017, and has previous experience at LPL Financial and PlanSmart Financial Services. Outside of financial advising, she is an author and self-publishes her own book. Sequoia Wealth Management advises individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and employer retirement plans, providing asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm offers access to third-party money managers and model portfolios, using a combination of quantitative optimization and third-party research to tailor portfolios to clients’ goals.

Robert Tutela is a financial advisor at Essex, LLC with nine years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Essex since 2016. Tutela serves as a SmartAsset Ambassador, consulting as an independent contractor to generate sales leads for his firm. Essex, LLC is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $649.3 million across about 576 client accounts. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. Investment decisions are made by a multi-member committee using a blend of fundamental, technical, and sector analysis.