Marc Farmer is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Monroe Financial Inc. in Chicago, IL, where he has worked since 2019. He has 10 years of industry experience, including prior roles at HD Vest Investment Services and HD Vest Advisory Services. In addition to his advisory work, Farmer owns a CPA firm and serves on the board of directors for the Monroe Arts Center, where he reviews and presents financial statements. Monroe Financial Inc. provides financial planning, portfolio management, and pension consulting services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities. The firm offers a range of investment options, primarily recommending ETFs alongside mutual funds, equities, fixed income, real estate funds, and non-U.S. securities, with client strategies tailored through Investment Policy Statements and managed on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Nirmal Kartari is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with nine years of industry experience. He has previously worked with Avantax Advisory Services and HD Vest Investment Services. Kartari is also the owner and sole proprietor of a tax preparation and accounting business. Financial Solutions, Inc. is an independent investment adviser providing investment management and comprehensive financial planning services for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm emphasizes tax-aware planning and employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and charting analyses alongside both passive and active strategies.

John Beck is a financial advisor at Midwest Retirement Partners, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at ADP LLC, ADP Broker-Dealer Inc., and Inland Securities Corporation. Midwest Retirement Partners is an independent, single-advisor firm that primarily serves pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm emphasizes quantitative analysis and a long-term investment approach, focusing on plan consulting and referring clients to third-party advisers rather than managing individual client portfolios directly.

Matthew Ward is a financial advisor with K.W. Andersen Investment Group, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has worked with K.W. Andersen Investment Group since 2017 and previously with MW Financial LLC and Advocate Financial Solutions LLC. Outside of financial advising, he works as a bookkeeper for an interior design business in Chicago. K.W. Andersen Investment Group provides financial planning, investment consultation, portfolio management, and business consultation to individuals, including high net worth clients, and small businesses. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis and diversified strategies to construct tax-efficient, customized portfolios managed predominantly on a discretionary basis.

Michael Von Lunen is the founder and sole advisor at Wheel Advisors LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Harrer Law, P.C., T3 Trading Group, LLC, and Purchasing Platform. Outside of financial advising, he owns and operates Ripple360 LLC, a professional coaching business assisting entrepreneurs in building and managing their businesses. Wheel Advisors LLC provides discretionary asset management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and small businesses, with an investment approach focused on asset allocation and low-cost index investing. The firm offers financial planning and small-business consultation tailored to employers with 1–20 employees and combines percentage-based asset management with hourly-billed planning services.

Gary Harris is the principal of GH Private Wealth Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. He has worked at Ciel Bleu Private Wealth Management Inc. since 2014 and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company since 2012. Outside of advisory services, Harris is involved in insurance brokerage and is a silent partner in a funeral home management business. GH Private Wealth Management provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a tactical asset-allocation approach using fundamental and technical analysis and offers discretionary portfolio management, third-party money manager recommendations, and educational seminars.

Theodore Barnhart is the sole advisor at Barnhart Investment Advisory in Elmhurst, Illinois, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 20 years of industry experience. He has led Barnhart Investment Advisory since 2009. Barnhart Investment Advisory serves individuals, families, trusts, and estates with discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting, focusing on active, tactical asset allocation and inflation-sensitive strategies. The firm manages a concentrated client base with customized solutions and requires clients to use a designated custodian platform for managed-account services.

Steven Petrovich is the sole advisor at Petrovich Capital Advisors LLC in Burr Ridge, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior work experience with Dodger Investments LLC from 2017 to the present and NYC Health and Hospitals Corp. from 2009 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a separate non-investment consulting business. Petrovich Capital Advisors LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management to individuals and high-net-worth clients, focusing on long-term investment strategies with publicly traded liquid securities such as ETFs and individual equities. The firm emphasizes fundamental analysis, asset allocation, and diversification, avoiding leverage, derivatives, margin, and private placements, and offers ongoing portfolio monitoring and account reviews.

Mary Deshong Kinkelaar is the sole advisor at Kinkelaar & Associates in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 21 years of industry experience. She has led Kinkelaar & Associates since 2004. Kinkelaar & Associates is an independent, fee-only firm providing tailored financial planning and investment advice to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, offers educational workshops, and serves small-business and corporate plan clients without accepting commissions or managing client assets directly.

Clayton Lawrie is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Trac Asset Management LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Trac Asset Management since 2015. Trac Asset Management provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals as well as institutional clients including trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm employs both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across a range of investment vehicles, and offers educational seminars and workshops for clients and the public.

Zachary Fietsch is the sole advisor at Jackalope Capital and holds a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. He has operated Jackalope Capital since 2020 and concurrently serves as a Tax Principal and CPA at ZFP, CPA since 2016. Jackalope Capital offers discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and proprietary asset-allocation methodology, integrating tax and accounting considerations through its affiliation with an accounting practice.

Elizabeth Buffardi is a CFP® and Series 65 registered advisor with 14 years of experience. She is the President and Investment Adviser Representative of Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc., where she has worked since 2009. Prior to Crescendo, she was with FinancialPlanning4Me, LLC for one year. Crescendo Financial Planners provides fee-only holistic financial planning to individuals and families, focusing on middle-income clients without a formal asset minimum. The firm emphasizes long-term, primarily passive investment strategies using ETFs and index mutual funds, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with a fee structure based on fixed retainers and hourly engagements.

Timothy Bodnar is a financial advisor at Huron Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Huron Investments since 2010. Huron Investment Management is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and trusts. The firm employs a value-oriented, multi-method investment process and offers a range of strategy profiles, including conservative fixed income and long-term growth, while incorporating derivatives, hedging, and preauthorized leverage in portfolio management.

Aaron Linden is a financial advisor with Vestment 401K Advisors LLC based in Naperville, IL, holding Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and having one year of industry experience. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Outside of finance, Linden is involved in a personal business as a passive investor in Edison Motors, a company producing diesel-electric trucks, and works part-time at Central Dupage Hospital providing patient services. Vestment 401K Advisors LLC is a state-registered firm specializing in retirement plan consulting and ERISA fiduciary services for participant-directed defined contribution plans. The firm also offers customized portfolio management, trust services, and financial planning for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and nonprofits, employing passive index-based asset allocation and formal Investment Policy Statements in its investment approach.

Henry Gorecki is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience and principal of HG Wealth Management, LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2012. Based in Chicago, IL, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. HG Wealth Management serves individual investors as well as trusts, estates, foundations, charities, and businesses, providing financial planning, investment consultation, and investment supervisory services. The firm employs a Core + Satellite investment approach and offers tailored services including modular reviews and comprehensive plans, managing assets on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis while coordinating with clients’ other professionals.

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.

Patrick Brierton is a financial advisor at BWM LLC in Chicago, IL, with 36 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked previously at Ameriprise and Citigroup Global Markets. In addition to his advisory role, he has fiduciary responsibilities such as acting as trustee or executor. BWM LLC provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental analysis approach, constructing diversified portfolios that may include mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks, fixed income, and options tailored to client objectives and risk tolerance.

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.

Jac Cerney is the principal of JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Evanston, IL. He holds CFP® and CFA® designations and has 21 years of industry experience. Cerney has led his firm since 2009, providing financial planning and portfolio management services. JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC offers fee-only financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm uses fundamental analysis and longer-term purchase strategies, typically employing exchange-traded funds and bank certificates of deposit, with portfolio allocations tailored to clients’ objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

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.