Lorence Merritt is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners in Highland Park, IL, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 46 years of industry experience and has worked at firms including LPL Financial and Sheridan Road Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as Co-Chair of Legacy Fundraising at Temple Beth Israel. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients, with a notable focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting.

Edward Bothfeld is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding a Series 66 designation and 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Commonwealth since 2013. In addition to his advisory role, he serves as an alderman on the Lake Forest City Council. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser supporting a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and services, including discretionary model portfolios and customized investment solutions, while offering operational, technology, and compliance support to affiliated advisors.

Michael Tuber is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Strategic Wealth Partners, and Kovitz Investment Group Partners. 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, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies, separate account managers, private funds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Stevany Williamson is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and three years of industry experience. Her prior work includes positions at JPMorgan Chase Bank, J.P. Morgan Securities, and various mortgage-related roles. Before her financial services career, she managed a salon and spa for three years. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s integrated approach leverages proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and savings rates, with services closely tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Patrick Vasicovschi is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Hightower Securities, GWFS Equities, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, HUB International Investment Services, Capital Group, and UBS Financial Services. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm offers services such as financial planning, portfolio management, wrap programs, third-party money manager access, and plan-sponsor consulting, with a focus on recommendation-based, non-discretionary asset management.

Daniel Madura is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, and charitable organizations, providing brokerage services, financial planning, and advisory programs.

Gregory Neer Jr. is a financial advisor at NorthCoast Asset Management LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Relative Value Partners Group, LLC and Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC. Gregory joined Focus Partners Wealth, LLC in 2026. NorthCoast Asset Management provides investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a quantitative and systematic investment approach with proprietary models and manages most client relationships on a discretionary basis.

Thomas Enright is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license with 14 years of industry experience. He has worked at Creative Planning, LLC since 2023 and previously spent 12 years at Mesirow Financial, Inc. in Northbrook, IL. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning–led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by various specialized portfolio management techniques.

Terrence Crowley is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors who holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has 42 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Advisors and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a caregiver for his disabled son. NewEdge Advisors is a large registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, and charitable organizations through a network of independent advisers. The firm offers a diverse range of portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, utilizing centralized due diligence and technology tools to support advisor and client needs.

Magdalena Woroniecki is a CFP® with 22 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with The Huntington Investment Company. Her prior roles include positions at Ameriprise Financial Services, Sikich Capital Management, and Farmers Financial Solutions. She serves as a board member of the DuPage County Estate Planning Council, a professional organization focused on estate planning education and networking. The Huntington Investment Company provides advisory and brokerage services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs an open-architecture investment model that combines third-party and proprietary strategies, offering various wrap-fee programs through the Envestnet MAS platform.

Barry Finkelstein is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Deerfield, IL, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and over 44 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies, New York Life Insurance Company, and Nylife Securities LLC since 2010. Finkelstein serves on a professional advisory committee for the Jewish United Fund, a Chicago-based organization of attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, institutional investors, and plan sponsors. The firm offers multiple program types and emphasizes tailored recommendations, with the majority of its assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Lauren Holwell is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. She has been with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. since 2012. Outside of her advisory role, she volunteers with the Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations through a network of over 400 independent advisors. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management options and develops investment strategies under firm supervision, acting as a fiduciary when agreements are in place.

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.

David Harrison is a CFP® professional with 35 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at NewEdge Advisors. He has held roles at North Star Investment Services, Inc., Mid Atlantic Financial Management, and Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation since 2003. In addition to his advisory work, he is president of an insurance business specializing in fixed annuities and life insurance, and he is president and 50% owner of Wealth Capital Partners, where he is involved in marketing, planning, and administration. NewEdge Advisors is a large registered investment adviser that serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as pension plans, corporations, trusts, and charitable organizations through a network of independent advisers. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services and employs multiple program structures combining in-house manager selection with third-party strategies, supported by centralized due diligence and technology tools.

Andrew Mclean is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC since 2019, following prior roles at The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied and CMT Asset Management. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services offers financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes centralized investment resources and model portfolios while providing tailored solutions such as Executive Wealth and Private Family Office support.

Jacqueline Moss is a CFA® charterholder with 25 years of industry experience. She has been with William Blair & Company since 2014. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers 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 provides proprietary models and access to private funds through its integrated platform.

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.

Jeremy Knobel is a CFP® and ChFC® professional with 25 years of experience in the financial industry. He is associated with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, where he has worked since 2011. Knobel operates JSK Financial Services LLC, providing group employee benefits and individual insurance, and serves as co-trustee of the Seth Knobel Revocable Trust. Park Avenue Securities LLC, doing business as Park Avenue® Wealth Management and a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, serves individuals, pension plans, charities, and corporate clients. The firm offers brokerage services, financial planning, retirement consulting, and a combination of proprietary and third-party investment advisory programs.

Mikela Ryan is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services, based in Deerfield, IL, and has two years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Goldman Sachs since 2023, as well as experience with JT Fitness MKE LLC, The Lowlands Restaurant Group, and Marquette University’s Office of Risk Management and Law School. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients, offering tailored investment strategies supported by the firm’s extensive research and operational capabilities across the Goldman Sachs network.

Matthew Alcorn is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding Series 66 and Series 63 designations and 25 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at BMO Capital Markets Corp. and TradeStation Securities, Inc. Matthew is based in Evanston, IL. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing relationships through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund and operates within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.