Howard Kite is a CFP® and ChFC® with 44 years of industry experience. He is currently with Forum Financial Management, LP, where he has worked since 2009, and previously held roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investment and PKS Advisory Services, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is a member of several non-investment-related business entities, including real estate management ventures. Forum Financial Management, LP provides fee-based wealth management, financial planning, and qualified plan services to individual and institutional clients. The firm also serves as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for other independent RIAs, offering model portfolios managed primarily with DFA institutional mutual funds and ETFs under a Modern Portfolio Theory approach.

James Niedermeier is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Ausdal since 2009 and also owns Niedermeier Agency, through which he is involved in insurance sales. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets. The firm offers a range of investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations.

Kevin Geiger is a financial advisor at Blackridge Asset Management, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked with firms including Retirement Wealth Advisors, Alchemy Advisors, and LPL Financial. Geiger also operates Geiger Investments, a separate investment-related business. Blackridge Asset Management is a multi-advisor firm serving individuals, trusts, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm provides financial planning and portfolio management services, employing a structured investment process that combines client input with third-party and advisor-created model portfolios, and offers sub-advisory services to unaffiliated registered investment advisers.

Emilija Ilic is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Mission Wealth Management, LP with one year of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Krd Ltd, Byline Bank, and the Law Offices of Lee Steinberg. Mission Wealth Management, LP is a multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $17 billion and serving high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutional clients. The firm offers tailored wealth management, portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services, employing a tiered service model to align with client needs and emphasizing long-term investment strategies.

Anthony Lavarda is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc. in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 63 designation and 39 years of industry experience. He has been with World Equity Group since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is the founder of St Raphael Lame Ducks, a prayer and social service group. World Equity Group provides investment advisory and brokerage services to individual and high-net-worth clients, business entities, non-profit organizations, and financial institutions. The firm uses a combination of model-based and customized investment approaches, including proprietary models and third-party manager allocations, managing approximately $944.7 million in assets.

Allison Tregoning is a financial advisor at Gladstone Wealth Partners with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including LPL Financial, Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC. Prior to her advisory career, she was employed at Azzip Pizza and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Gladstone Wealth Partners serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, corporations, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm operates through a network of independent advisers who tailor strategies using discretionary management, third-party managers, and model portfolios, and also provides ERISA-related services for qualified plans.

Jeffrey Menough is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with HighPoint Planning Partners. He has worked at HighPoint Planning Partners and its DBA Onpath Financial since 2013, and has been associated with LPL Financial since 2010. HighPoint Planning Partners serves a broad range of clients including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm offers discretionary asset management and comprehensive financial planning, constructing investment policies through personal consultations and employing a diversified approach across various asset classes and third-party platforms.

Bradley Karkula is a CFP® with 17 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with Calamos Wealth Management LLC and Calamos Financial Services LLC, having previously worked at Citibank, Morgan Stanley, and J.P. Morgan in various capacities. Calamos Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary wealth management and institutional advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, endowments, private foundations, and retirement plans. The firm’s investment process involves rigorous idea sourcing, evaluation, and portfolio construction, often utilizing affiliated Calamos Funds and investment vehicles within a comprehensive governance framework.

Christopher Peterson is a financial advisor with HighPoint Planning Partners in St. Charles, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 1 year of industry experience. Prior to joining HighPoint Advisor Group and LPL Financial in 2024, he worked at St. Charles Bank & Trust Company for 10 years. HighPoint Advisor Group provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting to a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm manages approximately $4.0 billion in client assets and constructs individualized investment policies using fundamental analysis across various securities and program solutions.

Paul Kaczmarczyk is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc. in Schaumburg, Illinois. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 19 years of industry experience. He has been with World Equity Group since 2010 and also worked at VestGen Advisors, LLC. Outside of advising, he serves as treasurer for the Schaumburg Athletic Association United Soccer Club, a nonprofit youth soccer organization. World Equity Group provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers managed portfolios through wrap-fee programs and uses a risk-tolerance questionnaire to guide asset allocation, with discretionary authority granted to third-party managers and investment adviser representatives.

Michael Manno is a financial advisor with WORLD EQUITY GROUP, Inc. in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 42 years of industry experience. He has been with World Equity Group since 2003. WORLD EQUITY GROUP, Inc. offers fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a broad client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm provides managed portfolios through its Adhesion Money Management wrap-fee program and related advisory services, utilizing risk-tolerance questionnaires and third-party discretionary money managers.

Callie Just is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Merrill, Jackson National Life Distributors LLC, PPM America, Inc., and Foreside Financial Services, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is the owner of Just Chic LLC, an event design and planning business. LPL Financial provides advisory and brokerage services to a diverse range of clients, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, banks, institutions, charities, and high-net-worth households. The firm offers various investment delivery options supported by an in-house research team and a large network of investment adviser representatives.

Jignesh Jain is a financial advisor at Belpointe Asset Management LLC with securities licenses Series 63 and Series 65. He has held positions at AFIN Wealth Management and Amplified Planning and worked at NEC Corporation of America for 13 years. Jain serves as a board member for the Jain Society of Metro Chicago, a religious non-profit organization. Belpointe Asset Management is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 160 advisors and manages more than $7.5 billion for individuals, corporations, trusts, and other advisers. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting through customized portfolios, model strategies, and various affiliated funds and services.

Glenn Schwalje is a financial advisor at Financial Security Advisory, Inc. with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has held roles at firms including Milliman Investment Management Services and Jackson National Life Distributors. Schwalje is also involved in compliance consulting through Oyster Consulting, LLC. Financial Security Advisory, Inc. provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and employer-sponsored plans, focusing on asset allocation and long-term holdings. The firm uses quantitative and qualitative methods to select investments and manages accounts primarily on a limited discretionary basis.

Craig Wenger is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2009. Prior to that, he worked at Financial Planning Consultants from 2000 to 2017. He also serves as treasurer for the Hawthorne Place Condo Association in Chicago. Ausdal Financial Partners manages over $2 billion in client assets and offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm provides a range of investment strategies through both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts and combines advisory, brokerage, and insurance services.

Gary Richards is a CFP® professional with over 31 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with World Equity Group, Inc. since 1994. Outside of his advisory role, Richards is involved in the sale of fixed life insurance and annuities. World Equity Group serves individual and high-net-worth clients, business entities, non-profit organizations, and financial institutions, offering a range of investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm employs both model-based and customized investment approaches and manages approximately $945 million in assets.

Eric Hrebic is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Forum Financial Management, LP since 2020. His prior experience includes roles at 606 Wealth Management, LLC and Lowery Asset Consulting. Forum Financial Management, LP provides fee-based wealth management, financial planning, qualified plan services, and educational workshops to individual and institutional clients. The firm also serves as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for other independent RIAs, managing approximately $9 billion in assets with a focus on model portfolios grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory.

Luke Hofsommer is a financial advisor at LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, L.L.C. with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at LaSalle St. Securities LLC and Raymond James Financial Services. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors provides fee-based financial planning and investment supervisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and small businesses. The firm offers both non-discretionary and discretionary investment approaches and manages a predominance of non-discretionary assets through a variety of programs and third-party manager relationships.

Robert Davit is a financial advisor with Gladstone Wealth Partners in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He previously worked at UBS Financial Services for 12 years and has been with Gladstone Wealth Partners and LPL Financial since 2021. Gladstone Wealth Partners offers investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm operates through a network of independent advisers who utilize discretionary portfolio management, third-party managers, and technology solutions to service client needs, including qualified plan advisory roles under ERISA.

Lissette Strefner is a financial advisor at World Equity Group, Inc. with 23 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at World Equity Group since 2015. Prior to that, she has been associated with AIG American General Life Insurance Company since 2002. Outside of her advisory role, she engages in reselling used clothing as a hobby. World Equity Group provides investment advisory and brokerage services to individual and high-net-worth clients, business entities, non-profit organizations, and financial institutions. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services, utilizing both model-based and customized investment approaches.