Kelly Bays is a financial advisor with Ameriprise, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. She has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2005. Outside of her advisory role, Bays co-leads two Girl Scout troops and helps plan a volunteer-run Girl Scout day camp in the McHenry area. She is also co-author of the financial book *Intentional Legacy*. Ameriprise offers a retirement-income planning service focused on individuals approaching or in retirement with significant investable assets, combining research, modeling, and tax-efficiency analysis to produce written recommendation reports. The firm provides a wide range of advisory, brokerage, and insurance solutions through its large institutional platform.

Christopher Collins is a financial advisor with RBC Capital Markets in Lake Forest, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 32 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at City National Bank, Bank of America, and Merrill Lynch. Outside of his advisory work, Collins serves on charitable boards focused on educational scholarships and is involved in leadership and fundraising activities with Boy Scout Troop 48. RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, serves a diverse client base including individual and institutional investors, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers tailored investment advisory programs combining in-house and third-party managers, emphasizing customized portfolio management aligned with clients’ risk profiles.

Magdy Abd is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. He previously worked for TCF National Bank and Huntington National Bank for eleven years each. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of advisory programs and affiliated investment products, supported by a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Patrick Hoch is a financial advisor at Stifel with 40 years of industry experience. He has held the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at Morgan Stanley DW Inc. for nine years before joining Stifel in 2007. Stifel serves a broad range of clients, including individuals, institutional clients, and charitable organizations, providing brokerage and investment advisory services. The firm’s investment approach is based on proprietary capital market assumptions and probabilistic modeling developed by its Investment Strategy Group to support asset allocation and financial planning decisions.

Blake Albregts is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He provides financial advisory services within the firm, assisting clients with their wealth management needs. Specific details about his areas of expertise, experience, education, credentials, personal interests, or community involvement have not been provided.

Dragos Stoicescu is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He brings over twenty-five years of experience in the financial industry, including expertise in insurance, banking, lending, and advisory services. Drawing on this extensive background, Dragos adopts a holistic approach to financial planning, helping clients connect to a broad range of resources and services across the Bank of America enterprise. Dragos earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois System and holds several professional designations, including Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Sports & Entertainment Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (SE-AWMA). His multilingual capabilities include English, Romanian, and Spanish. Outside of his professional work, Dragos dedicates his time to family, community volunteering, and personal interests such as boating, cooking, hiking, music, reading, swimming, and traveling. He supports various charitable organizations including the Anti Cruelty Society, Chicago Botanic Garden, Feed My Starving Children, Greater Food Depository, Journeys the Road Home, Paws, and REACH Food Pantry.

David Smith is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at various Morgan Stanley entities since 2018, including Morgan Stanley Private Bank and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Prior to his financial services career, he held positions at companies such as Amazon and We Co., and spent several years affiliated with the University of Illinois. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management serves both individual and institutional clients by providing a wide range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and employs a structured planning process supported by firm-approved tools and market modeling techniques.

Ranjeet Rai is a financial advisor at Stifel with 15 years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. He has worked at Stifel Nicolaus & Co Inc since 2019 and has prior experience at Bank of America, Merrill, and involvement with local school districts and the YMCA. Stifel serves a broad range of clients including individuals, institutional clients, and charitable organizations, offering both brokerage and investment advisory services. The firm’s investment approach is based on a proprietary methodology developed by its Investment Strategy Group, providing capital market assumptions and probabilistic modeling for asset allocation and financial planning.

Brad Herman is a financial advisor at LPL Financial with 12 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP®, ChFC®, and Series 66 designations. His prior work includes roles at BMO Bank NA, Mutual Securities, Inc., and Investacorp Inc. He also serves as a director at BMO Bank NA. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, banks, trust companies, and institutions. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services including financial planning, model portfolios, third-party asset management, and institutional platforms.

Robert Lipton is a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with UBS since 2008, previously working for Citigroup Global Markets from 2001 to 2008. UBS Financial Services Inc. serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through a range of brokerage and advisory offerings, including financial planning and portfolio management. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services and utilizes proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor client solutions.

Canary Chia is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management with over 12 years of experience in the financial services industry. She specializes in comprehensive wealth management, providing guidance to successful professionals to help grow, preserve, and manage wealth through a disciplined process. Her expertise includes areas such as divorce transition planning, education planning, employee benefits planning, family wealth management strategies, and personal retirement planning. Canary is proficient in utilizing alternative investments and sophisticated third pillar products to hedge risk in challenging market conditions. Canary earned both her Bachelor's degree and MBA in finance and economics from the University of Chicago. She holds several professional designations, including Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP), Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA), CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). She is fluent in English and Korean and is a member of the Soul of Money Institute. A long-time resident of Barrington, Illinois, Canary and her husband Tim have three children. She is involved in the community as a co-coach for First Lego Robotics. In her personal time, Canary enjoys skiing, practicing yoga, and playing pickleball.

Christal Vargas is a CFP® professional affiliated with Wells Fargo Advisors, with nine years of industry experience. She has previously worked at UBS Financial Services Inc., Dew Wealth Management, and several other firms. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients by providing investment and fee-based financial planning services tailored to clients meeting specific net-worth criteria. The firm offers a broad range of planning services, using proprietary research and tools to develop recommendations, with implementation options available through various brokerage and advisory programs.

Jeffrey Auerbach is a financial advisor at Equitable Advisors with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Equitable Advisors since 2008, previously affiliated with Axa Advisors, LLC. He serves as president of a homeowners association board in Deerfield, Illinois. Equitable Advisors provides financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and asset-management programs to individuals, pension plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm uses a range of advisory models implemented by third-party managers and offers ERISA fiduciary services through credentialed representatives.

Eric Gnippe is a financial advisor at Fidelity with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Fidelity, he was involved in entrepreneurial ventures including Evanston Masonry, LLC and KH OXI Fresh Carpet Cleaning. He also served with the Hinsdale Little League for four years. Fidelity's Strategic Advisers LLC provides investment management and advisory services to retail and institutional clients, employing a process that combines fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and algorithmic portfolio construction. The firm is noted for its advisory roles with registered investment companies, use of AI and algorithmic methods, and formal governance procedures.

Bryan O'Connor is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Morgan Stanley and its Private Bank since 2014. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving both individual and institutional clients with a range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and employs a structured financial planning process supported by firm-approved tools and modeling techniques.

John Garrity is a financial advisor at Merrill with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 credential and has prior experience at PepsiCo and Rust-Oleum Corporation. Merrill, along with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through its Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary investment strategies for a range of clients including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Chase Gauthier is a CFP®-designated financial advisor with seven years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Cetera. He has held roles at multiple Cetera entities and previously worked at Oppenheimer Funds and Morningstar Inc. Since 2023, he has operated a financial services DBA, Gauthier Wealth Partners. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC operates as a multi-manager platform serving a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management and consulting services through a nationwide network of independent advisors.

Leonard Dedo is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience, currently with UBS Financial Services where he has worked since 2005. He serves as Secretary for the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Rotary Club Foundation, a local charity focused on community service and humanitarian efforts. UBS Financial Services Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individual, corporate, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and access to mutual funds and alternative products. The firm combines institutional trading capabilities with wealth management to deliver tailored investment solutions based on proprietary research and capital market assumptions.

Mario Caprio is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with a Series 66 designation. He has experience working at Edward Jones since 2025, following prior roles at Sliccily Pizza Pub, Millennium Trust Company/Inspira Financial, and Forest Park Bank. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs and investment solutions. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and operates a large network of financial advisors and branch offices nationwide.

Daniel Schwarber is a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, serving clients across the United States through a multi-generational wealth management team based in the Greater Los Angeles and Chicago areas. He works closely with clients to address financial challenges and life goals, focusing on areas such as corporate executive services, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, women and wealth, sports and entertainment, tax minimization, and retirement income. Dan began his career at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2008 and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC™) designation from the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corp. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. Throughout his career, he has helped clients plan for education, retirement, and philanthropy, emphasizing client education to empower financial decision-making. Dan was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and remains a dedicated fan of Cleveland professional sports teams as well as the Cornell Big Red. He resides in Wilmette, Illinois with his wife Samantha and their daughter Dottie. In his free time, he enjoys golf, fishing, exercising, and outdoor activities.