Edward Connolly is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with 15 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at IRON Financial LLC since 2006. Connolly is part of Essex LLC, a team-based registered investment adviser located in Deer Park, IL. Essex manages approximately $563 million for around 600 clients, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs model portfolios and uses fundamental, technical, and sector analysis to guide asset selection and rebalancing, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning services.

Megan Micek is a financial advisor at Vertex Partners with a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. She has worked at several firms including LPL Financial LLC and Professional Wealth Advisors. In addition to her advisory role, she provides administrative support to Vertex Partners. Vertex Partners offers advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes tailored portfolios based on clients' risk tolerance, time horizon, and liquidity needs, utilizing a range of investment strategies and ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Dennis Slott is a CFP® with 41 years of industry experience, currently serving at Vestor Capital, LLC in Chicago, IL. He has been with Vestor Capital and its related entities since 2010 and holds the Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a board member of the Father Wasson Legacy Endowment Inc. Vestor Capital is a multi-team investment and wealth management firm serving individuals, families, not-for-profit organizations, foundations, and qualified retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $2.08 billion in discretionary assets through a centralized Investment Committee that focuses on fundamental security analysis and a range of equity and fixed income strategies.

Randall Hughes is a financial advisor with Hunter Capital Management in Lombard, IL. He holds Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses and has 10 years of industry experience, including a decade at Ballast Equity Management. Hunter Capital Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $1.09 billion in assets with a team of seven advisors. The firm serves a variety of clients including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and corporations, providing discretionary portfolio management through pooled vehicles, private funds, and a registered mutual fund.

Benjamin Cohen is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently serving as part of the team at Cohen Capital in Chicago, IL. Prior to joining Cohen Capital, he worked for 12 years at Raymond James & Associates. Outside of his advisory role, he is a passive investor in businesses including Verlaine Restaurant and the Broadway production Once On This Island. Cohen Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides discretionary investment management, wealth management, and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, businesses, pooled vehicles, and institutional accounts. The firm primarily constructs portfolios using low-cost, diversified mutual funds and ETFs, supplemented by individual securities and alternative investments, and employs a mostly long-term investment approach with flexibility for shorter-term adjustments.

Jeffrey Pearce is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience and has been with Vermillion Financial Advisors, Inc. since 1990. He is based in South Barrington, IL, and holds the Series 63 designation. Vermillion Financial Advisors serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, business entities, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations with financial planning and investment advisory services. The firm emphasizes structured communication and education, offering both model and customized portfolio solutions primarily on a non-discretionary basis.

Jeffrey Hansen is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience, currently serving at Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. He has worked previously at Wells Fargo Advisors, RubinBrown Advisors LLC, and Bank of America, among others. Hansen holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses. Capstone Financial Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes asset-class allocation, cost control, and tax efficiency, utilizing a mix of securities and third-party sub-advisers with a generally multi-year outlook.

Derrick Allen is a financial advisor at The Mosaic Financial Group, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He has been with The Mosaic Financial Group since 2003. The Mosaic Financial Group primarily serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and various business entities, managing approximately $898 million in assets. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and integrates accounting and tax services into its advisory platform, offering customized portfolio construction and both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory relationships.

Shawn Kennedy is a financial advisor with Pendulum Wealth Partners in Itasca, Illinois, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Pendulum Wealth Partners in 2025, he spent 22 years with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. He is also a licensed insurance agent involved in insurance sales and implementation. Pendulum Wealth Partners is a team of nine advisors managing approximately $254 million across 227 client relationships, providing discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services. The firm employs a fundamental, primarily long-term investment approach through diversified portfolios and operates under common control with an affiliated tax and accounting firm offering integrated services.

Andrew Adler is a financial advisor at Global Brokerage Services, Inc. in Barrington, IL, holding a Series 66 credential with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Global Brokerage Services since 2000. Outside of advisory work, Adler is an independent insurance agent specializing in non-variable life insurance, annuities, and disability products, and he performs bookkeeping and accounting services on a limited basis. Global Brokerage Services serves individual investors, retirement accounts, employee benefit plans, and trusts through advisor-led wrap-fee programs and separately managed account/UMA offerings. The firm operates with a six-advisor team and provides non-discretionary advice, utilizing a platform that combines third-party sub-managers and model portfolios with annual account reviews.

Philip Sloan is a CFP®, ChFC®, and PFS™ credentialed advisor with eight years of industry experience. He is currently a senior wealth manager and shareholder at Nadler Financial Group, Inc., where he has worked since 2017. Prior to joining Nadler, he spent nine years at Ernst & Young US LLP. Nadler Financial Group serves individuals, charitable organizations, businesses, and retirement plans, providing discretionary investment management and targeted financial planning services. The firm employs tactical asset allocation across diversified vehicles and offers specialized programs for clients with smaller account sizes, supported by a multi-advisor team managing approximately $1.9 billion in assets.

Alan Cole is a CFA® and CIC-certified financial advisor with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with Parkside Investments, LLC since 2016 and previously worked at Cedar Hill Associates, LLC from 2008 to 2016. Cole is a partner in Cedar Hill Partners Holdings I and II, which are limited partnerships involved in alternative investments. Parkside Investments is an SEC-registered adviser serving high net worth individuals, families, foundations, endowments, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a fundamental analysis-driven, long-term large-cap core equity investment approach, supplemented by fixed income, ETFs, option-based strategies, and private investments, and manages over $1 billion in client assets.

Jaxon Bennett is a financial advisor at Timothy Financial Counsel, Inc. with a Series 65 designation and under one year of industry experience. His prior roles include various positions at Wheaton College and local financial institutions. Timothy Financial Counsel, Inc. is a fee-only, hourly financial planning firm serving individuals, families, businesses, trusts, charities, and retirement plans. The firm provides project-based advice on a range of financial topics and emphasizes diversified investment exposure through no-load mutual funds and ETFs, asset allocation, and periodic rebalancing.

Ryan Vance is a CFA® charterholder with over 20 years of industry experience. He joined Pendulum Wealth Partners in 2025 after two decades at Northern Trust Investments, Inc. He is based in Itasca, IL. Pendulum Wealth Partners is a team of nine advisors managing approximately $254 million for individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans. The firm employs a fundamental, primarily long-term investment approach across diversified portfolios and offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, and family office services.

Martin Buehler is a financial advisor with Vestor Capital, LLC in Chicago, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 35 years of industry experience. He has been involved with VC Management, LLC and various Vestor Capital entities since 2010. Outside of his advisory work, he is a limited partner and passive investor in Aurora Sports Venture, LLC, a private real estate limited partnership. Vestor Capital provides investment and wealth management, portfolio management, and financial planning services to individuals, nonprofits, foundations, and qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a centralized Investment Committee that uses internal fundamental research to manage diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes and offers co-advisory and sub-advised strategies, supported by an affiliation with Focus Financial Partners.

James Varner is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He currently works at Financial Solutions Advisory Group in Chicago, where he has been since 2025. Prior to this, he spent seven years at HighTower Advisors LLC and over two decades at Leonetti & Associates, Inc. Financial Solutions Advisory Group serves individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and trusts through continuous investment advisory and portfolio management services. The firm employs a diversified investment approach combining fundamental, technical, quantitative, and qualitative analysis, and is notable for its pension plan consulting and quarterly newsletter publication.

Thomas Bono is a financial advisor with Monere Wealth Management, Inc. in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 48 years of industry experience. He has been with Monere Investments, Inc. since 2015. Monere Wealth Management is a team-based advisory firm managing approximately $312 million in client assets. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients, pension plans, charities, and business accounts, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and pension consulting with a focus on both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Katie Krase is a financial advisor at Nadler Financial Group, Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2010 and Nadler Financial since 2005, where she is also a shareholder. Nadler Financial Group serves individuals, charitable organizations, business entities, and retirement plans by providing discretionary investment management and, upon request, financial planning and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs tactical asset allocation across diversified vehicles and offers specialized programs for smaller accounts within a multi-advisor structure managing approximately $1.9 billion in assets.

Jeffrey Witz is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience at MEDIQUS Asset Advisors, Inc., where he has worked since 2011. He is based in Chicago, IL, and coordinates life and disability insurance sales for the firm’s clients. MEDIQUS Asset Advisors serves individuals, retirement plans, and medical groups with investment advisory, financial planning, and ERISA plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes long-term asset allocation and uses a combination of third-party research and platform algorithms to manage discretionary assets.

Anthony Baldassano is a financial advisor with Sequoia Wealth Management, LLC, holding the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license, and has 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Sequoia Wealth Management since 2019 and previously at Retirement Matters, Inc. and Wynstone Financial Services, Ltd. Additionally, he owns and manages Anthony & Associates, CPAs LLC, a certified public accounting firm providing tax, bookkeeping, and payroll services. Sequoia Wealth Management advises individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and employer retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm utilizes a combination of quantitative optimization, third-party research, and manager selection to tailor portfolios, serving both discretionary and non-discretionary clients.