Maury Fertig is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 22 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Focus Partners Wealth since 2026. His prior experience includes roles at Kovitz Investment Group Partners and Relative Value Partners, where he held positions for nearly 20 years combined. Fertig also serves as a director on the board of Benefit Security Insurance Company. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach combining active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds.

Matthew Lafontaine is a financial advisor at William Blair with 10 years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 credential. He has worked at William Blair since 2015 and is also a principal and head of baseball operations at The Yard, an indoor baseball facility. Additionally, he coaches baseball on weekends for New Trier Pony. 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 active, research-driven strategies across multiple asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Thomas Buhrmann is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 13 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC and Strategic Wealth Partners Group LLC. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate, and institutional clients with a broad range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

James Hammack is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with nine years of industry experience, currently with William Blair since 2024. His prior roles include positions at InterOcean Capital Group, InterOcean Capital, Kestra Advisory, and NFP Corporate Services. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients, using an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes.

Cole Pedro is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC since 2019, following prior roles at The Ayco Company and Mercer Allied. Pedro also held positions outside finance, including work at Dunkin Donuts and Anderson Windows. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individual investors, executives, institutional clients, and plan sponsors. The firm offers tailored investment strategies supported by proprietary research and an integrated approach leveraging capabilities across the broader Goldman Sachs organization.

Maxwell Thompson is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Performance Wealth Partners and Brad Scott - State Farm Agency. Outside of advising, he has been involved in entrepreneurial ventures including a moving company and a yogurt business. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a broad client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, providing financial planning and portfolio management. The firm offers tailored plans using strategic allocation models and proprietary research, with integrated access to the wider Goldman Sachs ecosystem and a variety of specialized programs.

Jay Pollack is a financial advisor at Guardian Life with 43 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations. Pollack has worked extensively with both Guardian Life Insurance Company and Park Avenue Securities throughout his career. He also operates Laurus Strategies for Wealth, a business outside of Guardian. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, corporations, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm combines advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and offers a range of financial planning and consulting services tailored to client needs.

Mariam Sargsyan is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and EY Armenia. Her background includes academic roles at the University of Florida and Nebrija University. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services supports a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, and institutional clients, by providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs such as Private Family Office services and Executive Wealth management. The firm uses strategic allocation models and proprietary analytics within the broader Goldman Sachs ecosystem to tailor solutions aligned with client objectives.

Allison Swanson is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with one year of industry experience. She holds the ChFC® and Series 63 designations. Prior to joining Creative Planning, she worked at Sageview Advisory Group and Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. Outside of financial advising, she provides private softball pitching lessons through her business, Coach A Softball Stars. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led approach that integrates low-cost indexing, tax-loss harvesting, and selective private market exposure.

Jason Petitte is a CFA® charterholder with 23 years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has a long tenure at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC and Kovitz Securities, LLC. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate and institutional clients with a broad range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that integrates active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Clint Fyffe is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. since 2007. He holds a Series 63 designation and is based in Highland Park, IL. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to private individuals, institutional clients, and government entities. The firm employs a comprehensive investment process that includes setting asset allocation targets, due diligence on various asset classes, and access to proprietary private investments and third-party managers.

Alan Abramson is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 32 years of industry experience, including 31 years at Mesirow Financial. Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products, employing a disciplined investment process that includes setting asset allocation targets and performing due diligence across a diverse set of asset classes.

Adam Ritter is a financial advisor at NewEdge Advisors with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Cubit Wealth Management as a private wealth advisor and also provides consulting services in wealth planning. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a broad range of portfolio management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to advisory programs through multiple platform structures, combining in-house and third-party solutions with an emphasis on centralized due diligence and technology integration.

Daniel Lockwood is a CFP® with 27 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC. His prior experience includes roles at Raymond James & Associates, Waddell & Reed, and Ameriprise. Outside of his advisory work, he is a board member of the Foundation for Heating and Speech Resources, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago. Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise-scale RIA managing approximately $36.7 billion in assets and serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of investment advisory, financial planning, and managed account programs, employing both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management through various Steward Partners-branded and third-party solutions.

Mark Mckinley is a financial advisor at William Blair with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has worked at William Blair since 2012, following a 12-year tenure at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs active, research-driven management across various asset classes and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Wojtek Wojtyrowski is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Niles, IL, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Investments since 2009. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through several model-based programs, including the Portfolio Solutions Strategist Digital Offering, an online discretionary model account available by invitation only to employees with existing PNC Bank online-banking credentials. The program uses algorithmic risk assessment and relies on approved model strategies executed via mutual funds and ETFs, with annual rebalancing.

Natalie Williams is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Nordstrom and served in various roles at educational institutions, including Lake Forest College, Villanova University, and Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, and institutional clients. The firm employs strategic and tactical allocation models and offers a range of services such as Private Family Office programs, Specialized Executive Wealth programs, and access to Alternative Investments.

Erica Berning is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Deerfield, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 19 years of industry experience. She has been with Eagle Strategies since 2012 and maintains concurrent roles with Nylife Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Co. Berning serves on the boards of the Cadence Cares Foundation and Beat The Streets Chicago, both nonprofit organizations focused on community programs. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers a variety of program types and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives, with most assets managed on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

John Vitt is a ChFC®-designated financial advisor with 44 years of industry experience, currently serving at Equity Services, Inc. since 1981. He also has longstanding ties with NATL Life Insurance Co dating back to 1975. Outside of his advisory work, he is managing partner of an export/import business focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo and serves as a director of the Western Golf Association. Equity Services, Inc. offers financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs multiple advisory platforms, often leveraging third-party asset managers and combines long-term strategies with options for shorter-term trading.

Shelton Mudzingwa is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked at Palisades Growth Capital. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an assistant rugby coach at Lake Forest College. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services offers financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, executives, and institutions, utilizing strategic and tactical allocation models and a range of fee arrangements.