Mary Deshong Kinkelaar is the sole advisor at Kinkelaar & Associates in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 21 years of industry experience. She has led Kinkelaar & Associates since 2004. Kinkelaar & Associates is an independent, fee-only firm providing tailored financial planning and investment advice to individuals, trusts, estates, and small businesses. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, offers educational workshops, and serves small-business and corporate plan clients without accepting commissions or managing client assets directly.

Clayton Lawrie is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor at Trac Asset Management LLC with 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at Trac Asset Management since 2015. Trac Asset Management provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to high-net-worth individuals as well as institutional clients including trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm employs both discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis across a range of investment vehicles, and offers educational seminars and workshops for clients and the public.

Zachary Fietsch is the sole advisor at Jackalope Capital and holds a Series 65 designation with six years of industry experience. He has operated Jackalope Capital since 2020 and concurrently serves as a Tax Principal and CPA at ZFP, CPA since 2016. Jackalope Capital offers discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, trusts, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a multi-disciplinary investment process and proprietary asset-allocation methodology, integrating tax and accounting considerations through its affiliation with an accounting practice.

Elizabeth Buffardi is a CFP® and Series 65 registered advisor with 14 years of experience. She is the President and Investment Adviser Representative of Crescendo Financial Planners, Inc., where she has worked since 2009. Prior to Crescendo, she was with FinancialPlanning4Me, LLC for one year. Crescendo Financial Planners provides fee-only holistic financial planning to individuals and families, focusing on middle-income clients without a formal asset minimum. The firm emphasizes long-term, primarily passive investment strategies using ETFs and index mutual funds, and operates on a non-discretionary basis with a fee structure based on fixed retainers and hourly engagements.

Timothy Bodnar is a financial advisor at Huron Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Huron Investments since 2010. Huron Investment Management is an independent registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, high-net-worth clients, and trusts. The firm employs a value-oriented, multi-method investment process and offers a range of strategy profiles, including conservative fixed income and long-term growth, while incorporating derivatives, hedging, and preauthorized leverage in portfolio management.

Mark Johnson is a financial advisor with Dogwood Investment Advisors in Northbrook, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 12 years of industry experience, including a prior role at TransUnion, LLC. He has operated Dogwood Investment Advisors since 2014. Dogwood Investment Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing fee-based discretionary portfolio management and standalone financial planning. The firm employs a tactical allocation approach using fundamental, cyclical, and technical analysis, with portfolio decisions made on a discretionary basis and tailored to client goals. Its single-advisor structure and provision of written communications such as periodicals and newsletters distinguish it from similar independent firms.

Henry Gorecki is a CFP® with 23 years of industry experience and principal of HG Wealth Management, LLC, an independent firm he has led since 2012. Based in Chicago, IL, he holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. HG Wealth Management serves individual investors as well as trusts, estates, foundations, charities, and businesses, providing financial planning, investment consultation, and investment supervisory services. The firm employs a Core + Satellite investment approach and offers tailored services including modular reviews and comprehensive plans, managing assets on both a discretionary and non-discretionary basis while coordinating with clients’ other professionals.

Monarch Bhatt is a CFP® professional with five years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Ascent Fintech LLC. His work background includes roles at Ascent Infotech LLC and Roadrunner Transportation Services, where he is a Senior Financial Analyst in the shipping and logistics sector. He holds an executive position in an IT services business through Ascent Infotech LLC. Ascent Fintech LLC is an independent advisory firm that serves individuals, families, pension and retirement plans, and institutions, managing approximately $4.85 million in discretionary assets. The firm employs both passive and active investment strategies tailored to client goals and offers a range of services including asset management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services.

Patrick Brierton is a financial advisor with BWM LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He worked at Ameriprise from 2009 to 2021 before joining BWM LLC in 2021. His other activities include serving in fiduciary roles such as trustee and personal representative. BWM LLC provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services primarily to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm uses fundamental analysis and a long-term approach, constructing diversified portfolios mainly composed of mutual funds and ETFs, while employing individual stocks, fixed income, and options as needed.

Jac Cerney is the principal of JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Evanston, IL. He holds CFP® and CFA® designations and has 21 years of industry experience. Cerney has led his firm since 2009, providing financial planning and portfolio management services. JAC Wealth Management Services, LLC offers fee-only financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm uses fundamental analysis and longer-term purchase strategies, typically employing exchange-traded funds and bank certificates of deposit, with portfolio allocations tailored to clients’ objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

Bradford Tyl is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience and the principal of Bradford Capital Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2003. He also serves on the faculty of Keller Graduate School of Business since 2003. Bradford Capital Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm emphasizes ETF-based portfolios using Modern Portfolio Theory with a passive asset-allocation and regular rebalancing approach, and it is noted for its pension consulting services and work with charitable organizations.

I’m Matthew, the founder of Maplewood Wealth. I’m a financial planning nerd, hard stop. Standard financial advice is heavily geared toward retirees, leaving mid-career professionals with complex compensation without a clear place to turn. You don't need a generic roadmap, and you certainly don't need a cheerleader. You need a dedicated expert to take the heavy lifting of tax strategy, equity compensation, and investment management completely off your plate so you can protect your time and energy. I built Maplewood Wealth specifically for high-earning professionals, law firm partners, and dual-career parents. Whether you are dealing with a complex K-1 buy-in, navigating vesting RSUs, experiencing a sudden liquidity event, or managing the intense financial realities of chronic illness, I step in to handle the mechanics so you don't have to. Why work with me? The "Professor" Flex: I actually love the complex math of this stuff so much that I teach it to the next generation of advisors as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois (UIUC), and I help write official exam questions for the CFP® Board. Taxes, Minus the Stress: As an Enrolled Agent (EA) admitted to practice before the IRS, I don't just give high-level advice. I do in-house tax preparation and tax-smart investment management to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing: I don't require a $1M portfolio to work together. I offer two clear paths: a one-time $495 Clarity Session to solve an immediate, painful financial headache, or a $500/month Principal Partnership (capped at roughly 30 clients) where I take wealth and tax management entirely off your hands. I live in the Chicagoland area with my wife, our two kids, and our dog, but I operate a completely virtual practice serving professionals across the country. If you are ready to offload the mental load of your finances, let's talk.

Patrick Crowley is a financial advisor at Crowley Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. Prior to founding his independent firm in 2024, he worked for 11 years at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. He holds a Series 66 designation. Outside of his advisory role, he is listed as treasurer and vice president of a family-owned real estate company. Crowley Capital Management provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, small businesses, and estates. The firm customizes portfolio management based on client objectives and risk tolerance, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis, and may employ third-party sub-advisors.

Robert Bell is a CFP® certificant with 19 years of industry experience. He has operated Mark Bell Advisory Services, Inc., an independent advisory firm based in Chicago, since 2002. The firm is a fee-only, SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, trusts, estates, and certain pension and profit-sharing plans. Mark Bell Advisory Services focuses on discretionary money management and financial planning for a limited client base, typically close family or friends. The firm constructs tax-aware, diversified portfolios using no-load mutual funds, ETFs, and individual bonds, and manages accounts primarily on a discretionary basis through institutional custody platforms.

Jon De Vries is a financial advisor at Kiddos Capital with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior roles include positions in healthcare advisory, medical technology, publishing, and technology firms. Kiddos Capital is an independent advisory firm that serves parents saving for college through a membership-based model. The firm offers customized financial planning, portfolio management with tax-aware strategies like direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting, socially responsible screening, and lender auctions to secure favorable student loan terms.

Jeffrey Smith is a CFP® professional with 21 years of experience in financial advising. He has been the sole advisor at North Shore Investment Consulting LLC since 2004. North Shore Investment Consulting LLC provides fee-only investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and consulting primarily to high-net-worth individuals, professionals, retirees, and select profit-sharing plans. The firm emphasizes Modern Portfolio Theory, diversification, indexing, and quantitative optimization, managing portfolios largely on a non-discretionary basis with client consent for trades.

Leela Rao is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 65 license, with 20 years of industry experience. She has been with Goodwin Asset Management Inc. since 2002. Rao serves as a director of the Raagalaya Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization registered in Florida. Goodwin Asset Management provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a conservative, value-oriented investment strategy combining top-down macro allocation with bottom-up security selection, and it also offers pension-plan consulting and retirement-plan management services.

Michael Bloom is a CFP® and ChFC® with 26 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Grosse Point Capital Management in Evanston, IL. His prior roles include positions at THE O.N. Equity Sales Company, Ohio National Financial Services, and Eusebius Advisors LLC. In addition to his advisory work, he manages an insurance agency focusing on life, disability income, long-term care insurance, and fixed annuities. Grosse Point Capital Management provides discretionary investment management, IRA services, and both standalone financial planning and ongoing consulting to individuals, families, and closely held businesses. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach using diversified asset classes primarily implemented through low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, with a focus on long-term asset allocation, periodic rebalancing, and attention to tax and transaction costs.

Douglas Harman is the principal of Harman Investment Advisors, an independent firm based in Northbrook, IL. He holds the CFA® designation and a Series 65 license, with 28 years of industry experience. Harman has led his firm since its founding in 1990. Harman Investment Advisors is a state-registered, single-advisor firm offering discretionary, separately managed account services to individual and institutional clients, including pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and municipal entities. The firm employs a value-oriented, all-capitalization equity approach with actively managed, concentrated portfolios guided by fundamental and quantitative analysis.

Philip Statz is a financial advisor with Insight Financial Group, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2005 and has been with Insight Financial Group since 2003. In addition to his advisory role, Statz operates as an independent insurance agent. Insight Financial Group serves individual clients, including high-net-worth families, and small-business owners by providing comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and business consulting. The firm employs an investment approach centered on asset allocation and behavior coaching, using model portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, and offers unique services such as the Virtual CFO Solution™ and a fixed-price fee model.