Kenneth Valentino is a financial advisor at World Equity Group, Inc. with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with Patriot Capital Services, Inc. and Patriot Capital Management, Inc. since 2004. Outside his advisory role, he is involved in residential mortgage origination and serves as vice president of business development for a water filtration company. He also owns and manages an outdoor marijuana growing business in Michigan. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm offers managed portfolios mainly through wrap-fee programs and employs a risk-tolerance questionnaire to guide asset allocation, with discretionary management granted to third-party money managers and investment adviser representatives.

Mark Harmon is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with FourStar Wealth Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has worked at FourStar since 2016 and previously held roles at Kingsview Wealth Management, LLC and Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. Harmon also works as an independent insurance agent, providing life insurance sales as part of overall financial planning. FourStar Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, offering financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to manage diversified portfolios, including mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, options, and third-party managers, typically on a discretionary basis tailored to client risk tolerance and time horizon.

Thomas Clark is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Commonwealth Financial Network, Blueprint Wealth Advisors, Charles Schwab Investment Management, and Jackson National Asset Management. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with 264 advisors serving around 20,040 clients across 66 offices and managing approximately $23.9 billion in client assets. The firm offers coordinated wealth-management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach using centrally managed sleeves and standard model allocations overseen by an internal Investment Management team.

Edilberto Ortiz is a financial advisor at IHT Wealth Management LLC with 39 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at IHT Wealth Management since 2016, LPL Financial since 2009, and was a partner at E.C. Ortiz & Co. LLP, an accounting and auditing firm, for 47 years. IHT Wealth Management serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, trusts, and corporate clients. The firm utilizes a blend of fundamental stock selection and quantitative tools across diversified model portfolios, offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA fiduciary services through a network of over 150 advisers.

Byron Mandell is a financial advisor at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and Series 65 designations and has been with Chicago Partners since 2018. In addition to his advisory work, Mandell is affiliated with Loyola University Chicago. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC provides advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, not-for-profit plans, endowments, corporations, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, diversified, asset-allocation investment approach, utilizing mutual funds, ETFs, direct indexing, fixed income, options, structured notes, and select alternative strategies.

Terry Mccaffrey is a financial advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Optimum Investment Advisors since 2009. He is also a co-founder and member of VestGen Wealth Partners Holdings, LLC, a financial services holding company. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for about 9,453 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering investment management, financial planning, wrap-fee programs, and retirement plan services using a variety of analytical methods and third-party managers.

Manish Jain is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 20 years of industry experience. He has been with Zacks Investment Management since 2007. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional investors. The firm employs a proprietary stock-ranking approach centered on earnings-estimate revisions and offers a wide range of strategies and investment vehicles, operating across retail, institutional, and third-party distribution channels.

Patrick Wade is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. He has worked at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC since 2019 and previously was employed at Wintrust Financial Corp. from 2017 to 2019. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC provides investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, not-for-profit plans, endowments, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a long-term, diversified, asset-allocation approach incorporating fundamental analysis and quantitative optimization across a range of investment vehicles.

Gary Costarella is a financial advisor with Nations Financial Group, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Nations Financial Group in 2025, he worked for Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network LLC for 16 years. He is also the owner of C & R Capital Management, through which he provides investment and advisory services. Nations Financial Group, Inc. offers investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm’s investment approach combines proprietary model portfolios with the option to select outside managers, tailoring strategies to client objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

George Fludas is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 credential with three years of industry experience. He co-founded Esygma Inc., a digital marketing and web development firm supporting small businesses, though he is no longer actively involved in its operations. Prior to joining Zacks in 2022, his work history includes roles outside the financial industry. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, pooled investment vehicles, and institutional clients. The firm employs proprietary quantitative models combined with qualitative portfolio management across diverse strategies and manages affiliated mutual funds and ETFs, distributing strategies through various wrap-fee and unified managed account programs.

Benjamin Wozniak is a financial advisor at The Mather Group, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 credential. He has one year of experience in the industry, including time spent at The Mather Group and prior roles outside finance such as Benoot Pressure Washing and Poplar Creek Country Club. The Mather Group serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities with combined financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning guidance, and family office services. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach with risk-based allocation models and offers customized strategies including direct indexing and ESG portfolios.

Liza Blundell is a financial advisor with Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. She has worked at Jefferies LLC since 2013. Jefferies Investment Advisers LLC provides fee-based financial planning services to a broad range of clients including individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, collaborative planning process supported by financial planning software and scenario analysis, focusing on comprehensive planning topics without offering security-specific investment recommendations.

Liam Duffy is a financial advisor at FourStar Wealth Advisors, LLC with a Series 65 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at John B. Sanfilippo And Son, Lifetime Fitness, and Joe's Brewery. FourStar Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, offering financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm combines fundamental and technical analysis and manages portfolios mainly on a discretionary basis, tailoring investments to clients’ risk tolerance and time horizon.

Charles Garrido is a financial advisor at A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners with 42 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at McDonald Partners LLC, Sanctuary Securities, Inc., and KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. Garrido is president of the FAF Foundation, a charitable organization, and serves as Secretary of the Board and Chair of the Finance Committee for the advocacy nonprofit RAICES. He is also working on authoring two books, one on his experience growing up Cuban and another on financial strategies. A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners is a multi-team SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer with approximately 131 advisors managing nearly $3 billion for over 7,000 clients. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, retirement-plan advisory, and brokerage services using an open-architecture model that incorporates both internally managed and sub-advised strategies.

Nicole Polanco is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience, currently serving at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC since 2015. She holds the Series 65 designation and is based in Chicago, IL. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC advises a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, endowments, corporations, and not-for-profit plans. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach, utilizing fundamental analysis and a range of strategies such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting, while offering customized portfolio management and financial planning services.

John Eberle is a financial advisor at FourStar Wealth Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Vivaldi Capital Management LLC, Taiber Kosmala, and Fiduciary Financial Partners LLC. FourStar Wealth Advisors serves individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, and retirement-plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis with diversified asset allocation, managing portfolios primarily on a discretionary basis tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and time horizon.

David Donnelly is a financial advisor at SpiderRock Advisors, LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at BlackRock Investments, LLC since 2024. Outside of his advisory role, he provides advice to the CEO of Trove, LLC, a company that offers loans to individuals. SpiderRock Advisors, LLC provides discretionary overlay and portfolio management services to institutional and wealth-management clients, utilizing a rules-based, systematic approach that combines quantitative and fundamental inputs. The firm is known for its expertise in listed derivatives and dynamic option overlays, serving a diverse client base including asset managers, family offices, and pension funds.

Azita Aminian is a financial advisor at Centennial Securities Company, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 36 years of industry experience. She has been with Centennial Securities since 2011. Centennial Securities Company, Inc. is a multi-team advisory firm managing approximately $1.15 billion in assets. The firm serves individuals, trusts and estates, retirement plans, foundations, endowments, and business entities, offering discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and access to third-party manager programs.

Daniel Nakano is a CFP® professional with 20 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Curi Capital, LLC. He previously worked at RMB Capital Management LLC for nine years and Morgan Stanley for three years. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets, serving individuals, employer retirement plans, institutions, mutual funds, private funds, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental investment approach, combining proprietary strategies, third-party managers, mutual funds, and private funds across a diverse client base.

Jeremy Schares is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience and is currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining Waverly Advisors in 2024, he worked for 16 years at StrategIQ Financial Group, LLC. He is also a member of two holding companies, IQ Companies, LLC and WAAM TOPCO, LLC. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private markets allocations and offers a range of services including financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and multi-family office solutions.