Michael Muersch is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Principal Securities Inc. since 2016 and with Principal Life Insurance Company since 2008. He is also involved in health and fixed life insurance brokerage activities. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Connor Simios is a CFP® and Series 65-licensed advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC. He has six years of industry experience, including prior roles at Vermillion Financial Advisors and Willow Creek Community Church. He joined Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services in 2025. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized retirement consulting through a network of advisors, employing a strategic investment process that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Jesus Olmedo is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF and holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has 16 years of industry experience, including prior roles at J.P. Morgan Securities and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Olmedo has been with TIAA-CREF since 2018. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm combines point-in-time planning services with ongoing managed account programs that utilize model or customized portfolios, and it acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Bart Newman is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and eight years of industry experience. He previously worked at IAMS Wealth Management and Secure Investment Management. Outside of his advisory role, Newman has been an independent insurance agent since 2004 and serves as a football official and assignor for the Dukane conference. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients such as sovereign wealth funds and banking institutions. The firm delivers investment management primarily on a discretionary basis through model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and separately managed accounts, and supports a large advisor network with back-office and turnkey asset management platform services.

James Tilley is a financial advisor with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and six years of industry experience. He has worked at multiple firms, including AE Wealth Management and CreativeOne Wealth, and currently serves as managing partner at Liberty Hill Financial Planners. Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC provides financial planning and ongoing portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, employs model portfolios with asymmetric rebalancing, and offers access to third-party sub-advisers and custodians.

Christian Wathen is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF who holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at TIAA-CREF and Tiaa since 2014, and previously at Steele Capital Management, Inc. from 2012 to 2014. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans. The firm often serves clients connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans and offers both model-based and customized portfolio management under a fiduciary standard.

Samuel Pollack is a financial advisor at Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities LLC with a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His background includes positions at CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP and FGMK, LLC, as well as founding a tax preparation service, SP Tax Services, LLC. Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, utilizing a range of proprietary and third-party investment programs.

Joseph Dowling is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 14 years of industry experience. He has been with Brookstone since 2016. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an Independent Insurance Producer and teaches community education courses at Joliet Junior College. Brookstone Capital Management offers fee-based asset management and financial planning to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other business entities. The firm employs a range of investment strategies including strategic and dynamic asset allocation models, Unified Managed Accounts, and options-enhanced strategies, and it acts as both a primary advisor and sub-advisor through its turnkey asset management platform.

Cristopher Valladares is a financial advisor at PNC Wealth Management with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at Edward Jones and J.P. Morgan Securities. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital offering that utilizes algorithmic risk assessment and implements investments via approved strategies with mutual funds and ETFs.

Johnathan Ellison is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with six years of industry experience. He currently works at Citigroup Global Markets and has previously held roles at several firms including Morgan Stanley, E*Trade Capital Management, and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Citigroup Global Markets serves a diverse client base ranging from workplace and high-net-worth individuals to ultra-high-net-worth segments. The firm offers a range of investment advisory programs and execution services, implementing multi-asset, multi-manager strategies through both discretionary and non-discretionary programs.

Daniel Ogrodny is a financial advisor at Mariner with two years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2021, following prior roles at Arlington Wealth Management and The Planning Group. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering customized investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm combines in-house research with third-party manager allocations and provides integrated tax and accounting services uncommon among large advisory enterprises.

Jason Williams is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has three years of industry experience and has worked at Park Avenue Securities and Northwestern Mutual in addition to his current role. Guardian Life is the parent company of Park Avenue® Wealth Management, a dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering brokerage services, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and various investment advisory programs.

Jordan Beadle is a financial advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Mariner since 2018, including the firm's current Oakbrook Terrace, IL office. Prior to joining Mariner, he worked at VS Technology, Inc. Mariner serves a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, and institutional accounts, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm combines customized discretionary portfolios with in-house research and third-party managers, and it integrates tax and accounting services along with administrative family office and financial wellness capabilities.

Jonathan Baker is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of industry experience. He is currently with Corient, where he has worked since 2022, following prior roles at Balasa Dinverno Foltz and CIPW Service Company. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that combines in-house strategies with third-party managers and specialized offerings such as family office and trustee services.

Kevin Mc Kay is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. He has three years of industry experience, with prior roles at Northwestern Mutual, New York Life, and LPL Enterprise. Outside of his advisory work, he has engaged in fixed life insurance and long-term care insurance sales. Principal Securities offers brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm provides financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Allison Kollar is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience. She is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and previously worked at Bordeaux Wealth Advisors and Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth, Inc. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with wealth management, financial planning, and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term investment approach using a blend of active and passive strategies, quantitative and fundamental analysis, and integrates legacy strategies across its portfolio management.

James Vanderbilt is a Certified Financial Planner® with 39 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC. His prior work includes over 25 years with Securities America Advisors, Inc. and two years at LPL Financial. Vanderbilt also holds Series 63 and Series 65 registrations. Independent Advisor Alliance serves a diverse client base including individuals, small businesses, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, offering asset management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm employs a network model of advisory representatives and leverages technology platforms to provide portfolio management, estate planning, and third-party referrals.

Heather Locus is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. She is currently with Corient, where she has worked since 2022, following a 22-year tenure at Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party manager solutions and utilizes various risk management tools to align portfolios with client objectives.

Mark Perkins is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 26 years of industry experience. He has been a principal at Perkins & Zayed, a law firm specializing in estate planning, since 1999. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions. The firm delivers investment management primarily through discretionary model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and separately managed accounts, supporting a large advisor network with turnkey asset management and wrap-fee programs.

Dennis Breier is a financial advisor with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and possessing 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at firms including Guardian Estate Solutions, Fifth Third Securities, and Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of financial advising, Breier is involved in funeral arrangement services through Modell Funeral Home, where he manages pre-planning and prepaid funeral contracts. Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC provides financial planning and portfolio management to individual and high-net-worth clients, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and registered investment companies. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, utilizing model portfolios and an asymmetric rebalancing approach, and works through a broad network of affiliated offices and representatives.