Ruth Goran is a financial advisor with Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. in Skokie, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Avantax Planning Partners since 2001 and maintains a CPA tax practice serving closely held companies and their owners. Outside of her advisory role, she is president of Entertain2Educate, a company focused on developing educational scripts, and is actively involved in several nonprofit organizations in board and treasurer roles. Avantax Planning Partners provides investment advice and related planning primarily to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and businesses through collaborative referral arrangements with independent CPA firms and registered advisor representatives. The firm employs model-based style allocation strategies and discretionary portfolio management, supported by an Investment Advisory Committee and centralized trading and reporting.

Madeline Holley is a financial advisor at B. Riley Wealth Advisors, Inc. with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including National Securities Corporation and B. Riley Wealth Management. Her background also includes roles at the University of Illinois and its Office of Government Relations. B. Riley Wealth Advisors provides investment advice and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers multiple investment programs and manages approximately $4.21 billion in client assets through a team of about 173 advisors.

David Bolanos is a financial advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC with 18 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at LPL Financial LLC, Wealth Management Group, LLC, and Private Client Services. VestGen Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for over 9,400 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing a range of analytical methods and third-party managers to implement portfolios.

Jeannette Adcock is a financial advisor with Thurston Springer Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 39 years of industry experience. She has worked at David A. Noyes & Company since 2017 and previously spent 13 years at Wayne Hummer Investments. Thurston Springer Advisors serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, corporations, charitable institutions, and retirement plans, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and sub-advisory services. The firm employs a range of investment strategies such as Tactical Momentum and Earnings Momentum, combined with fundamental and technical analysis, and manages accounts primarily on a discretionary basis.

Luis Sepulveda is a financial advisor with B. Riley Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 63 designation and 34 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Stifel, National Securities Corporation, National Asset Management, and B. Riley Wealth Management. He is also involved in health and life insurance sales through a related affiliated business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors provides investment advice and portfolio management to individual clients, pension plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers multiple program options, including internally managed models and third-party managed accounts, overseeing approximately $4.21 billion in client assets.

Frank Lanza is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Zacks and its affiliated firms since 2008. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable and corporate entities, and institutional investors. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative analysis using proprietary models centered on earnings-estimate revisions and offers a wide range of strategies and investment vehicles across retail, institutional, and third-party distribution channels.

William Karstenson Jr. is a financial advisor with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 33 years of industry experience. He has been with Ausdal since 2010 and has operated Karstenson Financial Services since 1997. Outside of his advisory work, Karstenson serves as a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Chicago, performing liturgical and ministerial duties. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets through a network of 152 advisors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, utilizing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies across various asset classes.

Scott Schwartz is a CFP® with eight years of experience and is currently an advisor at Plante Moran Financial Advisors in Chicago. His prior work includes roles at the Michigan Export Growth Program and Michigan State University. Plante Moran Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, financial planning, and estate-planning services to individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals, as well as banks, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other business entities. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analyses alongside a proprietary equity valuation model to manage portfolios through discretionary and non-discretionary arrangements.

Joann Seagren is a financial advisor at Chicago Capital, LLC with 16 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at JAG Capital Management LLC, CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc, and Geneva Advisors, LLC. Chicago Capital provides discretionary investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, foundations, other registered investment advisers, and corporations. The firm employs an active management approach combining fundamental and technical research to create individualized portfolios across various asset classes, focusing on long-term portfolio value and risk mitigation.

Timothy Brennan is a financial advisor at Merit Financial Advisors with 37 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Pinnacle Financial Group and Commonwealth Financial Network for 26 years. He is also a notary public. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving more than 20,000 clients across 66 offices. The firm offers coordinated wealth-management services and employs a long-term, diversified investment approach with customizable portfolio models overseen by an internal Investment Management team.

Christian Luna is a financial advisor at Maia Wealth with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at multiple firms, including Wealth Watch Advisors and Senior Solutions LLC. Luna has also served in the United States Naval Reserve. Maia Wealth provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and businesses, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management. The firm uses a variety of analytical approaches with a long-term focus and coordinates estate-planning and tax services through third-party specialists.

George Clougher is a financial advisor at Virtue Capital Management, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at OneAmerica Securities, Red Oak Risk Management, Praxis Capital Management, and Safe Money Concepts. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in non-variable insurance sales, including fixed life and fixed annuities. Virtue Capital Management, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise investment adviser managing approximately $1.2 billion in discretionary assets for over 4,000 clients through about 90 advisers. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, third-party manager selection, ERISA consulting, and a financial education course for pre-retirees, employing a model-driven investment approach that uses quantitative optimization and proprietary economic data inputs.

Ali Carmen is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has 25 years of industry experience, including 11 years with Northern Trust Securities. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-registered broker-dealer serving high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients. The firm offers model-driven discretionary portfolio management through Separately Managed Accounts, Fund Strategist Portfolios, and Strategist UMAs delivered via the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Koffi Toulaboe is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. with seven years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Merrill, Financial Management Systems, and Astra Bank. Zacks Investment Management, Inc. provides discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional clients, offering a range of strategies that combine proprietary quantitative models with qualitative portfolio management. The firm manages mutual funds and ETFs and distributes strategies through wrap-fee and unified managed account programs.

Allan Kaplan is a financial advisor with M Holdings Securities, Inc., holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license, and has 38 years of industry experience. He has worked at M Holdings Securities since 2001 and previously at New Century Planners and The Robinson Financial Group, Inc. Kaplan serves as a trustee for Lake Forest Academy, a private high school in Illinois. M Holdings Securities, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA member broker-dealer that serves individual, corporate, and retirement plan clients through a nationwide network of advisors. The firm offers a range of advisory services including investment management, retirement plan consulting, financial planning, and sub-advisory services, utilizing multiple sponsored platforms and third-party managers.

Brian Rippel is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and with 14 years of industry experience. He has been with Northern Trust Securities since 2015 and is also involved as a bartender at The Globe Pub in Chicago. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. is a multi-team firm that provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients through model-driven, wrap fee programs delivered on the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Bradley Underwood is a financial advisor at World Equity Group, Inc. with 23 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with World Equity Group since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, Underwood is involved in several business activities, including providing payroll and benefits services through Creative Business Resources and offering prepaid legal services via LegalShield. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, institutions, and business entities. The firm employs a risk-tolerance questionnaire to guide asset allocation and offers discretionary portfolio management combined with access to third-party money managers.

Sean Conway is a financial advisor with Curi Capital, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has worked at RMB Capital Management since 2008. Curi Capital serves individuals, families, institutional and corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental bottom-up approach for equity strategies and a fundamental relative-value orientation for fixed income, combining in-house strategies with external managers and proprietary risk analysis tools.

Randall Cohen is a financial advisor with IHT Wealth Management LLC in Skokie, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 32 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Bank of America, Merrill, and LPL Financial. IHT Wealth Management serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, trusts, and corporations. The firm employs a blended investment approach combining fundamental stock selection with quantitative tools and offers discretionary asset management, financial planning, and ERISA plan consulting through a network of approximately 153 advisors.

Ann Gunst is a CFP® with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc. She previously worked at Halo Securities LLC and Sentinus, LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is a partner involved in accounting and bookkeeping for Graber Family LLC. Trustmont Advisory Group serves a diverse client base including individuals and various institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment advice, and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a long-term investment outlook and combines public research with adviser judgment in its approach.