Arthur Busby is the sole advisor at Stratford Investment Advisory Group, Inc., with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with the firm since 1990. Stratford Investment Advisory Group is a small, independent firm that provides customized portfolio management for individuals, high-net-worth clients, family trusts, and pension/profit-sharing accounts. The firm emphasizes a conservative, capital-preservation approach using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, and focuses on maintaining personal contact to align asset allocation with clients’ cash-flow needs and risk tolerance.

John Stanton is the sole advisor at Stanton Group Wealth Partners, Inc. in Naperville, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 21 years of industry experience. He previously spent 11 years at Seacrest Wealth Management, LLC. Stanton is also a licensed insurance agent specializing in life, long-term care, and fixed annuities. Stanton Group Wealth Partners, Inc. is a newly formed investment adviser providing wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advice to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and businesses. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to construct tailored strategy portfolios and offers a range of planning services including pension consulting and 401(k) reviews.

Daniel Kaibel is a CFP® professional with 17 years of industry experience. He is the president and chief compliance officer of Purpose Financial Planning LLC, where he has worked since 2017. Prior to founding Purpose Financial Planning, he was with Vantage Financial Partners Limited for nine years and Elite Investment Team, LLC for eight years. Purpose Financial Planning LLC is an independent, single-advisor firm that provides comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management to individuals and businesses, including high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of passive and active investment strategies, using ETFs, mutual funds, and individual equities, and offers clients updated financial plans annually as part of the advisory relationship.

Kyle Long is the principal of Long Planning, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Geneva, Illinois. He holds a Series 66 designation and has eight years of industry experience. Prior to founding Long Planning, Kyle worked at Inspire Advisors, LLC and D.L. Purvine, PLLC, where he is also employed as a CPA. He owns a public accounting firm, Kyle Long, CPA, and occasionally refers clients between his advisory and accounting practices without compensation. Long Planning provides fee-only investment advisory and financial planning services to both individual and institutional clients, including pension plans and charitable organizations. The firm combines passive and active investment strategies, employs fundamental and technical analysis, and offers discretionary portfolio management and pension consulting services. Its operational affiliation with a public accounting practice distinguishes it within the independent advisory community.

Robert Skinner is the principal of Skinner Advisory, LTD., an independent registered investment adviser based in Wheaton, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 28 years of industry experience. He has operated Skinner Advisory since 1993. Outside of advisory work, he is president and co-owner of Lindstrom Antique Mall, a retail and residential rental business in Minnesota. Skinner Advisory primarily serves individual clients by managing taxable accounts, retirement accounts, and trusts, with occasional advisory services for corporate pension and profit-sharing plans. The firm focuses on no-load mutual funds and ETFs, conducting regular portfolio reviews and providing clients with quarterly reports and an annual review conference.

Glenn Cackovic is the sole advisor at GlobalMacro Capital Management, LLC in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has been leading GlobalMacro Capital Management since 2012 and is also involved with GlobalMacro Partners, LLC, Globalmacro Consulting, LLC, and Globalmacro, LLC, all of which he has been affiliated with for over a decade. GlobalMacro Capital Management provides investment management and retirement planning services to individuals, institutions, and businesses, employing a global, multi-asset class investment approach that integrates macroeconomic, fundamental, and quantitative analysis. The firm offers a range of strategies including risk-based core allocations and alternative-focused options, and serves qualified retirement plans with fiduciary advisory services, distinguishing itself among independent advisors through its institutional portfolio management and integrated consulting capabilities.

Nino Lekarczyk is a financial advisor with WealthRidge Investments LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. He has seven years of industry experience, including prior roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of advisory work, he owns and leases residential real estate through Taylor and Lake Properties LLC. WealthRidge Investments LLC is an independent firm offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental and cyclical analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory in its investment approach and may use sub-advisors while retaining overall client responsibility.

Chwei Guang Chiou is a financial advisor at Momentum FinTech LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Momentum FinTech since 2018, following two years at Ausdal Financial Partners, INC. Outside of his advisory role, Chiou serves in several leadership positions within Taiwanese-American cultural and nonprofit organizations, including Treasurer of the Taiwanese American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Chicago and board member of the Friends of Taiwan Foundation. Momentum FinTech LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a blend of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis across a range of strategies, including long-term holdings and active trading techniques such as short sales and options, managing approximately $7.35 million across 33 client relationships.

Scott Wentsel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with nine years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Wentsel Wealth Management, LLC. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2016 and has been a professor at DePaul University since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a trustee for an investment-related advisory firm. Wentsel Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a low-cost, globally diversified investment approach centered on asset allocation, combining index-oriented ETFs and mutual funds with selective active management and individual securities, and offers institutional services uncommon for a firm of its size.

James Krebec is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at CIC Investment Consultants, LLC since 2003. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and maintains an Arkansas insurance license, though he spends no meaningful time in the insurance business. CIC Investment Consultants provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and advisory services on private securities and alternative investments, using a variety of analytical methods and strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

Jennifer Sanchez is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience and over 26 years as a self-employed advisor. She is principal of Integral Financial Planning LLC in Naperville, IL. In addition to financial advising, she provides personal income tax preparation services during the first four months of each year. Integral Financial Planning LLC serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as trusts and estates, offering personalized financial planning, comprehensive wealth management, and integrated income tax preparation. The firm focuses on mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, applies fundamental analysis and modern portfolio theory, and typically manages client accounts on a non-discretionary basis.

Nathaniel Tanney is a financial advisor at Convexity Investments LLC in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Convexity Investments since 2021 and has been a commodities trader for a proprietary trading firm since 2009, a role from which he receives no commissions. Convexity Investments provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individual clients, including retail and high-net-worth households, managing approximately $2.7 million across a small client base. The firm employs both cyclical and quantitative analysis with a mix of long-term and short-term trading, primarily in equities and exchange-traded funds, and operates with discretionary trading authority on client accounts.

Himanshu Patel is the sole advisor at Lakshmi Wealth Management LLC in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He has led Lakshmi Wealth Management since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, he provides occasional consulting on insurance carrier business through an expert network firm. Lakshmi Wealth Management serves individual investors and trusts, offering personalized financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs actively managed, customized portfolios and uses a range of instruments, including options and derivatives, to manage risk and pursue returns.

Sam Macaluso is the founder and principal of Ripple Ridge Enterprises LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and a CPA firm, SAM D. Macaluso & Associates, which provides accounting and tax-preparation services. Ripple Ridge Enterprises serves individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach and utilizes a range of investments, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.

Edwin Cogan is a financial advisor at Steeplechase Investments with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Steeplechase Investments since 1994. Steeplechase Investments provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, focusing on direct investments in stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds. The firm employs an active, tactical approach that adjusts between capital appreciation and preservation based on macroeconomic analysis and technical chart patterns, tailoring portfolios to clients’ age and income needs.

Angela Major Hart is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as the principal advisor at Veridian Private Wealth Management. She has held previous roles at Byline Bank, Northern Trust Securities, Northern Trust Bank, and First Midwest Bank. Ms. Hart is also a licensed attorney and an active member of the Illinois Bar. Veridian Private Wealth Management offers discretionary investment management and qualified retirement plan consulting to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, charities, and employee benefit plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation framework with a proprietary methodology emphasizing diversification and provides ERISA fiduciary services uncommon among independent advisors.

Kristopher Kalish is a financial advisor with The Kalish Group in Aurora, Illinois, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He previously worked at Bank of America and Merrill before founding The Kalish Group. The Kalish Group is a state-registered advisory firm serving high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and charitable organizations. The firm manages approximately $29.1 million across about 27 client relationships, using a proprietary strategic asset-allocation methodology and a variety of investment vehicles, with ongoing monitoring and rebalancing tailored to each client.

Thomas Ahlbeck is a financial advisor at Ahlbeck Financial with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Cetera Financial Specialists LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he manages and owns commercial and residential real estate properties with family members and serves as the treasurer for Maine Township School. Ahlbeck Financial provides portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, tailoring investment strategies to clients' goals and risk tolerance. The firm employs fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and technical analysis, offering discretionary management across various asset classes with regular account reviews.

Michael Cantlon is a financial advisor with Cantlon Financial Planning LLC in St. Charles, IL, holding a Series 63 designation and 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Cantlon Financial Planning since 2012 and has worked as a self-employed financial planner since 1983. Cantlon is licensed to sell life, accident, fire, and casualty insurance. Cantlon Financial Planning LLC provides personalized financial planning and discretionary asset management to individuals, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm uses client-specific investment programs with fundamental analysis and offers strategies including option writing and derivatives, managing approximately $125 million as of the end of 2025.

James Jacobson is a financial advisor at Capital Ideas in Naperville, IL, with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at JP Morgan Securities and RiverNorth Capital Management. Outside of his advisory work, he is involved with a franchised bakery and acts as a partner in a business consulting firm. Capital Ideas serves a range of clients including individuals, families, and charitable organizations, managing approximately $336 million in assets through a team-based approach that uses fundamental and technical analysis, proprietary models, and outside research.