Timothy Funke is a CFA® charterholder with 10 years of experience in financial services. He currently works at OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners and previously spent nine years at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and related entities. Funke serves as a finance council member at St. Francis Xavier Church. OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners provides customized financial planning and wealth management services to a diverse client base, including individuals, business entities, retirement plans, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a range of portfolio management approaches using third-party managers and proprietary models while integrating technology and operational outsourcing into its service model.

Ryan O'Connor is a financial advisor with Advisory Alpha, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Brookstone Wealth Advisors, Gradient Advisors, AE Wealth Management, and managing O'CONNOR Wealth Management. He is also co-owner of Naser & O'Connor Wealth Management and involved in insurance services through John O'Connor and Associates, LLC. Advisory Alpha manages over $4.3 billion for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering financial planning, specialty retirement-plan solutions, and subadvisory services. The firm employs a centralized Investment Team that uses a fund-of-funds approach with factor-based equity strategies, structured-product allocations, and fixed income solutions, typically managing portfolios on a discretionary basis.

Joseph Orsolini is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc. in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 34 years of industry experience. He has been with World Equity Group since 2002 and also serves as President and Owner of College Aid Planners, Inc., a firm specializing in college financial aid consulting and tax preparation. Outside of his advisory roles, Orsolini is involved in youth wrestling as an assistant coach and serves as Treasurer and Board Member for Rising Tide Wrestling, a nonprofit supporting economically challenged youth in the sport. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers managed portfolios through its Adhesion Money Management wrap-fee program, utilizing third-party money managers and risk-tolerance assessments to guide investment strategies.

Samuel Lee is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience and currently serves at Highpoint Planning Partners. His prior experience includes roles at Kovack Advisors, Financial Engines Advisors, Bank of America, and Merrill. Highpoint Planning Partners serves a range of clients including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporate entities, offering services such as discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement plan advisory. The firm employs fundamental analysis to construct client investment policies and utilizes various platforms to deliver consolidated advisory services.

Michael Seidler is a financial advisor with Gradient Advisors, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and eight years of industry experience. He has worked previously at Bankers Life and Bankers Life Securities, and currently also serves as an associate and investment advisor representative at Burling Wealth Advisors Inc. in addition to his role at Gradient Advisors. Gradient Advisors, LLC provides investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm operates primarily through a network of investment advisor representatives and third-party money managers, employing a largely non-discretionary model that incorporates fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in portfolio construction.

Cole Swearingen is a CFP® professional at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Franklin Wealth Advisors, RMB Capital, and Prizm Financial Advisors. Outside of finance, he owns and operates a small business raising beef cows, selling meat cuts directly to consumers. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

Michael Dahill is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory in Burr Ridge, IL, holding a Series 66 designation. He has less than one year of industry experience, with prior roles including time at BlueLake Wealth Advisors, LLC and Heartland Bank and Trust Company. He has also worked at Edgewood Valley Country Club while completing his education. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers fiduciary consulting, plan-level investment advice, and employee education, serving a range of clients from large institutional investors to sovereign wealth funds.

Benjamin Parker is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Brookstone since 2018. Outside of finance, he has been involved in music instruction through his business, Ben Parker Music Instruction, since 2009. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser that provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm delivers investment management primarily on a discretionary basis through model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and separately managed accounts, supporting a large network of advisors with back-office and turnkey asset management platform services.

Michael Peregrym is a financial advisor with Brookstone Capital Management LLC in Wheaton, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 10 years of industry experience. His career includes 11 years at Edward Jones before joining Brookstone Capital Management and Dowling Financial Services in 2025. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser that provides fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and a wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions, offering discretionary investment management primarily via model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and separately managed accounts.

David Deschamps is a CFP® with 18 years of industry experience, currently serving at Corient. His prior experience includes roles at Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC, Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., and KRM Financial Services. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, using a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and customized asset allocation. The firm offers specialized services including family office, tax, and corporate trustee services, and manages affiliated private fund platforms.

Scott Krzeminski is a financial advisor at William Blair with 31 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2014. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across various asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Brian Early is a financial advisor with William Blair, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2011. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across various asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Lewis Martin is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Kestra Advisory. His prior experience includes roles at Bank of America, Merrill, Legion Insurance Group, and Axa Advisors. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a broad mix of institutional and individual clients, including plan sponsors. The firm offers services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and advisor-managed accounts, managing approximately $79.8 billion in assets.

Alan Flota is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Elgin, Illinois. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Eagle Strategies and affiliated entities in 2025, he worked for over three decades in the School District U-46. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm offers multiple program types and emphasizes tailoring recommendations to client objectives, managing a significant portion of its assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Maxwell Rinn is a financial advisor at AE Wealth Management, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and has worked previously at firms including Fisher Investments, JP Morgan, and Merrill Lynch. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with Scott Tucker Solutions, Inc., where he engages in insurance sales and services. AE Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, trusts, and ERISA plan sponsors. The firm utilizes discretionary model portfolios and a mix of fundamental, technical, and cyclical investment strategies delivered through a high client-to-advisor ratio platform serving over 127,000 clients.

David Hanson is a financial advisor at Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. with 46 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Clearing and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Outside of advising, he is a minority partner in a partnership focused on land ownership, farming, and wetland creation, and operates a farm property business in Wheaton, IL. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company is an integrated broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients through more than 500 advisors. The firm offers a range of services including wrap-fee advisory programs, financial planning, investment management, and brokerage services, with managed solutions that combine proprietary and third-party strategies.

Ronadev Mitra is a financial advisor at William Blair with 27 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with William Blair since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he is a member of Cornerstone Angels, an angel investing network based in Chicago, where he contributes time monthly. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division serves individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients through discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models and private fund access to its clients.

Brandi Ruffalo is a financial advisor at Independent Financial Group, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has been with Independent Financial Group since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she owns Valuation & Forensic Partners, LLC, which provides business valuation, litigation, and divorce consulting services. Independent Financial Group, LLC offers investment advisory and brokerage services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate and pension plans. The firm employs a combination of firm- and third-party investment models and utilizes both passive and active management across multiple risk profiles.

Adria Siewert is a ChFC® and Series 66 credentialed advisor with 18 years of industry experience. She has been with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and its affiliated entities since 2013, and previously worked at LPL Financial. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a large network of advisors. The firm’s investment approach combines strategic asset allocation with both passive and active management, supported by quantitative and fundamental research and a structured rebalancing process.

Joseph Chmiel is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 26 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Transamerica Investors Securities Corporation and Diversified Investors Securities Corp. prior to joining Creative Planning. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning-led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a broad range of supplemental investment options and integrated retirement plan services.