Amanda Czosek is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and nine years of industry experience. She has worked with AE Wealth Management since 2016 and is also the owner and president of Jager Financial Services. Additionally, she serves as a board member for the National Alliance on Student Loan Debt. AE Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a platform-centered approach featuring model portfolios, discretionary asset management, financial planning, and specialized plan services.

Agnieszka Tiara is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Brookstone since 2022, alongside a longer tenure at Financial Wealth Alliance starting in 2014. In addition to her advisory role, she is also engaged in insurance sales as a life and annuity agent. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser that provides 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.

Jose Madrigal is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment in Lombard, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Lincoln Investment since 2013, following prior roles at Signator Investors, Inc. and Valic Financial Advisors. Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC is a large enterprise advisory and broker-dealer serving a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, trusts, charities, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management through model portfolios and third-party managers, and maintains a long history of working with educators and participants in 403(b) and 457(b) programs.

Erik Hoeflinger is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Downers Grove, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Principal Securities and Principal Life Insurance, along with time spent in full-time education and various positions outside the financial industry. He is also involved in outside insurance sales, focusing on fixed annuities and life, disability, and long-term care insurance products through multiple carriers. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions under various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Brian Sutherland is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Oxbow Financial, TSFG, LPL Financial, and Perdoceo Education Corporation. AE Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a platform-centered approach with model portfolios, discretionary asset management, financial planning, and plan services, supported by an internal Investment Consulting Group and various licensing and sub-advisory programs.

John Sias is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and over 24 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Edward Jones from 2002 to 2018 and LPL Financial since 2018. He provides investment advisory services through NewEdge Advisors, an independent registered investment advisor firm. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent representatives. The firm offers a broad range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to sponsored advisory programs, utilizing multiple program structures and technology tools to support advisor and client needs.

Anthony Gurrieri is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at WealthWave, LSPN Pro, Apollo Agency, and several other firms. He is involved with the Heartland Institute for Financial Education as a registry instructor. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach using proprietary and third-party portfolios, supported by a large advisor network and multiple program platforms.

John Cultra is a CFA® charterholder with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1997. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients, employing an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies.

John Christopher is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Downers Grove, Illinois. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 23 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Eagle Strategies since 2016 and has ownership or leadership roles in several related entities, including Christopher Financial Group and Mahoney Financial Organization. Christopher serves as a board member of Medinah Country Club. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients. The firm offers multiple advisory programs, emphasizing tailored solutions and a primarily non-discretionary asset management approach within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Jennifer Frahm is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 22 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with GWFS Equities, Inc. and Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she teaches financial fluency to high school students and medical students at the University of Illinois Medical School through her initiative, Intentional Investment Education. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management mainly to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

William Mc Carty IV is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Fifth Third Bank and Fifth Third Securities since 2023, following prior roles at Charles Schwab and First Trust Portfolios. Outside of his advisory work, he engages in personal item sales on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Fifth Third Securities provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate and business clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs through its Passageway Managed Account Program and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, combining bank affiliation with a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser structure.

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.

Candace Vondra is a CFA® charterholder with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at William Blair since 2006. She holds the Series 63 designation and is based in Des Plaines, IL. 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 multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

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.

Grace Bossert is a CFP® professional at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. with two years of industry experience. Her work history includes roles at Mercer Global Advisors since 2021, as well as positions at MOKA and T. Anton Investment House. Outside of finance, she was involved with Rags Consignments for five years. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofits. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, focusing on globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios using low-cost index vehicles and multi-factor tilts, complemented by financial planning, retirement consulting, tax support, and estate-planning coordination.

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.