Violet Gesing Alicea is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and bringing 26 years of industry experience. She has worked with Principal Life Insurance Company and Princor Financial Services Corporation since 2001. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Talonda Howard is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 17 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 registrations and has previously worked at GWFS Equities, Bankers Life Securities, and Valic Financial Advisors. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer‑sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders, using an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Christine Bacharz is a financial advisor with Mariner Wealth Advisors, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Wells Fargo Clearing Services and Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance. Mariner serves a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension plans, trusts, and corporations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by internal research and third-party managers, and it provides integrated tax, accounting, and family office services along with employer financial wellness tools.

Andrew Krajewski is a financial advisor with Cerity Partners LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and bringing 10 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Arbor Financial Services, LLC and Edge Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he manages Grace Wins E.T., a company overseeing daily operations of a family entertainment facility in Bolingbrook, IL. Cerity Partners advises a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in assets as of December 2025. The firm offers customized wealth management services and employs a client-specific investment framework incorporating both proprietary and third-party strategies, with access to alternative and private market solutions for qualified clients.

Robert Westberg is a CFP® and ChFC® with 34 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Eagle Strategies since 2000 and with NYLife Securities Inc. since 1993. Outside of his advisory work, Westberg is a CPA and owns a separate business. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individuals, defined contribution and benefit plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services, emphasizing tailored recommendations and primarily managing assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Yat Hong Leung is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and seven years of industry experience. Prior to joining Citigroup in 2020, Yat worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank and JP Morgan Securities LLC from 2017 to 2020, as well as at Fresenius Medical Care Hong Kong Limited in 2016-2017. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains unique market roles such as operating as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Paul Oblon is a financial advisor at &Partners with 32 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Citigroup Global Markets. He serves as treasurer for the Purdue University Phi Kappa Psi alumni network. &Partners serves a broad mix of individual and institutional clients, offering investment management, financial and tax planning, ERISA consulting, and brokerage services. The firm employs a variety of analytical approaches and a combination of proprietary and third-party strategies, providing both discretionary and non-discretionary management.

Anthony Torreon is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. based in Naperville, IL, with 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 license and has worked at firms including Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Merrill, and Banc of America Investment Services. His current tenure at Fifth Third Securities and Fifth Third Bank began in 2023. Fifth Third Securities serves a diverse client base of individual and institutional investors, offering investment advisory and brokerage services through multiple program types and third-party portfolio managers on the Passageway Managed Account platform. The firm operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank and provides services including mutual fund and ETF models, SMA strategies, and tax-overlay options.

Antonio Lugo III is a CFP® with nine years of industry experience, currently serving at Brookstone Capital Management LLC since 2016. He also has a role at Smart Wealth Strategies Inc, where he has been involved since 2013. His outside business activities include insurance and annuity products. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser offering fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee program. The firm serves a broad client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

James Zika is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has been with Citigroup since 2014. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and leverages its institutional scale and unique market roles to provide customized solutions.

Dylan Fisher is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Evernest Financial Advisors and Mitchell, Vaught and Taylor, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he owns a small online reselling business focused on antiques and thrift items. Focus Partners serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a range of wealth management and advisory services, employing a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Jessica Freiburg is a financial advisor at Cetera Planning Partners with the PFS™ designation and two years of industry experience. She previously worked at Avantax Planning Partners and also manages Sassetti LLC, a firm providing tax planning, audit, and advisory services. Freiburg serves as treasurer for the Parks Foundation of Oak Park and volunteers with the Illinois Wesleyan University Council for Women, supporting female students through mentoring and scholarship initiatives. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on pre-retirees and retirees with services including investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement-related advice. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes diversified mutual fund and ETF allocations aligned with client objectives and risk tolerance, supported by additional offerings such as tax planning, bookkeeping, and estate planning through third-party providers.

Kenneth Dryfhout is a financial advisor at Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. with 11 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and CFA® designations, along with Series 65, 63, and 66 licenses. His prior experience includes roles at BCU, Balance Sheet Solutions LLC, and Feldman Securities Group L.L.C. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company is an integrated broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients through more than 500 advisors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, financial planning, investment management, brokerage services, and certain M&A advisory services.

Ellen Cassin is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with a Series 65 credential and four years of industry experience. She previously worked at Heinz & Associates and Dashboard Wealth Advisors before joining Creative Planning in 2021. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning–led investment process focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a large advisory team and centralized investment infrastructure.

Brittany Williams is a financial advisor at Mariner with 12 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Mariner since 2019. Prior to that, she was with TIAA-CREF from 2015 to 2019. Mariner serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, providing investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm combines in-house research with third-party manager allocations and offers integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness solutions alongside traditional portfolio management.

Peter Trinidad Jr. is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 12 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at Brookstone since 2013 and at Smart Retirement Strategies, Inc. since 2009. In addition to his advisory roles, he is involved in insurance sales. 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, and sovereign wealth funds, delivering investment management primarily on a discretionary basis through model portfolios, unified managed accounts, and separately managed accounts.

Gian Carlo Ornelas is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license, with two years of industry experience. He is currently with Mariner Wealth Advisors, where he has worked since 2021, including prior experience at Shankland Financial Advisors and Illinois State University. Outside of finance, he has experience in the automotive service sector with Platinum Car Wash. Mariner serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth households, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and integrates tax and accounting services alongside traditional portfolio management.

Kathleen Kelly is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 22 years of industry experience. She has worked at William Blair since 2019 and previously spent 15 years at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 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 and private investment opportunities.

Paul Schee is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Mariner since 2022 and previously spent nine years at Capstone Financial Advisors. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers a wide range of services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services, utilizing both in-house research and third-party managers across various asset classes.

Maxine Mott is a financial advisor at Lincoln Investment with Series 63 and Series 66 designations and 31 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at TIAA-CREF and Macy’s. 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 and portfolio management supported by an in-house Investment Management & Research team, with many client relationships remaining advisor-led and tailored through model portfolios and platform tools.