Carlos Coutinho Maia is a financial advisor with Navy Federal Investment Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at firms such as JP Morgan Securities, Equitable Advisors, Prudential Insurance, Edward Jones, and Allstate Financial Services. Outside of financial services, he co-owned and operated Carambola Gelato and Coffee Shop LLC from 2017 to 2019. Navy Federal Investment Services serves members of Navy Federal Credit Union along with individual, trust, and institutional clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan fiduciary services. The firm uses managed advisory programs featuring third-party portfolio managers and provides both advisory and commission-based channels through its dual role as a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer affiliated with a credit union.

Robert Burns is a financial advisor at IHT Wealth Management LLC in Chicago, IL, with 13 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Edward Jones for 12 years before joining IHT Wealth Management in 2026. IHT Wealth Management serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients, offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and outsourced CIO services. The firm uses a combination of proprietary model portfolios, third-party managers, and a disciplined investment process that includes fundamental value screening and quantitative optimization.

Tara Hill is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience. She is currently associated with Mariner Independent and Fortitude Financial Partners. Her prior experience includes roles at Brown Brothers Harriman and Northern Trust. Mariner Independent serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan consulting, tax support, insurance solutions, and access to alternative investments, utilizing both firm-built model portfolios and customized discretionary portfolios.

Jennifer Shepard is a financial advisor at Curi Capital, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding the CFP®, CFA®, and Series 63 designations with 19 years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Curi RMB Capital, Altair Advisers, United Capital Financial Advisers, and Integrated Financial Management Inc. Curi Capital offers wealth management, investment management, retirement plan consulting, and family office services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes a long-term, fundamentally driven investment approach across a variety of strategies and structures, including separately managed accounts and private funds.

Justin Leslein is a financial advisor at Northern Trust Securities, Inc. with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Northern Trust Securities since 2016. 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 a wrap fee program, utilizing a mix of proprietary and third-party investment products delivered via the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Howard Kite is a CFP® and ChFC® with 44 years of industry experience. He is currently with Forum Financial Management, LP, where he has worked since 2009, and previously held roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investment and PKS Advisory Services, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is a member of several non-investment-related business entities, including real estate management ventures. Forum Financial Management, LP provides fee-based wealth management, financial planning, and qualified plan services to individual and institutional clients. The firm also serves as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for other independent RIAs, offering model portfolios managed primarily with DFA institutional mutual funds and ETFs under a Modern Portfolio Theory approach.

Michael Ryabik is a financial advisor at The Mather Group, LLC in Chicago, IL, with 16 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with The Mather Group since 2016. The Mather Group serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities by providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning guidance, and family office services. The firm uses an evidence-based investment approach with multiple risk-based models and offers customization options such as direct indexing and ESG portfolios.

James Niedermeier is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with 40 years of industry experience. He has been with Ausdal since 2009 and also owns Niedermeier Agency, through which he is involved in insurance sales. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets. The firm offers a range of investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations.

Christopher Janc is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 12 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Merrill, Wells Fargo, and J.P. Morgan. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as secretary and member of Duneland 1 LLC, an entity formed with his spouse to own a dual-use vacation and rental property. 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 discretionary portfolio management through model-driven strategies including Separately Managed Accounts and Fund Strategist Portfolios, utilizing both proprietary and third-party investment products.

Kevin Geiger is a financial advisor with Blackridge Asset Management, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Retirement Guys Formula and Retirement Wealth Advisors. Geiger is also the owner of Geiger Investments, an investment-related business that involves selling fixed and variable annuities. Blackridge Asset Management provides financial planning, investment management, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes a network of investment adviser representatives and offers tailored portfolio management through affiliated and third-party platforms.

Matthew Kahovec is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He has worked at The Mather Group, LLC since 2019, following five years at Astraeus Advisers LLC. The Mather Group primarily serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities, providing financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning guidance, and family office services. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach with risk-based allocation models and tax-synchronized portfolio construction, offering customization options such as direct indexing and ESG factor portfolios.

Cooper White is a financial advisor at Waverly Advisors, LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and previously worked for 15 years at Promus Capital. Cooper serves on the advisory committees of Apogem Real Asset Funds, Ridge Lake GP Stakes Fund, and Kayne Anderson Direct Lending. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, and provides services including investment management, financial planning, and multi-family office offerings.

Allison Tregoning is a financial advisor at Gladstone Wealth Partners with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at LPL Financial, Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, and Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC. Gladstone Wealth Partners serves individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations through a network of nearly 100 investment adviser representatives. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to wrap programs and third-party manager solutions.

Christopher Martella is a financial advisor with First Advisors National, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and two years of industry experience. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in real estate and energy consulting through Domain Properties, Keystone Property Management, and Navigate Power. First Advisors National provides investment management, asset allocation advice, and retirement plan consulting primarily to individual clients, implementing strategies mainly via third-party money managers and employing both tactical and strategic asset allocation methodologies.

Robin Patinkin is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 65 credentialed advisor with 22 years of industry experience. He is currently with The Mather Group, LLC and has prior experience at Focus Partners Wealth, The Colony Group, InterOcean Capital Group, and Cedar Hill Associates. The Mather Group serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities by providing financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning guidance, and family office services. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach with risk-based allocation models and offers customization options including direct indexing and ESG portfolios.

Elliott Vaughn is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience. He is currently with IHT Wealth Management LLC and has prior experience at LPL Financial, LLC, and Prairie Sky Financial Group, LLC. Vaughn is based in Chicago, IL. IHT Wealth Management serves individuals, corporate and institutional clients, and retirement plan sponsors, providing discretionary asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and outsourced CIO services. The firm uses fundamental value screening, quantitative optimization, and tax-efficient strategies to tailor portfolios to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances.

Eric Fasse is a financial advisor at Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Cabrera Capital Partners, Cabrera Capital Markets, and American Trust Investment Services. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. provides investment advisory and model-based managed account services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, utilizing a model-driven approach that combines proprietary mutual funds and ETFs with third-party managers. The firm is affiliated with a large banking holding company, offering custody and broker-dealer services alongside its advisory programs.

Connor Garrigus is a financial advisor with Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC holding a Series 65 designation. He joined the firm in 2026 and previously held positions related to education at Wake Forest University and Loyola Academy. He has no prior industry experience before joining Chicago Partners Investment Group. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts, not-for-profit plans, endowments, corporations, and other business entities. The firm employs a long-term, diversified, asset-allocation oriented investment approach that incorporates fundamental analysis and quantitative optimization across various asset classes including mutual funds, ETFs, direct indexing, and fixed income.

Paul Kaczmarczyk is a financial advisor with VestGen Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 19 years of industry experience. He has been with VestGen Advisors since 2026 and concurrently associated with World Equity Group since 2010. Outside of advisory work, he serves as treasurer for the Schaumburg Athletic Association United Soccer Club, a nonprofit youth soccer organization. VestGen Advisors provides investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, small businesses, trusts, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines advisor-level client relationships with centralized portfolio construction and utilizes third-party managers and proprietary strategies to serve a diverse client base, including other advisers and institutional entities.

Michael Manno is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc. in Schaumburg, Illinois, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and 42 years of industry experience. He has been with World Equity Group since 2003. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm offers managed portfolios through its Adhesion Money Management wrap-fee program and related advisory programs, combining discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers.