Thomas Marx is a financial advisor at William Blair with 40 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1995. Marx holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. 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 active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary model portfolios and access to private funds through its integrated platform.

William Howson is a CFP® with ten years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2025. His prior roles include four years at HighTower Securities LLC and Bank of America, as well as experience at Merrill and The Vanguard Group. Mariner serves a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by an internal investment team and third-party managers, and provides enhanced tax and accounting integration as well as family office and employer financial wellness solutions.

James Alexander is a CFP® certified financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with 16 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Edge Portfolio Management, TD Ameritrade Investment Management, and Scottrade. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management services to a diverse national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset-allocation and manager selection strategies, integrating proprietary quantitative screens alongside third-party managers and individual securities.

Ethan Shack is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with one year of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Advantage xPO and JCC Chicago, among other roles. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services offers financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth households, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes centralized investment resources and model portfolios, delivering services through a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary managers within a large integrated financial group.

Cory Rappaport is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has held positions at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, Strategic Wealth Partners, and Morgan Stanley among others. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporations, retirement plans, and institutional investors. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment strategy utilizing a combination of fundamental and quantitative analysis, consultant-derived capital market assumptions, and third-party separate account managers, offering a wide range of investment and wealth management services.

Griffin Egan is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with five years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at the Royal Bank of Canada and Ayco Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base, including individual investors, executives, and institutional clients, offering financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized programs. The firm integrates resources across the Goldman Sachs ecosystem to tailor strategies and provide access to a wide range of investment solutions.

Melissa Hollon is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services and holds the Series 66 designation. She has four years of industry experience and has worked with firms including Massino Financial Group, Tempus Labs Inc, PwC, and PepsiCo. Hollon serves as Treasurer of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago, overseeing the organization's financial management and budgeting. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through various adviser and promoter arrangements.

Tyrone Ball is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network based in Barrington, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. His prior work includes eight years at Edward D. Jones & Co. L.P. and four years at Best Energy LLC. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients. The firm provides advisory programs, technology, and operational support while offering a variety of investment solutions, including discretionary model portfolios and customized program structures.

John Cimaroli is a financial advisor at William Blair with 14 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with William Blair since 2013. Prior to that, he worked at T. Rowe Price beginning in 2003. 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 management approach across various investment strategies and provides proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Robert Samson is a financial advisor at &Partners with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at Wells Fargo Advisors, Wells Fargo Clearing, LPL Financial, Stratos Wealth Partners, and Ampersand Partners. Samson serves as a FINRA arbitrator outside of his advisory role. &Partners serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm offers investment management and financial planning services using a combination of proprietary and third-party strategies, with discretionary and non-discretionary options supported by Envestnet and NFS brokerage platforms.

Michael Moleski is a CFP® professional with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving at Creative Planning since 2012. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. Outside of his advisory role, Moleski manages a family farm business. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $217 billion in assets. The firm emphasizes a financial planning-led investment approach with low-cost indexing and offers a range of supplemental strategies and integrated retirement plan services.

William Robbins II is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 29 years of industry experience. He has been with Mesirow Financial since 1998 and also has a long-standing affiliation with the University of Iowa beginning in 1993. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a range of clients including private individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm employs a disciplined process involving Investment Policy Statements, asset allocation targets, and due diligence across various asset classes, and offers access to proprietary private investment products and third-party managers.

Lee Gordon is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Mesirow Financial since 1992 and holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products, employing quantitative and qualitative due diligence across various asset classes and may engage sub-advisors for specialized strategies.

Matthew Sears is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with 18 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and previously worked for The AYCO Company, L.P./Mercer Allied for 13 years before joining Goldman Sachs in 2021. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services offers financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth households, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes centralized investment resources and a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary managers to deliver tailored wealth solutions.

Casey Vaughan is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with 18 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC since 2021, following 14 years at The Ayco Company, LP/Mercer Allied. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base, including individual investors, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized wealth programs. The firm employs strategic allocation models and advanced analytics, drawing on resources across the broader Goldman Sachs ecosystem.

Mekhroj Toshpulatov is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has previously worked at Merrill, Bank of America, and J.P. Morgan Securities. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a wide range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains large institutional scale with unique market roles, including swap dealer and futures commission merchant activities.

Hilary Gellings is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 22 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Citigroup and its related entities since 2014. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, providing a wide range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies with a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary programs, supported by in-house research and extensive market capabilities.

Benito Ibarra Jr. is a financial advisor at Mariner with 9 years of industry experience and holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses. He has worked at several firms including New York Life Insurance Co, Northwestern Mutual, Centaur Financial LLC, and Christopher Financial Group, LLC. He serves as a board member of the Medical Organization of Latino Advancement, a nonprofit supporting Hispanic/Latino health professionals. Mariner serves a diverse client base, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and tax services. The firm uses customized discretionary portfolios combining in-house research with third-party managers and provides integrated tax, accounting, and family office services.

Frank Bugaris is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and seven years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at LPL Financial, Wintrust Bank, The Huntington Investment Company, Edward Jones, and CareerLightning. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves individual and institutional clients through investment advisory and brokerage services, offering multiple program types via its Passageway Managed Account Platform. The firm operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank and provides access to advisor-directed mutual fund and ETF models, separately managed accounts, tax-overlay services, and direct indexing options.

Juncheng Yang is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with six years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs and The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including individual, high-net-worth, corporate, and institutional clients. The firm leverages centralized investment resources and offers tailored services such as Executive Wealth and Private Family Office support within a large integrated financial group.