Scott Wentsel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with nine years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Wentsel Wealth Management, LLC. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2016 and has been a professor at DePaul University since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a trustee for an investment-related advisory firm. Wentsel Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a low-cost, globally diversified investment approach centered on asset allocation, combining index-oriented ETFs and mutual funds with selective active management and individual securities, and offers institutional services uncommon for a firm of its size.

James Krebec is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at CIC Investment Consultants, LLC since 2003. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and maintains an Arkansas insurance license, though he spends no meaningful time in the insurance business. CIC Investment Consultants provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and advisory services on private securities and alternative investments, using a variety of analytical methods and strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

Gerard Downey is a financial advisor at Linden Wealth Management LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2011. Linden Wealth Management LLC provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses. The firm emphasizes modern portfolio theory, using low-cost, index-based ETFs and mutual funds, while also incorporating individualized securities and alternative investments as appropriate.

Deidre Mcclurg is the sole advisor at Stoken Asset Management LLC, an independent firm based in Winnetka, IL. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 12 years of industry experience. Mcclurg has led Stoken Asset Management since its inception in 2013. Stoken Asset Management provides discretionary portfolio management and investment supervisory services primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a combination of fundamental analysis, technical charting, and cyclical methods within a framework defined by written Investment Policy Statements.

Sam Macaluso is the founder and principal of Ripple Ridge Enterprises LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and a CPA firm, SAM D. Macaluso & Associates, which provides accounting and tax-preparation services. Ripple Ridge Enterprises serves individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach and utilizes a range of investments, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.

Edwin Cogan is a financial advisor at Steeplechase Investments with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Steeplechase Investments since 1994. Steeplechase Investments provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, focusing on direct investments in stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds. The firm employs an active, tactical approach that adjusts between capital appreciation and preservation based on macroeconomic analysis and technical chart patterns, tailoring portfolios to clients’ age and income needs.

Angela Major Hart is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as the principal advisor at Veridian Private Wealth Management. She has held previous roles at Byline Bank, Northern Trust Securities, Northern Trust Bank, and First Midwest Bank. Ms. Hart is also a licensed attorney and an active member of the Illinois Bar. Veridian Private Wealth Management offers discretionary investment management and qualified retirement plan consulting to high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, businesses, charities, and employee benefit plans. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation framework with a proprietary methodology emphasizing diversification and provides ERISA fiduciary services uncommon among independent advisors.

Thomas Ahlbeck is a financial advisor at Ahlbeck Financial with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Cetera Financial Specialists LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he manages and owns commercial and residential real estate properties with family members and serves as the treasurer for Maine Township School. Ahlbeck Financial provides portfolio management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, tailoring investment strategies to clients' goals and risk tolerance. The firm employs fundamental analysis, modern portfolio theory, and technical analysis, offering discretionary management across various asset classes with regular account reviews.

Bronwyn Mirretti is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving at Mirretti Perryman Wealth Strategies, LLC. She has worked with the firm and its predecessors since 2016 and is also an independent insurance agent. Bronwyn serves as a school board member, a role she has held since 2018. Mirretti Perryman Wealth Strategies, LLC provides discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services to individuals, trusts, and retirement plans, including high-net-worth clients. The firm builds customized, risk-based, and tax-aware portfolios using modern portfolio theory and quantitative methods, supplementing in-house advice with third-party managers and operating as a wrap fee program sponsor.

Philip Tetley is a financial advisor at Tetley Investments, LLC in Park Ridge, Illinois, with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with Tetley Investments since 2012. Tetley Investments is an independent asset management and financial planning firm serving individuals, pension plans, corporations, charitable organizations, and trusts. The firm employs a disciplined, long-term investment process combining quantitative and fundamental research within a global asset-allocation framework.

John Crawford is a financial advisor at Copperwood Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Horizon Wealth Management. Copperwood Financial provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, with a specialty practice for athletes under the Pro Athlete Wealth brand. The firm manages client portfolios on a discretionary, tactical allocation basis and offers qualified retirement plan consulting, including ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary services.

David Bankston is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience. He is currently with RWC for Life and has held roles at Simplicity Wealth, LLC, FSC Securities Corp, and has operated Bankston Wealth Management, Inc. since 1999. In addition to his advisory work, he manages an accounting firm, David A Bankston CPA, LLC. RWC for Life provides comprehensive financial planning, consulting, and discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and corporate entities. The firm offers customized and model portfolios with regular reviews, serving about 97 client relationships and managing approximately $30.2 million in assets.

Joseph Lopresti is a financial advisor at Arlington Wealth Management in Arlington Heights, IL, with 40 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with Arlington Capital Management, Inc. and World Equity Group, Inc. since 2000. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with the Investor Education Institute and is a part-owner of Advanced Tax Reduction Group and Arlington Business Advisors. Arlington Wealth Management provides wealth management and discretionary investment management primarily to individual clients, including high-net-worth households. The firm employs a structured client process and combines proprietary quantitative models with qualitative research to implement various investment strategies, including proactive asset allocation and defined-outcome ETFs.

Charles McKenna is a financial advisor with McKenna Capital, Inc. in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 65 and Series 63 designations and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Heart Capital, LLC since 2018, McKenna Capital since 2017, and previously at National Planning Corporation and Global Beverage Team, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he provides consulting services for GModelo USA, LLC. McKenna Capital is a small, supported advisory firm managing approximately $83 million for fewer than 40 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm utilizes a mix of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis to implement long-term strategies and options trading, managing accounts mostly on a discretionary basis while also offering financial planning and portfolio monitoring services.

Jose Cuevas III is a CFP® professional with 18 years of experience in financial advising. He has been with Wisdom Investments since 2016 and also worked at High Five Financial, LLC from 2016 to 2018. Wisdom Investments provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, nonprofit organizations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold approach guided by Modern Portfolio Theory and the Efficient Market Hypothesis, offering a range of tiered planning services and incorporating educational seminars and AI-enabled tools as part of its client support.

John Kosar is a Series 65 licensed advisor with Asbury Research LLC, where he has worked since 2023. He has prior experience at Symetra, Allvue Systems, Equitrust Life Insurance Company, and Northern Trust. Asbury Research LLC provides subscription-based investment research and model portfolios to individual investors and money managers, and serves as a sub-adviser and model provider to other advisers and broker-dealers. The firm focuses on growth equities, income securities, and high-yield bonds, utilizing fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis in its research.

Michael Lannan is a CFA® charterholder with 20 years of industry experience. He has worked at Lakewood Asset Management, LLC since 2018 and previously spent 12 years at Securus Investment Management, LLC. He serves on the investment committee for a not-for-profit family foundation and volunteers with the LaGrange Police Pension Board. Lakewood Asset Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients as well as trusts, estates, pension, and charitable entities, managing approximately $249 million across about 155 client relationships. The firm employs a bottom-up, fundamental, long-term value investment approach across various securities and offers both discretionary portfolio management and stand-alone financial planning services.

Robert Jersey is a financial advisor with GW Asset Management LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 31 years of industry experience. His prior roles include tenures at GW Capital Services, LLC, GW Capital Management, LLC, and Gar Wood Securities, LLC. GW Asset Management LLC provides fee-based portfolio management and model portfolios to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm employs a quantitative approach using ETFs, equities, corporate debt, and mutual funds, incorporating technical, cyclical, and fundamental analysis to guide portfolio allocations.

Justin Mccormack is a financial advisor with First Choice Financial Services LLC in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 65 license and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with First Choice Financial Services since 2013 and is also involved with First Choice Insurance Agency, where he has served in various roles since 2005. First Choice Financial Services LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing financial advice primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and estate-planning support. The firm acts as a liaison, assisting clients with third-party paperwork and ongoing oversight, while drawing on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its recommendations.

Mark Zelenika is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, currently serving as a financial advisor at Leslie Global Wealth, LLC with 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Leslie Global Wealth since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he participates in investment-related research surveys. Leslie Global Wealth serves individuals, high net worth clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations by providing comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a disciplined investment approach focused on asset allocation and fixed income, offering access to LPL Financial–sponsored managed strategies and supplemental services such as tax planning and real estate analysis.