Samuel Ruiz is a Planning Consultant at Fidelity Investments, where he collaborates with advisors to assist their clients in achieving financial clarity and confidence. He provides personalized guidance and planning services, helping individuals navigate key financial decisions, including retirement and investment strategies as well as long-term goal setting. His role focuses on simplifying complex financial topics and delivering actionable insights to empower clients throughout their financial journey. Samuel has held multiple positions at Fidelity Investments, beginning as a Financial Representative from 2023 to 2025, then serving as a Relationship Manager in 2025, before assuming his current role as Planning Consultant in 2025. Through these roles, he has developed experience in supporting clients and advisors with financial planning and relationship management. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Samuel enjoys skiing, tennis, and traveling.

Robert Gajewski Jr. is a financial advisor at Edward Jones with seven years of industry experience. He has held roles at Edward Jones since 2018 and previously worked at Service Printing Corporation and Trend Graphics Inc. He holds the Series 66 designation. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth households, corporate clients, and charitable organizations. The firm manages over $1 trillion in assets and offers a range of advisory programs, investment strategies, and affiliated services supported by a nationwide network of more than 23,000 financial advisors.

Ashley Childress is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services, holding a Series 66 designation and with two years of industry experience. Prior to joining UBS, Ashley worked in various roles including coaching junior alpine ski racers at Wilmot Mountain, a seasonal position held since 2021. UBS Financial Services serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory services, utilizing proprietary research and model-based asset allocations to tailor financial plans. The firm combines wealth management with institutional trading capabilities and provides a broad range of capital markets services.

Jennifer Curtiss is a Series 66-licensed advisor at Robert W. Baird & Co. with 17 years of industry experience. She has been with Robert W. Baird since 2008. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as President of the Picnic Grove Homeowners' Association and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Village of Fox River Grove. She is part of The DDK Group within Robert W. Baird’s Private Wealth Management practice, which advises individuals, families, pensions, corporations, and institutional clients. The group provides tailored financial planning and portfolio management services, utilizing a range of strategies and both in-house and third-party managers.

Mark Lessert is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley with 16 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Morgan Stanley since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved with NAPCO Inc., a manufacturing company in Naperville, Illinois, where he advises on manufacturing processes and coffee purchasing. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individual and institutional clients with a range of advisory programs, including tailored financial planning. The firm manages approximately $2.74 trillion in client assets and employs a structured planning process supported by approved tools and modeling techniques.

Brianna Hook is a financial advisor at Robert Baird & Co. with 10 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at First Investments & Planning, First National Bank of Omaha, and Raymond James Financial Services. Brianna is part of The DDK Group within Baird’s Private Wealth Management team, which serves individuals, corporate clients, pensions, profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a broad range of financial planning and portfolio management services, utilizing manager-traded and model-traded SMA strategies, tax-management, and other investment approaches.

Derek Wichman is a CFP® with 11 years of experience and has been with Edward Jones since 2015. He works out of the Palatine, IL office. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients, including high-net-worth households and corporate accounts. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets and offers a range of advisory strategies, affiliated mutual funds, and tax-efficient services through a nationwide network of financial advisors and branch offices.

Ashton Rudd-Washington is a Financial Consultant at Fidelity Investments, a position he has held since 2023. He has progressed through various roles within Fidelity, including Investment Consultant, Planning Consultant, and Relationship Manager from 2021 to 2023. Prior to joining Fidelity, Ashton worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank from 2017 to 2020, where he served as Lead Teller Operation Specialist, Relationship Banker, and Private Client Banker. In his role as a Financial Consultant, Ashton focuses on helping clients accumulate wealth through tax-efficient investing while minimizing risk. He collaborates with clients to co-create financial plans that address important goals such as retirement and legacy planning, including generating income strategies for retirement. Outside of his professional work, Ashton has personal interests in cooking and baking, fitness, hiking, visiting museums, and traveling.

Mario Palacios is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Arlington Heights, IL, holding the CFP® designation and Series 66 license. He has eight years of industry experience, including five years at Capital One prior to joining Edward Jones in 2018. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving more than four million clients with a range of investment programs and fiduciary advisory services. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets through a nationwide network of over 23,700 advisors and 15,000 branch offices.

Kencie Zmich is a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) with 13 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Edward Jones since 2012. She participates on the advisory board for the Finance Department at Western Illinois University, attending semi-annual meetings to provide input on the finance curriculum and labor market trends. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment strategies and maintaining a large national network of advisors and branch offices.

David Olson is a financial advisor with OSAIC in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and two years of industry experience. His previous roles include positions at JPMorgan Distribution Services, Northwestern Mutual, and Seven Bridges Golf. OSAIC Wealth, Inc. serves a diverse range of retail and institutional clients, providing integrated brokerage and investment advisory services through a large network of advisors and multiple platforms. The firm utilizes asset-allocation tools, risk-tolerance assessments, and automated rebalancing to manage portfolios across various asset classes and supports both discretionary and non-discretionary account management.

Karen White is a financial advisor with Cetera in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 registrations and possessing 16 years of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at First Allied Securities LLC and LPL Financial, LLC. She is also a partner in a family business distributing health products through Shaklee.Com/Teamknopp LLC. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a wide range of portfolio management and financial planning services through a multi-manager platform with over 10,000 advisors and more than $256 billion in assets under management.

Artiz Stroud is a financial advisor at Cetera with 14 years of industry experience and holds Series 63 and Series 66 registrations. His background includes a long tenure at Fidelity Investments and roles at multiple Cetera entities. Outside of his advisory work, Stroud is engaged as a professional life coach and co-owns Shepherd Effect, an organization focused on fatherhood and family education. He also operates businesses providing estate planning preparation coaching, budget coaching, and tax preparation services. Cetera Investment Advisers LLC is a nationwide SEC-registered advisory firm that serves individual, retirement plan, corporate, charitable, and institutional clients. The firm offers a multi-manager platform with a range of portfolio management programs, including model portfolios, third-party managers, and bespoke strategies, managing over $256 billion in assets through more than 10,000 advisors.

Andrew Martin is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in Itasca, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and bringing 34 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Wells Fargo Advisors in 2024, he worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a youth hockey referee with the Illinois Hockey Officials Association. Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is a large broker-dealer and registered investment adviser that serves individuals, trusts, and institutional clients. The firm offers a broad range of investment and financial planning services, using proprietary research and tools, with planning engagements typically being discrete and tailored to client needs.

Timothy Kamin is a financial advisor with LPL Financial, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Waddell & Reed, Inc. and various insurance carriers associated with W&R Insurance Agencies for 25 years. He is also involved in a non-investment-related business entity, DataAnnotation. LPL Financial is a national broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser providing advisory and brokerage services through a large network of representatives. The firm offers a range of financial planning and asset management solutions to individuals, retirement plans, banks, trust companies, and institutions.

Joel Heffington is a financial advisor at Ameriprise with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with Ameriprise and its affiliated entities since 2015. Ameriprise offers a retirement-income planning service targeting individuals with at least $1 million in investable assets, providing written Recommendation Reports that cover income sources, Social Security options, and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies. The firm combines research, modeling, and tax analysis to deliver non-discretionary retirement recommendations through a centralized consulting team.

Curtis Whitehouse is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Clearing in Cary, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 34 years of industry experience. He has been with Wells Fargo Clearing since 2016 and previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC from 2009 to 2016. Wells Fargo Clearing provides retirement plan consulting services to qualified ERISA and non-qualified deferred compensation plans, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advice. The firm’s IPS-driven approach incorporates modern portfolio theory and includes a broad range of financial products, such as insurance-related vehicles and bank deposit sweep options.

Eric De Novo is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Merrill with three years of industry experience. He has worked at Bank of America and Merrill Edge, alongside roles in various other sectors including retail and community services. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, serving a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of model-based and discretionary investment strategies developed by internal teams and third-party managers.

Christine Messerschmidt is a financial advisor at Thrivent Investment Management with 15 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Thrivent Investment Management since 2010. Messerschmidt serves on the board of the We Raise Foundation, which partners with Christian nonprofits focused on education, workforce development, and criminal justice. Thrivent Investment Management provides Dedicated Planning Services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit clients through a network of financial advisors. The firm offers goal-based planning covering topics such as retirement, taxes, and estate planning, without discretionary trading authority, and allows clients to combine planning with managed accounts under a consolidated billing option.

Paul Maurin is a financial advisor at OSAIC with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. since 2015. In addition to his advisory role, Maurin is involved in accounting and tax services through his ownership of Accountants & Financial Planning Associates and holds leadership positions in several business entities related to general accounting and insurance. OSAIC serves a wide range of retail and institutional clients, including high-net-worth individuals and charitable organizations. The firm provides integrated brokerage and advisory services, utilizing firm-provided tools and multiple investment platforms to construct diversified portfolios tailored to client needs.