Christopher Sporer is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. since 2025. His prior roles include positions at CIBC Private Wealth, Charles Schwab, and TD Ameritrade. Mercer Global Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth families, small business owners, corporate plan sponsors, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s investment approach is based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios with multi-factor tilts and a variety of implementation options.

Colin Milet is a financial advisor at William Blair with a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair since 2022 and has prior experience with Team Enterprises, Juscollege/All Roads Travel, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 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 access to private funds and co-investment opportunities through its MB Investments Program.

Jacob Paoletti is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory, holding a Series 65 credential and four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Kestra, he worked at Fourth Piece, LLC and held positions at several country clubs and a high school. Outside of his advisory role, he also works as a food delivery courier. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors as well as institutional and individual clients. The firm offers a range of services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving clients that include large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Taylor Reynolds is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing seven years of industry experience. He has worked with several firms including Avail Financial Partners LLC, Christopher Financial Group, and Noble Capital Group. Outside of his advisory work, Reynolds coaches youth lacrosse for players aged 6 to 14 and serves on the boards of the Chicago Area University of Alabama Alumni Association and the Rotary Club of Downers Grove. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse clientele, including individual and institutional investors. The firm emphasizes tailored advice and offers a range of program types, managing the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis within its integrated New York Life structure.

Steven Gillhaus is a CFA® charterholder with 14 years of industry experience, currently advising at Mariner Wealth Advisors. His prior roles include positions at Savant Wealth Management, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management, LLC, and BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as the elected Treasurer of the Farmington Bath and Tennis Club, a summer tennis and swim club in Chicago. Mariner Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, and coordinated tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios combining in-house research and third-party managers, with notable integration of tax and accounting services and operational capabilities such as administrative CFO functions and a Financial Wellness Platform.

Cramer Soebbing is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently with Mariner. He previously worked at Mariner Wealth Advisors from 2015 to 2018. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the advisory board of the H Foundation, which organizes charitable events and raises funds for basic science cancer research. Mariner serves a diverse range of clients, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, and charitable organizations, providing services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and is noted for its integration of tax and accounting services alongside traditional portfolio management.

Nadim Zayed is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with Brookstone Capital Management LLC since 2006 and is also associated with Prizm Financial Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he is a shareholder in a law firm specializing in estate planning. Brookstone Capital Management LLC provides fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and wrap-fee programs. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other RIAs, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions, delivering investment management primarily on a discretionary basis via various model portfolios and managed accounts.

Tonya Coleman is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. in Lisle, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 14 years of industry experience. She has worked at Voya and its predecessor firms since 2014. Outside of advising, she owns a fast food seafood restaurant and works as a stylist for weddings and magazines. She also serves as Chairperson of Economic Empowerment for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. provides financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement advisory services to individuals, pension plans, and corporate clients through a wide network of advisors. The firm combines in-house and external strategists with technology tools to implement largely non-discretionary client-directed investment solutions.

Lindsay Blaney is a CFP® and Series 66 professional with nine years of experience in the financial services industry. She is currently with Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC and previously worked at Level Four Advisory Services and LPL Financial, where she has been affiliated since 2007. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, emphasizing customized portfolios with a long-term investment approach and incorporating both internally managed strategies and third-party asset managers.

Christopher Alvarez is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Impact Investors and Jewel Osco. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing 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.

Philip Brines is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at LPL Enterprise and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Outside of his advisory work, he is a musician and drummer with Orchestra 33 Entertainment, a position he has held since 1998. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a wide range of clients, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and active-duty military personnel. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, and access to third-party money managers through both adviser and promoter arrangements.

Michael Smith is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience, currently advising at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2023. His prior roles include positions at United Capital Financial Advisers and D3 Financial Counselors. Mariner Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, institutions, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and integrated tax and family office services. The firm employs customized, discretionary portfolios supported by internal and third-party management resources and provides specialized retirement plan solutions and employer financial wellness tools.

Daniel Rivers Sr. is a financial advisor with VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc., holding a Series 66 designation and 27 years of industry experience. He has been with VOYA Financial Advisors since 2014 and previously worked at Voya Financial Partners, LLC from 2003 to 2011. In addition to his advisory role, he operates as an independent insurance agent specializing in fixed insurance products. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients through financial planning, portfolio management, and a range of advisory services. The firm combines in-house and external strategies, model portfolios, and technology tools to manage both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts, operating as both an SEC-registered investment adviser and a FINRA-member broker-dealer.

Brett Van Bortel is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 22 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Invesco Distributors, Inc. and the Organic Growth Institute. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, and other business entities. The firm utilizes strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, a mix of ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, and options-enhanced strategies, and serves as both a primary advisor and sub-advisor through its turnkey asset management platform.

Jennifer Dougherty is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) in Downers Grove, Illinois, holding a Series 66 designation and 18 years of industry experience. She has been with Eagle Strategies since 2011 and affiliated with New York Life entities since 2010. Outside of her advisory work, she owns Simply Gourdgeous, a seasonal business creating fall-themed displays using pumpkins and gourds. Eagle Strategies serves individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory services through a broad network of affiliated advisers. The firm emphasizes tailored recommendations and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Christopher Pohlman Jr. is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 25 years of industry experience. He previously spent 19 years at Mesirow Financial, Inc. He serves on the advisory board of Empower Retirement, participates in the President’s Leadership Counsel at Benedictine University, and is a board representative for Choose DuPage, focusing on economic growth and development. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a broad client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, foundations, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by tax-loss harvesting and selective private market exposure.

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.