Nikola Plavsic is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. He is based in Downers Grove, Illinois. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a wide range of clients, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed abroad. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

Russell Game is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 35 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 66 licenses. Prior to joining Brookstone in 2017, he worked at Center Street Advisors and has operated Game & Associates Financial Services, Inc. since 2002, where he is owner and president. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm utilizes strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, a turnkey asset management platform, and a variety of investment strategies to implement client portfolios.

Maureen Zygler is a financial advisor at Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. with nine years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has previously worked at Mutual of Omaha Investor Services and Vipco Advisors. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. is a dual-registered SEC investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, retirement plans, and charitable and corporate clients. The firm provides financial planning, portfolio management through wrap and unified managed account programs, and access to third-party money managers, with a significant portion of assets managed on a non-discretionary basis.

Bryan Brooks is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 17 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has held roles at firms including Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Nuveen, and TIAA. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement plan relationships. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management services, acting as adviser to a donor-advised fund and operating within a vertically integrated structure that includes affiliated funds.

Eric Walania is a CFA® charterholder with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair And Company, L.L.C. since 2004. He holds a Series 63 designation and is based in Western Springs, IL. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models as well as access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Samuel Awad is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC since 2026, following six years at HighTower Advisors LLC and four years at Private Vista, LLC. Outside of financial advising, he provides operational and IT consulting and executive coaching, assisting with strategic IT programs and coaching high-potential executives. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, families, trusts, 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, employing a primarily long-term investment approach with customized portfolios and a variety of model and wrap-fee program options.

Joseph Florina is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. He is currently with Brookstone Capital Management LLC and Wealth Financial Services & Tax Advisory, having previously worked at Interactive Brokers and First American Bank. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and a wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

Charles Williams is a Certified Financial Planner® with 34 years of industry experience. He is affiliated with Independent Financial Partners and has worked at IFP Securities, LLC and LPL Financial. Williams also serves as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies, where he teaches a course on retirement planning and employee benefits. Independent Financial Partners is a nationwide network of independent investment adviser representatives serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers a decentralized advisory model with a focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting services, supported by formal compliance processes and partnerships for trustee services.

David Kohlmeyer is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience. He has worked at Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. since 2018 and previously spent nine years at Stifel Nicolaus & Co Inc. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Treasurer of the Wheaton Academy Foundation. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer with approximately 436 advisors and $15.7 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, corporations, retirement plans, trusts, and nonprofit organizations, offering a range of advisory programs and investment strategies that combine firm-developed and third-party models.

James Wilkins is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 34 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial LLC, OSAIC, Securities America Advisors, and National Planning Corporation. He also works as a wealth advisor utilizing variable annuities for financial planning solutions. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd is an SEC-registered enterprise wealth management firm serving over 24,000 clients through approximately 366 advisors. The firm uses an open-architecture investment approach, offering individualized asset allocations, model portfolios, and third-party manager programs.

Kahina Kherbouche is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and one year of industry experience. She has worked in various roles within Fifth Third Bank since 2019, with prior experience at MB Financial Bank, Liberty Tax, and Joson's Deli. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to a range of clients, including individuals, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Nader Maalouf is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with three years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Uber, J.P. Morgan Securities, and AXA Advisors. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs alongside broker-dealer execution and custody services.

Michael Krucek is a financial advisor at SPC with 34 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with SPC since 2011. Krucek also has a long tenure at Sigma Financial Corporation beginning in 2004. In addition to advisory work, he sells insurance products including life, health, disability, and long-term care insurance. SPC serves a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, managing approximately $5.66 billion in assets. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA-related retirement plan services, delivering both discretionary and nondiscretionary solutions tailored to client needs.

Trenton Grens is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has previously worked at AssetMark Brokerage, AssetMark Financial Holdings, Northern Lights Distributors, and Astor Investment Management. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm employs a range of strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and offers discretionary portfolio management through various investment strategies and sub-advisory relationships.

Daniel Sommers is a Certified Financial Planner® with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and has a long tenure at Kestra Investment Services, LLC, as well as Freiburger Financial Group. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as director of an education loan trust established by his family to assist grandchildren with secondary education funding and acts as a trustee for a 401(k) plan. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving large institutional investors and specialized clients such as sovereign wealth funds.

Drew Mullarkey is a financial advisor at Mariner with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Capital Group Companies - American Funds, DoorDash, Morgan Stanley, and Valeo Financial Advisors. Mariner serves a broad range of clients including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios that combine in-house research with third-party managers and provides specialized tax integration and financial wellness solutions.

James Flanagan is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, Flanagan provides pro bono financial advice to cancer patients, serves as an adjunct professor of gerontology at Concordia University, and is the author of a book titled *Packing for Retirement*. He also holds various positions including treasurer for Terra Nova Films and Circle of Life, Inc., and is involved in teaching at Triton College. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives and utilizes multiple advisory platforms and third-party asset managers.

Calla Gorman is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Merrill, LPL Financial, Sheridan Road Advisors, and multiple engagements with Independent Financial Partners and its affiliated entities. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform with over $12 billion in assets under management and offers both decentralized investment strategies and formal retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting services.

Nathaniel Chan is a financial advisor at Mariner with a Series 66 designation and no prior industry experience. Before entering the financial sector, he worked at Lu's Sushi and Chinese and spent ten years at Wheaton College. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm offers customized discretionary portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, with notable capabilities in tax and accounting integration and administrative family office services.

Michael Wapner is a financial advisor with Kestra Advisory Services, holding a Series 66 designation and eight years of industry experience. He has worked at Kestra Advisory and Kestra Investment Services since 2017 and previously was with Utopia Green Consulting from 2011 to 2017. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and Board Secretary for Park Ridge Friends of the Parks. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement plan consulting to a diverse client base including institutional and individual investors. The firm offers services ranging from fiduciary consulting and plan design to advisor-managed accounts and acts as an ERISA fiduciary where applicable.