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.

Jacob Lee is a financial advisor at Primerica Advisors with seven years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Guardian Life Insurance Company, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Pruco Securities, LLC, and Axa Advisors, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance activities beyond Guardian. Primerica Advisors serves a broad retail client base, offering both brokerage and advisory services along with financial and retirement planning. The firm employs a mix of proprietary and third-party investment strategies and supports a range of account-level services, including lending solutions and tax-harvesting features.

Vincent Allegra is a financial advisor with Creative Planning, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Creative Planning in 2023, he worked for Mesirow Financial, Inc. for 19 years. Outside of his advisory role, Allegra serves on the boards of Choose DuPage and Hinsdale Swim Club, contributing to community development and local recreational activities. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a broad range of supplemental portfolio management techniques and integrated retirement plan services.

Amit Kumar is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. who holds the Series 66 designation and has nine years of industry experience. He has teaching roles at Benedictine University and Saint Xavier University, instructing graduate-level courses. Outside of finance, he is also a musician who plays instruments for which he may receive compensation. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. is a dual-registered SEC investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and charitable and corporate clients. The firm delivers financial planning, portfolio management, and brokerage services through a combination of affiliated products, third-party strategists, and a phone-based advisory channel.

Patrick Oconnor is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2016. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as trusts, estates, and corporate entities. The firm separates one-time planning services from ongoing portfolio management and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund while operating within a vertically integrated group.

Noah Swift is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with a Series 65 credential and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Brookstone, he worked at Wealth Financial Services and Tax Advisory and has experience in design and self-employment. 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 strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models and offers discretionary portfolio management through both internal and external sub-advisors.

Edward Dunphy is a financial advisor at William Blair with 33 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2013 and holds the 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 an active, research-driven investment approach across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Paul Niemiec is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment in Lombard, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Valic Financial Advisors, Bank of America, Merrill, and Equitable Advisors. Outside of financial services, he works as an assistant coordinator for Sarah Kathleen Events, a special events company. Lincoln Investment serves individuals, charitable organizations, businesses, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a focus on educators and 403(b)/457(b) participants. The firm offers financial planning, retirement plan advice, and managed portfolio programs, utilizing a mix of in-house and third-party strategies overseen by an Investment Management & Research team.

James Trabadela is a financial advisor at The Huntington Investment Company with four years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at The Huntington National Bank and Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. The Huntington Investment Company, operating as Huntington Financial Advisors, serves individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and other entities with advisory and brokerage services. The firm uses an open-architecture model combining third-party sub-managers and affiliate offerings, providing multiple wrap-fee programs on the Envestnet MAS platform.

Robert Duwa is a CFA® charterholder with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Co LLC since 2010. 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 model portfolios along with access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Michael Greenen is a CFP® and PFS™ with 25 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with Cerity Partners LLC and previously worked at Edge Financial Advisors, Lantern Wealth Guardians, and operated his own CPA practice. He is the owner of Michael J. Greenen CPA PC, dedicating part of his time to this business during trading hours. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a broad national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset-allocation and manager selection processes, incorporating proprietary quantitative screens and a range of investment options, including private-market offerings and affiliated pension, insurance, and venture services.

Valbona Ceci is a CFP® professional with nine years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner. Prior to joining Mariner in 2017, she worked at BMO Private Bank from 2013 to 2017. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm combines in-house research with third-party manager allocations across various strategies and maintains integrated tax and administrative capabilities uncommon for firms of its size.

Sharif Husseini is a CFP® professional with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving at Brookstone Capital Management LLC since 2025. His prior experience includes roles at Morningstar Investment Management LLC and Nuveen Investments. 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 strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, utilizes a range of investment vehicles, and serves as a sub-advisor to other advisory programs.

Larsa Heil is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Naperville, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 11 years of industry experience. She has been with Fifth Third Securities since 2014 and also has a background with Fifth Third Bank dating back to 2011. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. offers brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors. The firm combines its municipal-advisor registration with its affiliation to Fifth Third Bank, providing access to multiple managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services.