David Ruths Jr. is a CFP® professional with 25 years of experience, currently serving at IPI Wealth Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He has been with IPI Asset Management, Inc. and Investment Planners, Inc. since 2008. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner and president of Stockbridge Financial LLC, a tax filing and preparation firm he founded in 1998, and has served as a Republican election judge for the Chicago Board of Elections. IPI Wealth Management serves a diverse client base including individual, charitable, corporate, and retirement plan clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and access to third-party manager programs. The firm uses an open-architecture investment platform with proprietary risk-based models and an outsourced-agent operational structure to support trade execution and performance reporting.

Joanne Woiteshek is a financial advisor with Founders Financial Securities LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 29 years of industry experience. Her career includes prior roles at Brooklight Place Securities, Fortune Financial Services, and Interactive Financial Advisors. Founders Financial Securities serves a diverse client base, including individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement consulting through various advisory programs and a combination of discretionary and non-discretionary services.

Patrick Thiel is a financial advisor with Curi Capital, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and six years of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at KerberRose Wealth Management, Ehlers Investment Partners, Piper Sandler, and several other firms. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets, serving individuals, employer retirement plans, institutions, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental investment approach utilizing proprietary strategies, third-party managers, and private funds.

William Davis is a financial advisor with RWA Wealth Partners in Chicago, Illinois. He holds the Series 65 designation and has previously worked at BMO N.A., Loyola Quinlan School of Business’s Next Generation MBA Program, and Total Quality Logistics. RWA Wealth Partners serves individuals, families, trusts, charitable organizations, business entities, and employer-sponsored retirement plans by providing investment management, financial planning, integrated tax planning, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation approach supported by an open-architecture platform and combines fundamental and quantitative methods in certain internally managed strategies.

Gerri Michalski is a financial advisor at LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, L.L.C. in Elmhurst, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 13 years of industry experience. She has been associated with LaSalle St. Securities, L.L.C. since 1999. Outside of financial advising, she works in travel planning and sales for a travel agency, arranging trips for family and friends. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations with fee-based financial planning and portfolio management services. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management using a range of investment strategies and is notable for its predominance of non-discretionary assets and its arrangements involving third-party managers and wrap-fee platforms.

Benjamin Carlson is a financial advisor at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Brighthouse Securities, LLC and METLIFE Investors Distribution Company. Outside of his advisory role, Carlson serves as an alpine ski coach during the winter months. Arete Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other business entities. The firm manages assets primarily on a discretionary basis, using both advisor-driven and proprietary rule-based model allocations, and integrates its services with affiliated financial businesses and product channels.

Zachary Craggs is a financial advisor with Capital Analysts in Lombard, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and nine years of industry experience. He has worked at Lincoln Investment since 2016 and briefly at Berlin Packaging. Capital Analysts serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth investors, retirement plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management with access to proprietary model portfolios, third-party managers, and ERISA retirement plan advisory services.

Brian Van Buren is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience at JMG Financial Group, Ltd. He has worked exclusively with JMG since 2013 in various capacities. JMG Financial Group, Ltd. serves individuals, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and business entities, providing discretionary investment management, financial advisory and consulting, retirement plan consulting, and tax consulting services. The firm manages approximately $6.36 billion in assets with a team of 64 advisors, emphasizing strategic asset allocation and employing a variety of investment vehicles and sub-advisors.

Mitchell Conley is a financial advisor with Zacks Investment Management, Inc. He holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and has seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LBMZ Securities, Inc., Zacks Investment Management, The Kenrich Group, and Loyola University Chicago. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary investment management services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, pooled vehicles, and institutional clients, serving as portfolio manager for mutual funds and ETFs. The firm combines proprietary quantitative models with qualitative portfolio management across diverse strategies and offers its investment solutions through various wrap-fee and unified managed account programs.

Walid Matariyeh is a financial advisor with HighPoint Planning Partners, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and approximately one year of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Ernst & Young, RSM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and several financial services firms. Outside of advisory work, he is a partner in an accounting and tax firm and manages educational businesses focused on teaching children coding. HighPoint Advisor Group serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporate entities, offering discretionary asset management and financial planning services. The firm constructs investment policies through personal consultations and implements portfolios using fundamental analysis across a range of securities and platforms.

James Thornton is a financial advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC with 20 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has worked previously at Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Raymond James Financial Services. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a coach for the NFL, focusing on field compliance. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for over 9,400 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients through discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing a combination of analytical methods and third-party managers to implement client portfolios.

Ryan Kennedy is a CFA® charterholder with 14 years of industry experience. He is currently with Curi Capital, LLC and has spent the last 10 years at RMB Capital Management LLC. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets, serving individuals, employer retirement plans, institutions, mutual funds, private funds, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental investment approach with a bottom-up equity process and a relative-value fixed income strategy, integrating proprietary strategies, third-party managers, and private funds.

Kevin Shekell is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with 15 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Jackson National Life Distributors for 10 years. He is also involved in insurance sales and operates Shekell Wealth Management, LLC. Additionally, he serves as a notary public. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets through a network of 152 advisors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, employing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies across various asset classes.

Andrew Tennent is a financial advisor with B. Riley Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 35 years of industry experience. He has worked at B. Riley Wealth Advisors and B. Riley Wealth Management since 2011 and previously spent 20 years with National Securities Corp. B. Riley Wealth Advisors provides investment advice and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers various programs and financial services and manages approximately $4.21 billion in client assets through about 173 advisors.

Vincent Barone is a financial advisor at Aaron Wealth Advisors in Chicago, IL, with nine years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing from 2016 to 2019 before joining Aaron Wealth Advisors in 2019. Aaron Wealth Advisors serves business owners, entrepreneurs, sophisticated individuals, multi-generational families, and family offices, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and standalone financial consulting. The firm employs modern portfolio theory and option overlay strategies and manages a diverse client base, including institutional relationships, with an emphasis on high-touch consulting and custody services for certain digital assets.

John Smith is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Northern Trust Securities since 2017, following a one-year tenure at Price Technology. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. is a multi-team firm offering discretionary portfolio management primarily to high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients. The firm delivers model-driven investment solutions, including Separately Managed Accounts and Strategist Portfolios, through the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Keith Plywaczynski is a CFP® professional with 14 years of industry experience. He is the founder and CEO of Fortitude Financial Partners and currently serves as an advisor at Mariner Independent. His prior experience includes roles at Mariner Wealth Advisors and Mariner Platform Solutions. Mariner Independent provides investment advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers portfolio management, model portfolios, and access to third-party managers, with a notable integration of institutional and retirement plan resources.

Christopher Hurckes is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2019. Prior to his advisory roles, he worked at Athletico Physical Therapy from 2012 to 2019. He is also a board member of the McHenry Chamber of Commerce, engaging in community activities. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing over $2 billion in client assets. The firm offers a range of advisory programs, retirement services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and nonprofits, implementing strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary accounts with access to multiple custodians and investment products.

Robert Widman Jr. is a financial advisor at LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, L.L.C. with 30 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with LaSalle St. Investment Advisors since 2009 and LaSalle St. Securities since 2003. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and charitable organizations with fee-based financial planning and portfolio management services. The firm employs both passive and active investment strategies across a variety of asset classes and is notable for its predominance of non-discretionary asset management and use of fee-sharing and co-advisor arrangements.

Jessica Haages is a financial advisor at Forum Financial Management, LP with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Raymond James & Associates and Cetera Investment Services LLC. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved with Sorrento's Restaurant. Forum Financial Management, LP provides investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes model asset-allocation portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, and sub-advisory support to independent advisors and RIAs.