Thomas Sandt is a financial advisor with Mercer Global Advisors Inc. in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at TIAA-CREF, Academy Securities, First Trust Portfolios, and Citigroup Global Markets. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments by providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services alongside financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning. The firm employs a Modern Portfolio Theory-based approach with globally diversified, risk-appropriate portfolios implemented through a mix of low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate accounts, and private funds.

Matthew Kocanda is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 15 years of industry experience. He is currently with Corient, where he has worked in various capacities since 2022, including a role at Corient Services LLC beginning in 2023. His prior experience includes seven years at Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies and third-party solutions, and offers specialized services through affiliated entities such as family office and corporate trustee services.

Eryn Clemens is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 12 years of industry experience. She has worked at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services since 2021 and previously spent nine years at The AYCO Company, L.P./Mercer Allied. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth households, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm integrates centralized investment resources and a range of tailored offerings, delivering services through both direct and partner programs.

Gary Erickson is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (New York Life) based in Deerfield, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 35 years of industry experience. He has worked with Eagle Strategies since 2004 and has prior experience at Oakwell Financial Partners. Erickson serves as a board member for the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base including individuals, defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and corporate and charitable clients. The firm emphasizes tailored solutions delivered primarily on a non-discretionary basis within an integrated New York Life affiliate network.

Mirko Reithofer is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. and Fifth Third Bank, having previously worked at U.S. Bank, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., and PNC Bank and its affiliated entities. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves individual, high-net-worth, and institutional clients through both investment advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple program types via the Passageway Managed Account Platform, including mutual fund and ETF models, separately managed accounts, and direct indexing strategies.

Audie Murphy is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with Series 65 and Series 66 credentials and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Cincinnati Reds, and Utica Comets, as well as academic affiliations with Syracuse University and Le Moyne College. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services serves a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporate executives, and institutional clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized wealth programs. The firm utilizes strategic allocation models and advanced analytics, supported by affiliated Goldman Sachs entities, to tailor investment solutions across various fee structures and platforms.

Steven Perlman is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Highland Park, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 registrations and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with Mesirow Financial since 1993. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Vice President of Pearl Motors, Inc., where he is involved in selling and financing used cars. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both proprietary and third-party investment strategies across multiple asset classes and manages affiliated feeder funds investing in institutional real estate and private equity master funds.

Charles Collins is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 31 years of industry experience. Prior to joining &PARTNERS in 2026, he worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC for a combined total of 11 years. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, charitable organizations, foundations, universities, and sovereign wealth funds. The firm offers investment advisory and brokerage services, financial planning, ERISA 3(21) consulting, retirement plan participant management, and investment banking, utilizing a combination of proprietary models and third-party manager solutions on platforms such as Envestnet.

Catherine Goel is a financial advisor at NorthCoast Asset Management LLC with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has previously worked at Relative Value Partners Group, LLC and Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC. NorthCoast Asset Management provides investment advisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a quantitative and systematic investment approach with proprietary models and offers a wide range of portfolio management strategies, including access to affiliated private investment vehicles.

Alexander Vergara is a financial advisor at William Blair with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Fidelity Investments, Deloitte, and Verizon. 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 proprietary portfolios and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Marcus Coleman is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning. His prior experience includes roles at Empower Advisory Group, Fidelity Investments, and TIAA-CREF. Outside of advisory work, he owns and operates a content platform focused on interviewing peers and creating industry-related material. Creative Planning is an enterprise firm providing wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations. The firm emphasizes a financial-planning-led investment approach that incorporates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure.

Amira Garwood is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with a Series 66 credential and one year of industry experience. Her prior work includes roles at Fidelity Investments and Robert W. Baird, as well as academic experience at Purdue University. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm employs strategic and tactical allocation models and offers a range of advisory services, leveraging integrated capabilities across the broader Goldman Sachs network.

Anupama Gupta Ortiz is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Hoffman Estates, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 25 years of industry experience. She has been with Fifth Third Securities and Fifth Third Bank since 2005. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved in cosmetic sales as an administrative assistant and participates occasionally as a mystery diner for a Chicago-based restaurant. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and a tax-overlay service, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

James Santos is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, where he has worked since 2000. He has 42 years of industry experience. Outside of his advisory role, he is a notary public. Commonwealth Financial Network is a registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,950 advisors and their clients. The firm provides a range of advisory programs and support services, including discretionary model portfolios managed by its Investment Management and Research team.

Steven Block is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 17 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Eagle Strategies (NY Life). He also operates Blockwall Strategies, Inc., a business involved in selling New York Life products and brokering non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a wide range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services through a large network of affiliated advisers. The firm primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis and offers tailored advisory solutions integrated with New York Life insurance and annuity products.

Michael Tantillo is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has worked at Park Avenue Securities and Guardian Life Insurance Company of America since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is the sole owner of Waterbury Financial Group Inc. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a broad range of retail clients, including individual and high-net-worth investors, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers both brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types.

Cheryl Cabanski is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 23 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Mesirow Financial, Inc. since 2008. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including private individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a process involving Investment Policy Statements, asset allocation targets, and due diligence across various asset classes, and offers access to both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products.

Norman Janis is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Deerfield, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has 20 years of industry experience. Since 2014, he has also served as a youth ice hockey coach for the Glenview Stars Hockey Organization. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors, institutional clients, and plan sponsors. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services, with a focus on tailored recommendations and non-discretionary asset management within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Dennis Zaslavsky is a financial advisor at Clearstead Advisory Solutions with one year of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 credential and has prior experience with Waveland Family Office, LLC, a private family office, and Waveland Investments, LLC. Since September 2024, he has served as a Director of the Cion Grosvenor Infrastructure Fund, participating on the Audit Committee. Clearstead serves affluent private clients and institutional investors, providing investment management, financial planning, tax planning, and family office services. The firm manages approximately $33.9 billion in assets and applies institutional disciplines across discretionary and non-discretionary accounts using a diversified investment approach.

Megan Bauman is a financial advisor at William Blair with 12 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has been with William Blair & Company since 2013. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm utilizes an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.