Michael Bryan is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Mesirow Financial since 2006. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a tax preparation practice as a sole proprietor. 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 individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs quantitative and qualitative due diligence across various asset classes and offers access to proprietary private investment products and affiliated feeder funds.

Julian Bell is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with CFP® and Series 65 credentials and three years of industry experience. He previously worked at Plante Moran Financial Advisors and has experience in both financial advisory and other roles in retail and education sectors. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, employing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers and utilizes proprietary research and portfolio construction techniques.

Susan Wolfe is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Merrill for 25 years before joining several firms including Sanctuary Advisors, Telemus Capital, and Kovitz Investment Group Partners. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term investment approach that emphasizes tax- and fee-sensitivity within an enhanced open architecture framework, combining active and passive strategies along with a range of affiliated private and registered funds.

Margaret Miller is a financial advisor at William Blair with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at William Blair since 2021, following a period at American Commercial Bank & Trust. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division serves individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients with discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, offering proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Roger Smithberg is a CFP® with 36 years of industry experience. He has been with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC since 2015 and also has longstanding involvement with Sanctuary Securities, Inc. since 1998. Based in Chicago, IL, Smithberg holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, employing a variety of investment approaches and acting as a fiduciary when under written advisory agreements.

Christopher Brathwaite is a financial advisor at William Blair with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Co LLC since 2010 and holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies and offers a range of proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investments.

Eric Kuehl is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Wasmer, Schroeder & Company, LLC, and Cincinnati Asset Management Inc. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporations, and institutional investors, advising on approximately $126.9 billion in assets. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and access to alternative and private-market investments, with a focus on customized, diversified portfolios and private market programs for qualified clients.

James Allen is a CFP® with 32 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Oppenheimer since 2020, following roles at David A. Noyes & Co. / Sanctuary Securities, Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of his advisory work, he volunteers as a caucus member for the Village of Glencoe, IL, participating in the selection of library and park district candidates. Oppenheimer serves a broad client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, employing strategic and tactical asset allocation along with various investment vehicles to meet client objectives.

Sean Lawless is a financial advisor at Equity Services, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been in the industry since 2025. Lawless also has a background in education, having been affiliated with DePauw University, Lake Forest College, and New Trier High School since 2016. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms and combines long-term investment strategies with options for shorter-term trading and specialized instruments.

Kevin Torres is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing six years of industry experience. His prior employment includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Monere Investments, Inc. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create tailored asset allocations and ongoing portfolio management aligned with clients’ goals and risk profiles.

Shannon Stevens is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation. She has five years of experience in the industry, previously working at Trust Company of Illinois and First Midwest Bank. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors such as pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm emphasizes multi-manager solutions, manager selection, and uses both affiliated and third-party managers to deliver customized portfolio management and financial planning.

Daniel Maxwell is a financial advisor with William Blair in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Valic Financial Advisors and Fischer Investment Group, Inc., as well as work at the University of Notre Dame. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and institutional clients, using an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and providing access to proprietary models and private investment opportunities.

Joseph Pucci Jr is a financial advisor at William Blair with 21 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at William Blair since 2018, following a 12-year tenure at Sanford C. Bernstein. 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 uses an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, providing proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Kollin Schaudt is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with five years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Northern Trust Bank, Northern Trust Securities, and SagePoint Financial. His background also includes positions at Wintrust Bank and roles outside finance at Iowa State University, Peach and Green, and Fareway Stores, Inc. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients, offering investment advisory programs, broker-dealer execution, and custody services across a range of wealth segments. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains unique market roles including acting as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Mark Ziehr is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with Corient in Chicago, where he has worked since 2024. Prior to joining Corient, he spent 16 years at Frontegra Strategies, LLC and 18 years at Frontier Partners, Inc. Ziehr serves as a public trustee for the Elmhurst Fireman's Pension Plan, assisting with plan administration and pension benefits for injured firefighters. 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 corporations. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach with both in-house and third-party strategies, incorporating risk management tools and alternative investments where appropriate.

Joseph Tabet is a financial advisor with William Blair, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair since 2004 and has held positions with Mony Securities Corporation and Mutual of New York since 1991. 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 models, sub-advisory arrangements, and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Kristian Malcontento is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 15 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms, including J.P. Morgan Securities, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Fifth Third Securities, and Cetera. Outside of finance, he was involved with The Whiskey Hound for three years. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a wide range of investment advisory programs and brokerage services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and operates with a combination of large institutional scale and unique market roles, including swaps and futures services.

Thomas Morin is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Equity Services, Inc. with six years of industry experience. He previously worked at RSM US LLP and Illinois State University. Morin is also involved as an insurance agent and manages his own financial firm, Morin Financial LLC. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms, often utilizing third-party asset managers and model portfolios, combining long-term investment strategies with options for shorter-term trading.

Jake Clemens is a CFP® and CFA® with seven years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Cerity Partners LLC since 2021 and previously was employed at Beacon Trust from 2017 to 2020. Clemens is based in Chicago, IL. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm builds client programs through tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and periodic rebalancing, utilizing proprietary quantitative screens alongside third-party managers and individual securities as appropriate.

Yan Krasov is a financial advisor at William Blair with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2006. Krasov holds Series 63 and Series 66 credentials. 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 active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.