Stephanie Van Vlerah is a CFP® professional with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Financial Illumination Advisors, LLC since 2021. Prior to this, she worked at Oxford Financial Group, Ltd for eight years and briefly pursued entrepreneurial activities. She serves on the boards of the Rosecrance Chicago Foundation and Rosecrance Health Network, and is the Spousal Forum Chair for YPO Chicagoland. Financial Illumination Advisors provides financial planning and outsourced CFO services to high-net-worth individuals, family entities, and private foundations. The firm focuses on personalized written plans and coordination with outside specialists, offering family office–style services without providing asset management or discretionary trading.

Evan Kakis is the principal of Kakis Financial Services Inc. in Des Plaines, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 17 years of experience in financial advising. He has operated Evan S. Kakis Ltd since 1999, a CPA and accounting firm where he serves as president. Additionally, he is president of Payroll Solutions and Services Inc., a payroll processing company. Kakis Financial Services is an independent registered investment adviser managing discretionary portfolios primarily for individuals, families, not-for-profit organizations, and closely held businesses. The firm emphasizes risk management through customized asset allocation and ongoing portfolio adjustments, utilizing a variety of mutual funds, ETFs, and government securities.

Hemang Patel is the principal advisor at SPIRE Investment Management LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 registrations with seven years of industry experience. Prior to founding SPIRE in 2019, he worked at Motorola Solutions Inc. for 22 years. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and manages a real estate investment business focused on property maintenance. SPIRE Investment Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, small businesses, charitable organizations, and institutional clients, offering asset management, financial planning, consulting, and sub-advisory services. The firm combines active asset management with multiple analytical methods and provides ERISA-related fiduciary consulting and investment management services for retirement plans and institutional clients.

Bekim Redzic is a financial advisor at Keystone Asset Management LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and also serves as an office manager at Beta Electric, Inc., a family-owned electrical construction business. Keystone Asset Management LLC manages private investment funds for accredited and qualified investors, employing multi-strategy proprietary approaches that include fundamental research, quantitative analysis, and various instruments such as swaps, options, and credit derivatives. The firm utilizes affiliated broker-dealers for trade execution and frequently invests in sub-funds it manages.

Brian Thompson is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He leads Brian Thompson Financial in Chicago, IL, and also prepares taxes and provides tax representation through Brian Thompson Tax LLC. Brian Thompson Financial offers financial planning and portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and businesses. The firm employs a primarily passive investment approach with diversified, low-cost index funds and ETFs, and coordinates with outside managers when appropriate. Its services include a Comprehensive Care personal planning program and a business-focused model integrating planning, advisory, and fractional CFO support.

Daniel Borstein is a financial advisor with Boon Capital Advisors LLC in Northbrook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and having 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Boon Capital Advisors since 2015. Boon Capital Advisors LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advice to individuals, small businesses, and pooled investment vehicles, managing approximately $158.7 million in discretionary assets. The firm employs a range of investment strategies, including fundamental and technical analysis, options and margin trading, and uses model portfolios tailored to client suitability.

Christian Wray is a financial advisor at Hazelwood Investment Advisors LLC in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has prior experience at HWCP, Hines, CA Ventures, and Grant Thornton LLP. Hazelwood Investment Advisors LLC is a small, independent firm that provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, and related retirement and trust accounts. The firm focuses on a long-term, growth-oriented equity strategy emphasizing large-cap and technology companies, combining fundamental, technical, and macroeconomic research.

Eric Edwards is a financial advisor with Edwards Premier Financial in Bellwood, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 15 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services from 2013 to 2018. Outside of advisory work, he is licensed to sell fixed insurance and annuity products. Edwards Premier Financial provides portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual investors, with occasional service to small businesses and non-profits. The firm employs a range of investment strategies from passive fixed-income to active trading and combines fundamental and technical analysis tailored to client objectives.

Siravich Krasaeath is a financial advisor at Diversey Capital, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has been employed at Cushman & Wakefield since 2006, overlapping with his advisory career. He also maintains an active state managing broker real estate license, an unusual credential given the size of his firm. Diversey Capital provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to mid- to high-net-worth individuals and related entities. The firm’s investment approach focuses on matching client time horizons with diversified asset allocations and offers a proprietary absolute-return multi-strategy program under a performance-based fee arrangement.

Andrew Feldman is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with 18 years of industry experience. He has operated A J Feldman Financial, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Deerfield, IL, since 2010. Feldman holds a minority ownership interest in GemShares, LLC, an ETF development company. A J Feldman Financial, LLC provides discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals and various entities, including charitable organizations. The firm employs a long-term, buy-and-hold asset allocation strategy using exchange-traded funds, no-load mutual funds, stocks, and bonds, and manages approximately $112.6 million in regulatory assets across about 144 client accounts.

Matthew Furlong is the principal advisor at Furlong Investment Solutions, LLC in Chicago, IL. He holds the CFP® and CFA® designations and has 10 years of industry experience. Since 2016, he has led his independent firm, providing financial planning and investment management services. Furlong Investment Solutions, LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser serving individuals, family trusts, estates, qualified retirement plans, and corporate clients. The firm employs a core-and-satellite strategic asset allocation approach with an emphasis on low-cost passive investments supplemented by tactical active positions, alongside integrated financial planning and retirement plan consulting under a fiduciary model.

Jonathan Seed is the sole advisor at Seed Wealth Management, Inc. in Evanston, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Seed Wealth Management since its founding in 2014. Outside of advising, Seed is a passive investor in multiple ventures including an online retailer, a social media start-up, and a data center retail business. Seed Wealth Management primarily serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, and other investment advisers, providing discretionary, fee-based portfolio management and sub-advisory services. The firm employs a tailored investment process that incorporates individual securities, ETFs, fixed income, alternative products, and quantitative analysis, and utilizes AI tools with human oversight for data analysis and compliance.

Stanley Pillman is a financial advisor with Addison Asset Management, LLC in Chicago, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 27 years of industry experience, including roles at Addison Asset Management since 2010 and UBS Financial Services since 2004. Addison Asset Management is a single-advisor independent registered investment adviser that provides customized wealth management and portfolio management primarily for individual clients, including high-net-worth investors. The firm uses a tailored asset allocation process supported by NaviPlan Ibbotson software and manages portfolios on a non-discretionary basis, requiring client approval for trades.

Benjamin Holland is a CFP® with 17 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at FPG Wealth. He previously worked at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. for 15 years before joining FPG Investments, LLC dba First Principles Group. Outside of his advisory role, Holland is involved as a co-trustee and co-executor for a long-standing family trust and estate, and he is an equity investor in a film production company supporting the Chicago film industry. FPG Wealth provides discretionary asset management and comprehensive portfolio management services, combining investment management with financial planning. The firm tailors strategies to individual client objectives, utilizing a mix of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis, and oversees third-party managers and alternative investments.

Patricia Blagojevich is a financial advisor with Investment Navigation LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at Janian Investment Advisers, The Maytag Group LLC, and she is involved in producing podcasts and documentary films through Blue Suede Shoes Productions, LLC. Investment Navigation LLC provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to individuals, 529 accounts, other advisers, and employer-sponsored plans. The firm uses third-party model marketplaces and applies fundamental analysis along with Modern Portfolio Theory to construct portfolios tailored to client goals and risk tolerances.

Therese Martin is a CFP® with 24 years of experience in financial advising. She is the sole advisor at Martin Financial Management, an independent firm she founded in 2002. Martin Financial Management offers personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals, trusts, and estates. The firm employs a strategic asset allocation with a core-and-satellite approach, focusing primarily on non-discretionary portfolio management and providing services through various fee arrangements.

George Blaskett is a financial advisor at Seam Financial with a Series 65 designation and one year of industry experience. His prior work history includes roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Crunch. Seam Financial LLC is a fee-only registered investment adviser providing discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analysis within a framework based on Modern Portfolio Theory, utilizing both passive and active management strategies.

Meridith Hutchens is a financial advisor at Fortis Portfolio Solutions, LLC with 28 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has worked at firms including Crossroads Advisory Group and Polaris Greystone Financial Group. She is also managing partner of Fortis Consulting, LLC, which provides best practice solutions for registered investment adviser firms. Fortis Portfolio Solutions offers discretionary portfolio management, sub-advisory, and white-label investment services primarily to high-net-worth individuals and other registered investment advisers. The firm’s investment approach integrates fundamental enterprise valuation with technical and quantitative analysis, emphasizing risk control through tactical cash allocations, sell-discipline triggers, and the use of derivatives and borrowing in separately managed accounts.

John Daly is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 license, with 23 years of experience in the financial industry. He is the principal of Daly Investment Management, LLC, an independent advisory firm he founded in 2009, and previously operated as a sole proprietor since 2000. Daly also worked at Steele Capital Management, Inc. in 2017. Daly Investment Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities, offering discretionary asset management and financial planning. The firm applies Modern Portfolio Theory to tailor investment strategies to clients' objectives, providing services that include pension consulting for corporate clients as well as a range of investment options such as mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income, and alternative instruments.

William Parsch is a financial advisor with Wellspring Capital Group, Ltd. in North Barrington, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Wellspring Capital Group since 2010, operating as a single-advisor independent practice. Wellspring Capital Group, Ltd. provides fee-based portfolio management to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and business entities, managing approximately $6.9 million on a discretionary basis for a small client base. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes detailed fundamental analysis combined with technical and cyclical assessments, offering strategies that include long-term holdings, active trading, and alternative investments for qualified clients.