Nino Lekarczyk is a financial advisor with WealthRidge Investments LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. He has seven years of industry experience, including prior roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of advisory work, he owns and leases residential real estate through Taylor and Lake Properties LLC. WealthRidge Investments LLC is an independent firm offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental and cyclical analysis alongside Modern Portfolio Theory in its investment approach and may use sub-advisors while retaining overall client responsibility.

Scott Wentsel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with nine years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Wentsel Wealth Management, LLC. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2016 and has been a professor at DePaul University since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a trustee for an investment-related advisory firm. Wentsel Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a low-cost, globally diversified investment approach centered on asset allocation, combining index-oriented ETFs and mutual funds with selective active management and individual securities, and offers institutional services uncommon for a firm of its size.

James Krebec is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at CIC Investment Consultants, LLC since 2003. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and maintains an Arkansas insurance license, though he spends no meaningful time in the insurance business. CIC Investment Consultants provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and advisory services on private securities and alternative investments, using a variety of analytical methods and strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

William Nedza is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC since 2018. His career includes leadership roles at Nedza Financial Advisors, LLC and Aos, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he holds active insurance licenses and engages in insurance sales. Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC is an independent registered investment adviser that provides written financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other U.S. entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, risk management tools, and diversified investment strategies across various asset classes.

Timothy Quinn is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in financial planning. He is the principal of Quinn Financial Planning, LLC, an independent firm he founded in 2009. In addition to his advisory role, he is a partner at GT Tax & Business Services, LLC, where he provides tax advice, planning, and preparation. Quinn Financial Planning serves individuals, trusts, and qualified retirement plans with discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning, including retirement, estate, insurance, college, and tax planning. The firm uses a structured, risk-based asset allocation process and offers limited pension consulting focused on investment planning and asset allocation for small businesses.

Thai Thomas Tran is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Petrarch Wealth Management in Chicago. His prior work includes roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and Ameriprise Financial. Outside of his advisory duties, he owns and operates Petrarch Insurance Services LLC, which provides online non-investment financial education and consulting. Petrarch Wealth Management offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting services to individual and retirement plan clients. The firm emphasizes capital preservation and risk management through behavioral economics, goal-based planning, and strategic asset allocation, managing approximately $11.9 million across about 40 client relationships.

Kevin Yu is a CFP® and CFA® charterholder with 20 years of experience in financial advisory. He has led Yunistone Investment Group, LLC since its founding in 2009. The firm provides investment advisory and management services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, focusing on long-term, globally diversified, and tax-efficient portfolios using a core-satellite approach that combines passive index and ETF exposures with actively managed funds.

Edward Grudowski is a financial advisor at Personal Financial Management, Inc. in Orland Park, IL, with 27 years of industry experience. He holds the PFS™ designation and Series 65 license and has been with Personal Financial Management, Inc. since 1997. In addition to his advisory role, he operates an independent accounting practice as a Certified Public Accountant. Personal Financial Management, Inc. provides investment advisory services primarily to individuals, trusts, and estates, focusing on personalized portfolio management and limited-scope investment consulting. The firm develops individualized investment policies based on client goals and risk tolerance and employs fundamental, mutual fund/ETF, and technical analysis in portfolio implementation.

Gerard Downey is a financial advisor at Linden Wealth Management LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2011. Linden Wealth Management LLC provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses. The firm emphasizes modern portfolio theory, using low-cost, index-based ETFs and mutual funds, while also incorporating individualized securities and alternative investments as appropriate.

We guide First Gen Wealth Builders to align money with purpose. When you’re a First Gen, the financial safety net didn’t exist. You built your own. We partner with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs who’ve built success from the ground up. Does this sound like you? You’re ready for guidance that feels aligned, not intimidating. Advice that honors where you came from and helps you build what’s next. Hiring a financial planner? That’s new territory. No one in your family has done this before. Success has evolved. The questions are bigger now — more strategic, more intentional. -How do I balance saving and investing for my family with still having the freedom to travel, be present and enjoy life? -How do we protect what we’ve built, legally, financially, and emotionally, in a system that wasn’t built for us? -How do I make smarter decisions around taxes, equity comp, and investments, without second-guessing every move? Enter FirstGen Wealth: A Financial Life Planning Practice - Independent - Fee-Only (one flat fee for financial planning and Investment Management) -Fiduciary 100% of the time - Virtual - Based in Chicago and work with clients nationwide (most clients are in CA, NY, NJ, WA, VA, GA, and TX) Meet Valerie Rivera, CFP®, Founder & Financial Planner: -CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with nearly 20 years of experience advising clients with $10–$20 million portfolios. Now using that same expertise to empower First Gen Wealth Builders. -Wife, mother, homeowner, and business owner bringing real-world perspective to every financial plan. - A proud First Gen who built her own financial safety net and reached Coast FI by 40. Passionate about tax planning, travel, and helping others design lives of freedom and purpose. Her six-year-old has already visited more than 15 countries, and I’m always planning the next four. -Culturally competent, inclusive, and a proud LGBTQ+ ally committed to financial equity and social justice.

Sam Macaluso is the founder and principal of Ripple Ridge Enterprises LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and a CPA firm, SAM D. Macaluso & Associates, which provides accounting and tax-preparation services. Ripple Ridge Enterprises serves individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach and utilizes a range of investments, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.

Edwin Cogan is a financial advisor at Steeplechase Investments with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Steeplechase Investments since 1994. Steeplechase Investments provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, focusing on direct investments in stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds. The firm employs an active, tactical approach that adjusts between capital appreciation and preservation based on macroeconomic analysis and technical chart patterns, tailoring portfolios to clients’ age and income needs.

Robert Wall is a financial advisor with Wall Investment Group, Inc. in Orland Park, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 23 years of industry experience, having been with Wall Investment Group since 2003. Wall Investment Group provides discretionary investment supervisory services and portfolio management to individuals, businesses, qualified pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and trusts. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation and combines fundamental and technical analysis in security selection, conducting formal account reviews at least quarterly.

Frances Tuite is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience. She is currently with Sankota Capital LLC and has previously worked at Oak Family Advisors, Fairpointe Capital, and RMB Capital Management. Outside of finance, she co-manages an organic brewery and restaurant and owns an organic farm. Sankota Capital provides discretionary investment management to individuals, family offices, and institutions, focusing on fundamentally driven portfolios of small- and mid-cap companies. The firm emphasizes concentrated, long-term holdings with low turnover and delivers transparent reporting that includes performance figures uncommon among its peers.

Eduardo Caldera is a financial advisor at Retirement Systems LLC with under one year of industry experience. He previously worked with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC and Regency Capital, and has a background in mortgage banking. He is also involved in life insurance and annuity sales through Regency Capital. Retirement Systems LLC provides discretionary asset management and financial planning primarily to individual clients, offering tailored portfolios and 3(21) fiduciary services to qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis with quarterly reviews and allows clients to set written investment restrictions.

John Crawford is a financial advisor at Copperwood Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Horizon Wealth Management. Copperwood Financial provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, with a specialty practice for athletes under the Pro Athlete Wealth brand. The firm manages client portfolios on a discretionary, tactical allocation basis and offers qualified retirement plan consulting, including ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary services.

David Gosnell is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of experience at New England Research & Management, Inc. He is based in Chicago, IL and has been with the firm since 2008. New England Research & Management provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families, managing a range of account types including trusts, retirement plans, and estates. The firm customizes portfolios to individual client objectives, managing each account separately and employing diverse instruments such as exchange-listed securities, ETFs, and derivatives.

Cynthia Menker is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience, currently serving at Contour Financial since 2001. She holds a Series 65 license and is based in Orland Park, IL. Contour Financial serves individual households focusing on retirement planning and investment management for clients who are not high-net-worth. The firm emphasizes diversified portfolios using mutual funds and ETFs, combines investment oversight with comprehensive financial planning services, and operates as a fee-only fiduciary under the NAPFA code.

Justin Mccormack is a financial advisor with First Choice Financial Services LLC in Oak Brook, IL, holding a Series 65 license and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with First Choice Financial Services since 2013 and is also involved with First Choice Insurance Agency, where he has served in various roles since 2005. First Choice Financial Services LLC serves individual and high-net-worth clients by providing financial advice primarily through referrals to third-party money managers and estate-planning support. The firm acts as a liaison, assisting clients with third-party paperwork and ongoing oversight, while drawing on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its recommendations.

Melissa Osika is an investment advisor with Herr Capital Management LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 19 years of industry experience. She has worked at Herr Capital Management since 2017 and previously held positions at American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., SSN Advisory, Inc., and Securities Service Network. In addition to her advisory role, she is a licensed insurance agent offering life, health, disability, long-term care, and fixed annuities. Herr Capital Management LLC is a private wealth advisory firm serving individuals, families, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs a disciplined investment process with strategic and tactical allocation adjustments and offers financial planning, discretionary investment management, and retirement-plan consulting.