Jerry Sjostrom is the principal of Sjostrom Financial Planning Inc. in Oak Park, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Sjostrom Financial Planning since 2002 and also has a long tenure at THE O.N. Equity Sales Company beginning in 1995. Sjostrom Financial Planning Inc. offers comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services to individual clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, charities, estates, and trusts. The firm follows a client-specific planning process emphasizing diversified asset allocation and incorporates pension consulting alongside individual wealth management.

Christine Everett Frantonius is the principal of Everett Wealth Solutions, Inc. and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. She has worked at Abraham & Co., Inc. and has been involved with Everett Wealth Solutions since 2008 as well as Everett & Associates, Inc. since 1998, where she also serves as president of an insurance brokerage agency. Everett Wealth Solutions provides retirement, financial, estate, and college planning along with discretionary portfolio management for a range of clients including retirees, working professionals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and small businesses. The firm employs a documented four-step review process to create individualized financial plans and manages client accounts primarily through securities available on the client's custodian platform, also offering educational seminars, newsletters, and an encrypted client portal.

David Rosenblatt is a CFA® charterholder and financial advisor with two years of industry experience. He is currently with Amplio Wealth LLC, having previously worked at Columbia Threadneedle Investments and BMO Global Asset Management. Amplio Wealth LLC provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional entities such as endowments and foundations. The firm employs a range of investment analysis techniques and offers access to complex and alternative investments, including cryptocurrencies and private equity, while maintaining fiduciary standards and governance oversight.

Preston Appleby is the sole advisor at Appleby Advisory LLC in Evanston, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has 11 years of industry experience, in addition to 21 years as a self-employed professional. Appleby Advisory LLC serves individual investors, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and various business entities by referring clients to Geneva Advisors LLC for portfolio management. The firm functions as a referral intermediary and does not directly manage client accounts or hold custody of funds.

James Kirchner is the principal of Kirchner Financial Group, an independent registered investment adviser based in Chicago, IL. Holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, he has 24 years of industry experience with prior roles at firms including Allied Elite Financial and David A. Noyes. Outside of his advisory work, he also drives for Uber in Chicago on a part-time basis. Kirchner Financial Group manages approximately $15.9 million across about 29 client accounts, primarily serving high-net-worth individual investors. The firm provides ongoing portfolio management with discretionary authority, utilizing a combination of charting, fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis, mostly recommending equities and conducting monthly account reviews through Schwab Institutional.

David Oosterbaan is the principal of DCO Capital Management LLC, an independent firm based in Chicago, IL. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 15 years of industry experience. Prior to establishing DCO Capital Management, he was self-employed since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is a managing member of a private fund and works as a consultant for recruiting and business development. DCO Capital Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, foundations, endowments, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes a long-term, value-oriented investment approach based on fundamental research and offers tailored portfolios without a separate fee for financial planning.

Jon Wildermuth Jr. is the principal of West Point Advisory Group LLC in Chicago, IL, with 25 years of industry experience. He holds the CFA® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. His career includes 16 years at Harris Associates and roles at Rockefeller Capital Management and Sendero Wealth Management. West Point Advisory Group LLC provides investment advisory and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, and estates. The firm constructs portfolios typically using low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, emphasizing fundamental analysis and a long-term investment approach with ongoing client communication, formalized compliance, and institutional relationships.

John Couleur is the sole advisor at Couleur Investments in Wilmette, Illinois, holding a Series 65 designation with five years of industry experience. He has managed Couleur Investments since 2020 and previously operated under his own name from 2000 to 2022. Couleur Investments provides investment management and standalone financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, estates, foundations, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm employs a top-down investment approach focusing on high-quality growth and undervalued securities, incorporating fundamental, technical, cyclical, and event-driven analysis with a long-term holding strategy.

Veronica Cardenas is the principal of Cardenas Asset Management, LLC, an independent firm based in Chicago. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 25 years of industry experience. Since founding her firm in 2000, she has focused on providing investment management and financial planning services. Cardenas Asset Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable institutions, and corporate entities. The firm emphasizes publicly traded equities, ETFs, mutual funds, and fixed-income instruments, using a long-term, quality-focused investment approach with tax-aware strategies and supports in-kind donations of appreciated securities as part of its planning services.

Nathan Kirckof is a CFA® charterholder and principal at Honeyguide Capital Partners in Chicago, IL. He has experience at Fitch Ratings, where he serves as a director and analyst, as well as prior roles at Bixby Research and Analytics LLC and U.S. Bank. Kirckof’s work at Fitch Ratings involves credit ratings and data analytics. Honeyguide Capital Partners provides fee-based discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm employs a tactical asset allocation strategy using a concentrated set of exchange-listed securities, ETFs, and options, managing client assets according to a proprietary model portfolio rather than tailored individual plans.

Richard Ford is a financial advisor at Lloyd Park, LLC in Wilmette, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 11 years of industry experience. He has been with Lloyd Park since 2014. Lloyd Park, LLC is an independent firm providing discretionary asset and portfolio management primarily to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and related trusts and estates, with $167.3 million in assets under management. The firm tailors investment programs to client objectives and risk tolerance, employing a range of investment vehicles and quantitative analysis, and also serves charitable organizations within its account policies.

Melanie Hummer is a CFP® and CFA® with 27 years of experience in financial advisory services. She is the founder of Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc, where she has worked since 1999. In addition to her advisory role, she is a self-employed CPA specializing in income tax return preparation and is the creator and president of costbasis.com, a website providing resources and calculators for investors to account for corporate reorganizations. Hummer Financial Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary investment supervisory services and a range of financial planning engagements for individuals, trusts, retirement accounts, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes tax-aware, buy-and-hold investment strategies with a focus on controlling taxable events and maintaining detailed tax records, supported by the firm’s integration of accounting and tax expertise.

Joseph Kuschman is a CFP® professional associated with Earnest Planning LLC in Chicago, IL, with six years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Goldman Sachs and NextCapital Advisers, among others. Earnest Planning serves individual and high-net-worth clients with wealth management that combines discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and passive management, offers ESG strategies and model portfolios, and provides a range of financial planning services while operating on a fee-only basis.

Peigen Tao is the principal of Taos Investment Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding the CFA® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses, and has 28 years of industry experience. He has worked with Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and operates several affiliated businesses, including an accounting firm and an insurance agency, where he holds management roles. Tao’s other business activities include serving as president of an insurance agency and partner in an accounting firm. Taos Investment Advisors provides financial planning, consulting, and discretionary asset management primarily to individual and high-net-worth clients, as well as small business owners. The firm employs both fundamental and technical analysis and manages approximately $78.9 million in assets across about 116 client relationships.

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.

Conor Mahlmann is a CFP® certified financial advisor with eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Ascent Financial Planning and has prior experience at SLP Wealth LLC, Kippington Capital Management, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of traditional financial advising, he works as a Student Loan Consultant at Student Loan Planner®, where he conducts consultations and creates media content related to student loan repayment and forgiveness. Ascent Financial Planning provides financial planning and portfolio management services for individuals and families, emphasizing retirement planning, cash flow and budgeting, and federal student loan guidance. The firm employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis with model ETF portfolios and selective individual securities, operates on a fee-only basis, and offers both fixed-fee and asset-based pricing options.

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.

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.

Thai Thomas Tran is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience in financial advisory roles. He is the sole advisor at Petrarch Wealth Management, an independent firm based in Chicago, IL. His prior experience includes multiple roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and ownership of Petrarch Insurance Services LLC, where he also provides online non-investment related financial education and consulting. Petrarch Wealth Management offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting to individual and retirement plan clients. The firm emphasizes capital preservation and risk management through behavioral economics, goal-based planning, and strategic asset allocation.

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.