James Allen is a CFP® with 33 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Oppenheimer since 2020. His prior roles include positions at David A. Noyes & Co. / Sanctuary Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets, and Citicorp Investment Services. Outside of his advisory work, he volunteers as a caucus member for the Village of Glencoe, IL, assisting in candidate selection for local library and park district boards. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a wide range of investment programs and retirement services, providing advisory solutions that include discretionary and non-discretionary management, strategic asset allocation, and tailored consulting engagements.

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 at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. with six years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has worked at several firms including J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Monere Investments, Inc. before joining his current firm. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create tailored asset allocations and ongoing portfolio management aligned with clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

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 at William Blair with a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair since 2021, following roles at Valic Financial Advisors, Fischer Investment Group, Inc., and during his time at the University of Notre Dame. 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 management approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-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 at William Blair with Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 41 years of industry experience. He has worked at William Blair since 2004 and has held positions at Mony Securities Corporation and Mutual of New York since 1991. 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 employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and provides access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private funds.

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 previously at firms including J.P. Morgan Securities, U.S. Bancorp Investments, and Merrill. Outside of his advisory roles, he was involved with The Whiskey Hound from 2022 to 2025. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across multiple wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer execution and custody services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs, supported by extensive in-house research and a variety of proprietary oversight processes.

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 eight years of industry experience. He is currently with Cerity Partners LLC, where he has worked since 2021, and previously was at Beacon Trust from 2017 to 2020. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm uses tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and proprietary quantitative screens to build client portfolios and offers a range of services including financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to alternative and private-market investments.

Yan Krasov is a financial advisor at William Blair with 24 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2006 and previously worked at Banc One Securities Corporation. Krasov holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs active, research-driven management across various asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Raymond Dubeau is a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. with 22 years of experience in the industry. He has been with CIBC Wood Gundy and CIBC Private Wealth since 2004 and holds the Series 65 designation. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment advisory and wealth advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm combines in-house investment expertise with external managers to offer customized portfolios, model portfolios, and managed account programs, including options strategies and Family Office services for complex client needs.

Sophia Yudkowsky is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, with eight years of industry experience. She holds the Series 66 designation and has been with Mesirow Financial, Inc. since 2017. Sophia serves on the Myra Rubenstein Weis Leadership Board, focusing on educating and empowering people to make informed decisions to prevent hereditary cancers. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to private individuals, institutional clients, and government entities. The firm utilizes a comprehensive investment process that includes setting asset allocation targets, due diligence on various investment vehicles, and access to proprietary private investment products.

Mathew Kraines is a CFP® professional affiliated with Hightower Advisors, based in Chicago, IL, with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at The Bahnsen Group, US Bank Wealth Management, RBC Wealth Management, and Xcel Energy. He also served with American Legion Post 580 for five years. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles.

Robert Ochenkowski is a CFA® charterholder based in Chicago, IL, with one year of industry experience. He previously worked at Altair Advisers, Fiducient Advisors, and Northern Trust. He has been associated with Th Colony Group, LLC since 2014. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate and institutional clients with wealth management and advisory services. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies within an “enhanced open architecture” framework, utilizing fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside specialized tools such as trend-following and options overlay strategies.

Neil Davies is a financial advisor with Creative Planning, LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and seven years of industry experience. He has worked at Creative Planning since 2025 and previously spent over a decade at Capital Strategies Investment Group and Wells Fargo Clearing. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that incorporates low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and selective private market exposure, managing approximately $295.6 billion in assets across more than 1,100 advisors and 151 offices.

Thomas Peterson is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Oak Park, Illinois, holding CFP® and ChFC® designations and over 25 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Ameriprise and has been affiliated with New York Life and its related entities since 2008. Peterson is also involved in insurance brokering, operating under the DBA Peterson Financial Group, LLC to sell New York Life products and broker non-registered insurance products. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse client base including individual investors and institutional plans, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm emphasizes tailoring its advice to client objectives and manages the majority of its assets on a non-discretionary basis.

Andrea Conway is a CFP® professional at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with one year of industry experience. She has held prior roles at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, RBC Wealth Management, St. Olaf College, and Dundee Crown High School. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with a broad array of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.