Robert Hoffman is a CFA® charterholder with five years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at William Blair. He has previously held roles at Larix Capital Partners, where he was a co-founder and board member, the EOM Group, and TLP Management. Hoffman also serves as an independent director on the board of The Agnew Company, a single-family office. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers 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 portfolios, third-party sub-managers, and private fund opportunities.

Joel Chery is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 20 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Merrill, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, and Morgan Stanley. Outside of his advisory work, he owns Harbor Yachts, a fractional boat lease business, and serves as a board member of St. Bernard's High School. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals with existing employer retirement plan relationships, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management under a fiduciary standard, utilizing a vertically integrated approach that includes affiliated funds and donor-advised fund services.

Joseph Tabet is a financial advisor at William Blair with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at William Blair since 2021. Prior to his current role, his work history includes positions at World of Beer, Local Tree Tech, and Alaska Pacific Seafoods. 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, offering proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Susan Soderberg is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley and Riverstone Wealth Partners. Her background also includes roles in the Indian Prairie School District. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management through model portfolios and customized accounts.

James Myczek is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Chicago, holding a Series 66 designation and 16 years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Merrill, Edward Jones, and PNC Investments. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning, discretionary managed accounts, and broker-dealer services to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm offers model portfolio management as well as customized portfolio solutions and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

John Cultra is a CFA® charterholder with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1997. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients, employing an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies.

Jennifer Frahm is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 22 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with GWFS Equities, Inc. and Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she teaches financial fluency to high school students and medical students at the University of Illinois Medical School through her initiative, Intentional Investment Education. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management mainly to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Michael Biggus is a financial advisor with VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 29 years of industry experience. He has worked with VOYA Financial Advisors and its affiliated entities since 2002. Outside of advising, he is an independent insurance agent and engages in personal buying and selling of gold and silver on eBay. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. is an enterprise-scale advisory and broker-dealer affiliate of Voya Financial serving individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, unified managed accounts, and retirement-plan advisory services through a network of representatives using a combination of in-house and external strategists, model portfolios, and technology-enabled tools.

Colleen Mccaffery is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services based in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. Her prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations, utilizing a blend of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Ruth Goran is a financial advisor with Cetera Planning Partners and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. She has 25 years of industry experience, including 25 years at Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. Outside of her advisory role, she is president of Entertain2Educate, an organization involved in developing original scripts for continuing education programs, and serves as president of the not-for-profit Parks Earhart, which researches women breaking the glass ceiling in business. She also holds several voluntary board and treasurer roles with nonprofit organizations. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on pre-retirees and retirees by providing investment management, comprehensive financial planning, Social Security optimization, and retirement-related advice. The firm offers additional services such as tax planning and preparation, bookkeeping, payroll support, and estate-planning through a third-party provider, integrating a diversified investment approach with a formal planning process.

David Harrison is a CFP® professional with 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with NewEdge Advisors and has held roles at North Star Investment Services, Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation, Mid Atlantic Financial Management, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of advisory work, he serves as president of Wealth Capital Partners, a financial activity business, and also of a fixed annuities and life insurance company. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and nonprofit entities through a network of independent representatives. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management and consulting services and employs multiple program structures supported by centralized due diligence and advanced technology tools.

Carmen Cheung is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with six years of industry experience. She has been with Citigroup since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she works as a wedding emcee on an event basis. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across a range of wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs. The firm combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and derivatives services.

Alisa Ciccone is a financial advisor at William Blair with 27 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1999. 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.

Kathryn Novak is a financial advisor at William Blair with one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to joining William Blair, she worked at Bucknell University and Mattawan Highschool. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary 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 an active, research-driven investment approach across multiple asset classes and provides access to proprietary models and private fund opportunities.

Abraham Jimenez is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with four years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at The Vanguard Group and Randstad, as well as multiple positions at Cerity Partners since 2023. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management services to a diverse national clientele, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset allocation and manager selection, combining proprietary quantitative screens with third-party managers and individual securities, and offers access to alternative and private-market investments.

Didier Thierry is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining HighTower Securities, LLC in 2019, he worked in the hospitality sector with Windy City Hospitality and Hospitality One Group from 2016 to 2019. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and diversified investment options such as mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

William Mc Carty IV is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Fifth Third Bank and Fifth Third Securities since 2023, following prior roles at Charles Schwab and First Trust Portfolios. Outside of his advisory work, he engages in personal item sales on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Fifth Third Securities provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate and business clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs through its Passageway Managed Account Program and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, combining bank affiliation with a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser structure.

Melissa Wiss is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Lockton Investment Advisors, Lockton Financial Advisors, and Lockton Companies. Wiss is based in Chicago, IL. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning–led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental tactics such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Matthew Alcorn is a financial advisor at TIAA‑CREF with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at BMO Capital Markets Corp., B. Riley Securities, Inc., and TradeStation Securities, Inc. TIAA‑CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning, discretionary managed account programs, and broker-dealer services primarily to individuals connected with TIAA-administered retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm operates a vertically integrated advisory model that includes customized portfolio management and serves as adviser to the TIAA Donor Advised Fund.

Patricia Luken is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with eight years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Barclays Bank plc. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer that serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm uses a technology-driven approach, offering discretionary unified managed accounts and financial planning through a large network of advisors.