Susan Winklebleck is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Palatine, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 14 years of industry experience. She has been with TIAA-CREF and TIAA since 2014. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing TIAA-administered employer retirement plan relationships. The firm provides separate broker-dealer services, acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund, and employs a fiduciary standard within its RIA services.

Joel Fliegel is a CFP® professional with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC since 2017, following prior roles including six years at CLA Financial Advisors LLC before its acquisition. Outside of advising, he serves as a Level 1 USA Hockey Official, officiating youth hockey games in the Chicago area, and provides pro bono counseling for families affected by cancer. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services manages over $122 billion in assets and offers financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm employs a diversified, risk-class based investment approach combining passive and active management, supported by an internal Investment Committee and a range of implementation tools and services.

Stanko Pavlovic is a financial advisor at PlanMember Securities Corporation with 29 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has previously worked at firms including LPL Financial, BMO Harris Financial Advisors, and WCG Wealth Advisors. He is also president of Prosperity Wealth Advisors, an investment-related business. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and participants, acting as an ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary for many plans. The firm employs a top-down strategic asset allocation framework and manages unitized, risk-based mutual fund portfolios, offering education and support services including retirement planning and separation counseling.

Brady Peat is a CFP® and Series 65-registered advisor with three years of industry experience. He is currently with Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC and previously worked at Hightower Advisors, PrairieView Partners, and Googins Advisors. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, estates, businesses, and retirement plans through a network of independent financial advisors. The firm offers discretionary investment management, financial planning, family office, and retirement plan advisory services, employing a long-term approach with customized portfolios using mutual funds, ETFs, individual equities, and fixed income.

Ernest Macvicar III is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. He has 42 years of industry experience, including roles at Credit Suisse Securities and Relative Value Partners. He serves as a member of the investment committee for Kenilworth Union Church, where he reviews and recommends asset allocation for the endowment fund. Focus Partners Wealth serves a wide range of clients including individuals, families, corporate, and institutional investors, offering investment management, financial counseling, and wealth services through a large advisory platform. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach using fundamental and quantitative analysis and integrates a variety of asset classes and overlay strategies.

Liam Mulligan is a financial advisor at Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC with two years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at L.M. Kohn & Company and Benjamin F. Edwards. Mulligan also spent several years in education before transitioning to financial services. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise firm serving a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers financial planning, asset management, and specialized consulting, employing a strategic investment approach that combines passive and active management guided by an internal Investment Committee.

Richard Kasher is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2009 and is also the owner of Diversified Tax Services, Inc., a tax preparation and consulting firm. In addition to his advisory role, Kasher provides consulting services related to business valuation and forensic analysis. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement services, utilizing multiple advisory programs and third-party asset managers to meet diverse client needs.

Preeti Gupta is an advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and currently located in Wheeling, IL. She has been with Fifth Third Bank since 2022 and joined Fifth Third Securities in 2026. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional entities through both advisory and brokerage services. The firm offers multiple investment programs via the Passageway Managed Account platform, allowing clients to select strategies tailored to their risk profiles.

Daniel Bolan is a financial advisor with Allworth Financial, L.P. He holds the CFP® designation along with Series 63, 65, and 66 licenses and has 22 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Charles Schwab Wealth Management, FNBC Bank & Trust, and 83 Rd St. Wealth Management. Allworth Financial is a fee-based SEC-registered adviser serving individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers customized portfolio strategies using model approaches, third-party sub-advisers, and technology to manage held-away accounts, and is notable for its ownership structure and specialized divisions such as its Airline division.

Mazen Zanayed is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Clarendon Hills, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Wealth Management since 2014. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account that uses algorithmic questionnaires to guide portfolio strategy and implements investments via approved model strategies managed by PNC or third-party strategists.

Katelyn Depew is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 14 years of industry experience. She currently works at Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and previously spent 11 years at TIAA-CREF and Tiaa. Mercer Global Advisors serves individuals, families, small business owners, plan sponsors, foundations, non-profits, and endowments, providing a range of investment advisory, financial, tax, retirement, and estate planning services. The firm follows an investment approach based on Modern Portfolio Theory with globally diversified portfolios implemented through low-cost ETFs, index funds, separate account managers, and other strategies.

Charles Villano is a CFP® professional with 31 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently affiliated with Primerica Advisors and has an extensive background including roles at Guardian Life Insurance Company and Park Avenue Securities. Outside of his advisory work, Villano serves as a CPE instructor for local CPAs and operates a life coaching program for business owners. Park Avenue Securities LLC serves a diverse retail client base, offering both brokerage and advisory services along with financial planning and business consulting. The firm employs a variety of investment strategies through proprietary and third-party platforms, managing approximately $15 billion in regulatory assets under management.

Howard Suss is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and Park Avenue Securities, holding Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and bringing 31 years of industry experience. He has worked at Guardian Life since 2004 and at Park Avenue Securities since 2005. Outside of his advisory roles, he sells life and disability insurance through Suss Financial Group. Park Avenue Securities LLC, operating as Park Avenue® Wealth Management, is a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients with brokerage services, financial planning, and a range of investment advisory programs.

Edward Meek is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 34 years of industry experience. He is currently with Cerity Partners LLC and has previously worked at Edge Portfolio Management, LLC for 21 years and Alpha Cubed Investments, LLC for one year. He is also a licensed independent agent selling life, health, and disability insurance on a limited basis. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a broad national client base, including high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and institutional investors. The firm utilizes tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and proprietary quantitative tools to build client investment programs.

Chad Stein is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 designations and possessing 25 years of industry experience. He has been with TIAA-CREF since 2006. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often serving clients connected through TIAA-administered employer retirement plans. The firm combines point-in-time planning with ongoing portfolio management using both model and customized portfolios, and also acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Andrew Blessman is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Creative Planning since 2019. Prior to joining Creative Planning, he worked at Sebold Capital Management from 2015 to 2019. He holds the Series 66 designation and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm emphasizes a financial planning–led investment process with low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, complemented by supplemental approaches such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting, supported by a broad team and centralized investment infrastructure.

Mark Hughes is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Downers Grove, IL, holding the ChFC® designation along with Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. He has 38 years of industry experience, including roles at Hughes Financial since 2000 and positions at Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal Securities INC dating back to the late 1980s. In addition to advisory services, he is involved in selling and servicing fixed life, fixed annuities, and health insurance products through an outside insurance business. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, businesses, and active-duty military personnel overseas. The firm offers financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to third-party money manager solutions through various advisory and promoter arrangements.

Pavel Yurevich is a CFP® professional at PNC Wealth Management with eight years of industry experience. He has previously worked at Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Capital One. Outside of his advisory role, Pavel is an owner and operator of residential rental properties. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an online discretionary model account available by invitation to employees. The firm employs algorithm-driven risk assessments and external portfolio delegates, focusing on mutual funds and ETFs with annual rebalancing.

Trevor Merkley is a financial advisor at &PARTNERS with Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and one year of industry experience. His prior work experience includes roles at K Force, Chicago Public Schools, and several financial services firms including JPMorgan Securities LLC and Prime Trading LLC. &PARTNERS serves a diverse client base of individual and institutional investors, offering investment management, financial and tax planning, and retirement plan consulting services. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary accounts managed via the Envestnet platform and NFS brokerage infrastructure.

Scott Biestek is a financial advisor with Commonwealth Financial Network, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and possessing 15 years of industry experience. He has been affiliated with Commonwealth since 2013 and operates Biestek Wealth Management, LLC, where he is involved in both advisory services and insurance sales. In addition, Biestek maintains a law practice as an attorney. Commonwealth Financial Network is a dual-registered broker/dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving a national network of approximately 2,900 advisors and managing over $212 billion in client assets. The firm provides a broad adviser-support platform including managed-account programs, access to third-party asset managers, retirement consulting, and custody services.