Eric Walania is a CFA® charterholder with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair And Company, L.L.C. since 2004. He holds a Series 63 designation and is based in Western Springs, IL. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models as well as access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Samuel Awad is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in financial advising. He has worked at Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC since 2026, following six years at HighTower Advisors LLC and four years at Private Vista, LLC. Outside of financial advising, he provides operational and IT consulting and executive coaching, assisting with strategic IT programs and coaching high-potential executives. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC serves individuals, families, trusts, 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 primarily long-term investment approach with customized portfolios and a variety of model and wrap-fee program options.

Joseph Florina is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience. He is currently with Brookstone Capital Management LLC and Wealth Financial Services & Tax Advisory, having previously worked at Interactive Brokers and First American Bank. Brookstone Capital Management is an SEC-registered adviser providing fee-based asset management and financial planning through a turnkey asset management platform and a wrap-fee program. The firm serves a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, charitable organizations, other registered investment advisers, sovereign wealth funds, and banking institutions.

Nathan Freeman is a financial advisor at Wealthspire Advisors with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 66 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at firms including Independent Financial Partners, Rudwall Wealth Management, LPL Financial, and American Century Investment Services. In addition to his advisory work, Freeman owns and operates PKJ LLC, a health care services referral business. Wealthspire Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $34.3 billion in assets for nearly 9,700 clients, including individuals, corporate plans, and nonprofits. The firm uses an institutional-style asset allocation approach with a range of investment vehicles and offers services such as wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting.

Charles Williams is a CFP® professional with 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has worked with Independent Financial Partners since 2010 and previously served at LPL Financial and IFP Securities, LLC. Williams is also an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies, where he teaches a retirement planning and employee benefits course. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent Investment Adviser Representatives. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients, with a focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting services.

David Kohlmeyer is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience. He has worked at Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. since 2018 and previously spent nine years at Stifel Nicolaus & Co Inc. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as the treasurer for the Wheaton Academy Foundation, a role involving quarterly evening meetings. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and institutions. The firm offers a range of fee-based wrap programs, financial planning, and investment management services, using strategies managed internally and by third parties, with oversight from an Investment Strategy Committee.

Jeffrey Perkins is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has been with Transamerica Financial Advisors since 2012 and also serves on the board of Marengo Area Outreach Enterprises. Outside of finance, he manages Perkins Farm, which sells hay and beef. Transamerica Financial Advisors provides investment advisory, brokerage, and retirement-plan services to a wide range of clients, including individuals, employer-sponsored plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a model portfolio approach using third-party managers and proprietary solutions delivered through multiple platforms.

Anthony Hoban is a financial advisor with William Blair, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 29 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1996. 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 equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, providing access to proprietary models, third-party sub-managers, and private investment opportunities.

James Wilkins is a financial advisor with Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 34 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at LPL Financial LLC, OSAIC, Securities America Advisors, and National Planning Corporation. He also works as a wealth advisor utilizing variable annuities for financial planning solutions. Stratos Wealth Partners, Ltd is an SEC-registered enterprise wealth management firm serving over 24,000 clients through approximately 366 advisors. The firm uses an open-architecture investment approach, offering individualized asset allocations, model portfolios, and third-party manager programs.

Seth Holzwarth is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Guardian Life. He previously worked at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company and its affiliated entities. Outside of his advisory role, he volunteers with Holy Smokers BBQ in Lake Forest, IL. He works through Park Avenue Securities LLC, a subsidiary of Guardian Life, which provides brokerage services, financial planning, and investment advisory programs to individuals, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers both discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services utilizing proprietary and third-party model portfolios.

Kahina Kherbouche is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and one year of industry experience. She has worked in various roles within Fifth Third Bank since 2019, with prior experience at MB Financial Bank, Liberty Tax, and Joson's Deli. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to a range of clients, including individuals, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank.

Nader Maalouf is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with three years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Uber, J.P. Morgan Securities, and AXA Advisors. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs alongside broker-dealer execution and custody services.

Giacomo Palazzolo is an investment advisor representative with TLG Advisors, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 30 years of industry experience. He has worked at The Leaders Group, Inc. since 2013 and Resource Insurance and Financial Group since 2003. In addition to his advisory role, he is involved in insurance and group benefits businesses and serves as a notary public. TLG Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, pension and retirement plans, and other institutional investors. The firm offers investment supervisory services, portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, with an investment approach centered on manager selection and ongoing monitoring using fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory.

Trenton Grens is a financial advisor at Brookstone Capital Management LLC with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked previously at AssetMark Brokerage, Northern Lights Distributors, and Astor Investment Management. Brookstone Capital Management provides fee-based asset management and financial planning to a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and trusts. The firm utilizes strategic and dynamic asset-allocation models, a range of investment vehicles, and serves as both an investment advisor and sub-advisor through its turnkey asset management platform.

Daniel Sommers is a Certified Financial Planner® with 26 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has been with Kestra Advisory since 2016 and has a long tenure at Kestra Investment Services, LLC, as well as Freiburger Financial Group. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as director of an education loan trust established by his family to assist grandchildren with secondary education funding and acts as a trustee for a 401(k) plan. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to plan sponsors and a diverse range of institutional and individual clients. The firm offers services including fiduciary consulting, plan design, employee education, and access to multiple management platforms, serving large institutional investors and specialized clients such as sovereign wealth funds.

Andrew Doten is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at William Blair. Prior to joining William Blair in 2025, he worked at Fiducient Advisors, Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth, Urban Financial Advisory, Vivaldi Capital Management, and Lincoln Financial Advisors. 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 an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies, offering proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Drew Mullarkey is a financial advisor at Mariner with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked previously at Capital Group Companies - American Funds, DoorDash, Morgan Stanley, and Valeo Financial Advisors. Mariner serves a broad range of clients including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax and family office services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios that combine in-house research with third-party managers and provides specialized tax integration and financial wellness solutions.

James Flanagan is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 37 years of industry experience. He has been with Independent Financial Group since 2010. Outside of his advisory role, Flanagan provides pro bono financial advice to cancer patients, serves as an adjunct professor of gerontology at Concordia University, and is the author of a book titled *Packing for Retirement*. He also holds various positions including treasurer for Terra Nova Films and Circle of Life, Inc., and is involved in teaching at Triton College. 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 brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives and utilizes multiple advisory platforms and third-party asset managers.

Calla Gorman is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 11 years of industry experience. She currently works at Independent Financial Partners and has held roles at several firms including Sheridan Road Advisors, LPL Financial, and Merrill. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients, with a notable focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting.

Nathaniel Chan is a financial advisor at Mariner with a Series 66 designation and no prior industry experience. Before entering the financial sector, he worked at Lu's Sushi and Chinese and spent ten years at Wheaton College. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, and retirement consulting. The firm offers customized discretionary portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, with notable capabilities in tax and accounting integration and administrative family office services.