Kurt Miscinski is a financial advisor with Cerity Partners LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. He has been with HPM Partners LLC since 2010. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and retirement plan services, emphasizing customized, diversified portfolios and access to alternative and private-market investments.

Michael Adamski is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, with 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Mesirow Financial since 2009 and holds the Series 66 designation. Mesirow Financial Investment Management’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a structured investment process that utilizes both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products.

Michael Wertz is a financial advisor at William Blair with 17 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with William Blair & Company LLC since 2008. 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 uses active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary model portfolios and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Frank Pellicori is a financial advisor at Corient with 23 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Vivaldi Capital Management and UBS Financial Services. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as an adjunct lecturer at DePaul University. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm employs a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers and utilizes various risk management tools.

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.

Deborah Hopkins is a CFP® with 24 years of industry experience. She is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, Kovitz Securities, LLC, and Foreside Financial Services, LLC. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses, offering a range of portfolio management, financial counseling, and fiduciary services. The firm emphasizes a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies and maintains several distinct investment programs and affiliated financial service offerings.

Nicholas Latko is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors since 2021. He previously worked at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. and Clear Perspective LLC for ten years each. Outside of his advisory role, Latko is a co-owner of Perspire Sauna Studio and serves as a board member of the F3 Naperville Foundation, where he assists with event planning and organizational direction. 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 affiliated and third-party managers across various investment vehicles, including mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

James Judd is a CFP® with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago since 2019. Prior to joining CIBC, he was self-employed from 2017 to 2019 and worked in other roles from 2015 to 2017. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth advisory services to a diverse client base, including high net worth individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm employs a structured investment process involving internal teams and committees to deliver customized portfolio management, including access to options strategies and family office services, managing approximately $67.8 billion in assets with 175 advisors.

Michael Sharpe is a CFP® with four years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory in Chicago, IL. His prior experience includes roles at Shepherd Financial, LLC, LeadJen LLC, and the University of Kentucky. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering annual financial reviews, retirement and planning discussions, and a range of investment recommendations delivered through Charles Schwab’s asset allocation models and research tools.

Christopher Prince is a CFP® with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Oppenheimer since 2014. He holds a Series 66 license and is based in Chicago, IL. Oppenheimer serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, offering a range of advisory and brokerage services such as discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement services. The firm employs strategic and tactical asset allocation alongside manager selection and various investment strategies, with a notable role as a qualified custodian and a mix of commission-based and non-discretionary advisory programs.

Stephen Wathen is a financial advisor at Cresset Asset Management, LLC with 23 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Cresset in 2020, he was with PagnatoKarp Partners, LLC from 2016 to 2020. Cresset Asset Management is a multi-disciplinary investment adviser managing approximately $78.9 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles, employing a disciplined, risk-aware investment approach that combines strategic asset allocation, manager selection, and both active and passive strategies across multiple asset classes.

Nicholas Dunckle is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 19 years of industry experience. He has worked at ESS Fenton Group, LLC, Sunamerica Capital Services, Inc., and AIG Retirement Advisors. Outside of advisory work, he is a limited partner in a private storage unit business and owns land planned for partial residential use and resale. Valic Financial Advisors primarily serves U.S.-based individual investors, including high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as corporate and retirement-plan participants. The firm offers managed-account programs, financial planning, and brokerage services, utilizing Envestnet-developed models and operating at a large scale with over 1,200 advisors.

Nicolette Kulach is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with three years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Mesirow Wealth Management and The Mather Group. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to private individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and other institutional clients. The firm applies quantitative and qualitative due diligence across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary private investment products alongside access to third-party managers.

Tara Schutz is a CFP® and Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. She has worked at Kestra Advisory, LLC and Kestra Investment Services, LLC since 2020 and was previously with Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Private Bank from 2009 to 2020. Schutz also operates Windsor Private Wealth, LLC, where she provides financial planning, asset allocation, and investment advisory services. Kestra Advisory Services offers investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to institutional and individual clients, providing services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and employee education. The firm serves a diverse client base that includes large institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds, managing approximately $79.8 billion in assets.

Matthew Parenti is a CFP® with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors since 2020. Prior to joining Hightower, he worked at Private Vista, LLC and Kestra Financial Services, Inc. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes multi-manager solutions through affiliated and third-party managers, incorporating proprietary research and varied investment vehicles, including mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

Pierce Ernst is a financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors and holds the Series 66 designation. He has four years of industry experience, including prior roles at Fidelity Investments and LPL Enterprise LLC. Ernst is based in Chicago, IL. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer serving primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm offers wrap programs, portfolio management, and financial planning services through a large network of advisors and utilizes Envestnet’s platform for unified managed accounts with tax-aware and ESG overlay options.

Daniel Lippold is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving at First Command Advisory Services since 2015. He has also been affiliated with First Command Insurance Services and First Command Financial Planning since 2011. Daniel is based in Darien, IL. First Command Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser that serves individuals, corporate, and charitable clients, with a particular focus on active-duty service members and their families. The firm provides financial planning and various wrap-fee asset management programs, utilizing model portfolios managed by a centralized Investment Management Team and Wealth Portfolio Managers.

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.

Christopher Crull is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with 21 years of industry experience. He has been with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. and its parent company, Fifth Third Bank, since 2004. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services, combining its municipal-advisor registration with corporate affiliation to a large bank.

Iran Harvell is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Merrill for ten years before joining Hightower in 2023. 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’s advisory approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers along with proprietary research and a range of investment vehicles.