Karim Ahamed is a CFA® charterholder with 21 years of industry experience, currently serving at Cerity Partners LLC since 2010. He holds the Series 63 designation and is based in Chicago, IL. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in nonprofit and educational organizations, including serving as board member and treasurer of Ingenuity, Inc., an arts education nonprofit, and participating in finance committees for several endowment funds. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $126.9 billion in client assets, serving a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, corporations, and institutional investors. The firm offers a range of services from investment management to financial planning, emphasizing diversified asset allocation and access to alternative and private-market investments.

Jenni Engstrom is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, with five years of industry experience. She holds Series 65 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at TC Wealth Partners, LLC and Trust Company of Illinois. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a manager selection approach that incorporates affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and diversified portfolio construction strategies.

Tyler Saam is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. He previously worked at Alight Solutions for 16 years and had brief roles at Lockton Investment Advisors and Lockton Companies. Outside of his advisory work, he is a shareholder in Saam Oil Company, Inc., a family-owned business. Creative Planning serves a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans, providing portfolio management, financial planning, fiduciary services, and access to private market investments. The firm employs a financial planning-led investment process focused on low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supported by a large advisory team and integrated investment infrastructure.

Michael Mccabe is a CFP® with 29 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors since 2020. He previously worked at RPC Private Wealth, Private Vista LLC, and Retirement Programs Co., where he continues as a pension consultant and part owner. Outside of his advisory roles, he has managerial responsibilities at MCW Management, LLC, and is involved in life insurance sales through Allianz Insurance. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers a range of portfolio management and consulting services.

Linda Litner is a financial advisor at Sequoia Financial Group, L.L.C. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 credential with four years of industry experience. She previously worked at Cresset Asset Management, LLC and Summit Trail before joining Sequoia Financial Group, where she currently serves as Senior Vice President, Family Wealth. Sequoia Financial Advisors, LLC provides wealth planning, investment management, and retirement-plan and business-consulting services to a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, trusts, and family offices. The firm combines in-house model portfolios with custom accounts and third-party manager selection, supported by a dedicated Investment Policy Committee and comprehensive research resources.

Kyle Deal is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience in the financial advisory industry. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and has previously worked at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, Telemus Capital, and Huber Financial Advisors. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, corporate, and institutional clients, offering wealth management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework, utilizing fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside alternative tools such as trend-following and options overlay strategies.

Debra Willson is a financial advisor with Rockefeller Financial LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 18 years of industry experience. She previously worked for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC for 15 years before joining Rockefeller Financial in 2024. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers a range of portfolio management and financial planning services through a Private Advisor model and a consolidated investment platform, combining broker-dealer operations with trust, insurance, and asset management capabilities.

Blake Green is a financial advisor at Cresset Asset Management, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and HighTower Securities, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is also an Independent Insurance Agent. Cresset Asset Management is a multi-disciplinary investment adviser managing approximately $78.9 billion in client assets, serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm employs a disciplined, risk-aware approach across a range of asset classes and leverages third-party managers and advanced tools such as artificial intelligence for research and analysis.

Lu Ling Li is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors in Chicago, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 20 years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at BGSLK Management, LLC, Ling Finance LLC, and Flexible Benefit Service Corporation. She is also involved in part-time sales of insurance and non-insurance products through Ling Finance LLC. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves a broad client base, including individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses, utilizing a variety of advisory programs and model portfolios managed by third-party firms.

Scott Carnow is a financial advisor at William Blair with 30 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1995. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. 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.

Kyle Griffith is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently advising at Creative Planning since 2022. His prior experience includes roles at Wipfli Financial Advisors and The Mather Group. He is based in Chicago, IL. Creative Planning provides wealth management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients. The firm employs a financial-planning-led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, complemented by tax-loss harvesting, private market exposure, and use of sub-advisors for retirement plans.

Marcello Paolella is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and two years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE Securities LLC. Before entering the financial sector, he worked with Envision Mobile Imaging LLC and Inspire Medical Billing, Inc. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management services primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm emphasizes long-term portfolio returns and integrates its advisory services closely with Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Anastasios Manolis is a financial advisor with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC in Chicago, holding a Series 65 designation and currently in his first year with the firm. His prior experience includes roles at Kovitz Investment Group Partners, LLC, Northern Trust Corporation, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Outside of finance, he has worked in the restaurant industry with Levy Restaurants. Focus Partners Wealth serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering services such as investment management, financial and tax planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm’s investment approach combines active and passive strategies within an enhanced open architecture framework, integrating fundamental and quantitative analysis alongside alternative strategies.

Eric Stone is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with nine years of industry experience. He has been with Citigroup Global Markets since 2017 and previously worked at JMB Insurance for two years. He is based in Chicago, IL. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and combines large institutional scale with unique market roles and arrangements.

Jennifer Morreale is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 23 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at UBS Financial Services, Quantum Private Wealth, LLC, and Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Inc. since 2013. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base including private individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm utilizes both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products, employing a disciplined investment process that includes Investment Policy Statements, asset allocation, and due diligence across various asset classes.

Wilfrido Hernandez is a financial advisor with William Blair in Chicago, holding a Series 66 designation and six years of industry experience. Prior to joining William Blair in 2018, he worked at Hyatt Hotels Co from 2014 to 2018. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and institutional clients. The firm employs active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary model portfolios, private funds, and co-investment opportunities.

Hari Nair is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with 19 years of industry experience, currently with Schwab Wealth Advisory. His prior experience includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities and extensive tenure at Charles Schwab and Charles Schwab Bank. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering services such as annual financial reviews, investment recommendations, and wealth management education. The firm operates as an internal advisory unit within the Schwab ecosystem, delivering advice through standard asset allocation models and Schwab research tools while leaving final trading decisions to clients.

Katherine Fox is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 18 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with TIAA-CREF since 2013. Fox serves as a board member for the Admiral at the Lake Foundation, a continuing care retirement community in Chicago. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm combines point-in-time financial planning with ongoing portfolio management and serves as adviser to a donor-advised fund within a vertically integrated investment structure.

Brian Kittle Jr. is a financial advisor at William Blair with 18 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 65 and Series 63 designations and has worked at William Blair since 2008. 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 multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Irvin Cartagena Jr. is a CFP® professional with 18 years of industry experience. He is currently with Schwab Wealth Advisory, where he has worked since 2022. Prior to this, he held roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank NA and JPMorgan Securities LLC. Schwab Wealth Advisory, Inc. provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice through the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, offering annual financial reviews, retirement and planning discussions, and investment recommendations. The firm operates within the Schwab ecosystem, utilizing standard asset allocation models and research tools, while clients retain final trading decisions.