Morgan Pruett is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Corient in Chicago, IL. Prior to joining Corient, Morgan held roles at Vivaldi Capital Management, Fidelity Investments, and TD Ameritrade. Outside of financial advising, Morgan is involved in teaching yoga at CorePower Yoga. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients, 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 risk management tools and stress testing to align portfolios with client objectives.

Noah Bloch is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been with Mesirow since 2017. Bloch serves as an associates board member of the Chicago Fire Foundation, assisting in fundraising and awareness efforts. Mesirow Financial Investment Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm employs both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products across a range of asset classes.

Michael Asnis is a Series 66 credentialed financial advisor with Valic Financial Advisors in Chicago, IL, bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has been with Valic Financial Advisors since 2016 and also works as a contract worker supporting election day operations for Election Systems & Software. Additionally, he assists seasonally as a doorman at Butch McGuire’s bar and grill in Chicago. Valic Financial Advisors serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients and employer-sponsored retirement participants, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and discretionary unified managed accounts through a large network of advisors.

Lucas Anderson is a financial advisor with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and two years of industry experience. Prior to joining Wealth Enhancement, he worked at Cetera and Cetera Wealth Services. Outside of his advisory role, Anderson is the owner and founder of Housewub, a music blog focused on festival updates and new releases. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services provides financial planning, asset management, and retirement-plan consulting for individuals, high-net-worth clients, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm manages over $122 billion in regulatory assets under management, employing a diversified, risk-class-based investment approach that blends passive and active strategies overseen by an internal Investment Committee.

Michael Lydigsen is a financial advisor with Fifth Third Securities, Inc. in Bridgeview, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 20 years of industry experience. He has been with Fifth Third Securities and its affiliated firm since 2009. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. offers brokerage and investment advisory services through its Passageway Managed Account Program to a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm provides various discretionary managed-account options, combining third-party portfolio managers and advisor-managed sleeves, and is notable for its municipal-advisor registration and affiliation with Fifth Third Bank.

Stephanie Nanney is a CFP® with 19 years of industry experience, currently advising at Hightower Advisors since 2020. Her prior roles include positions at Comprehensive Asset Management & Servicing, Inc. and Private Vista, LLC. Hightower Advisors serves a diverse client base of individual and institutional investors, offering investment advisory and planning services through a network of Advisor Practices. The firm emphasizes multi-manager solutions and proprietary research in portfolio construction across various asset classes, including alternative investments and custom indexing.

Marc Brenner is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at Foreside Financial Services, LLC and Kovitz Investment Group, where he currently serves as Vice Chairman and is involved in real estate investment advisory and fund administration. Outside of his advisory role, he is engaged with Chicago Capital Partners, a private equity firm. Focus Partners Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients with comprehensive wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Arthur Urban is a CFP® and CFA® with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Focus Partners Wealth, LLC and previously worked at Connectus Wealth, Mid-Continent Capital, and Martin Investment Management. Outside of his advisory role, he provides flight instruction through Airplane Adventures LLC. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC serves individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, and institutional clients, offering a range of wealth management and advisory services. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach that combines active and passive strategies, third-party managers, and private funds within an enhanced open architecture framework.

Aren Mito is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Chicago, IL, where he has worked for 14 years. He has 13 years of industry experience in total. Oppenheimer is a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer serving individuals, corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm offers a range of programs and advisory services across equity, balanced, and fixed-income portfolios, delivered on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Cara Esser is a CFA® charterholder with three years of industry experience. She is currently with Creative Planning and previously worked at Mesirow Financial, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and Morningstar. Outside of her advisory role, she serves as president of her Chicago condominium homeowners association. 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, buy-and-hold strategies, and incorporates private market exposure alongside institutional and retirement plan services.

Wayne Titche is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 63 license with 33 years of industry experience. He has been with City National Rochdale since 2014, now part of RBC Rochdale, LLC, located in Chicago, IL. RBC Rochdale serves a diverse client base including high net worth individuals, investment companies, corporations, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a multi-strategy investment process that blends quantitative screening with fundamental analysis, utilizing proprietary tools and Monte Carlo simulations to tailor portfolios across equity, fixed income, real assets, and alternative investments.

Leslie Cannon is a CFP® professional with 16 years of experience in the financial services industry. Currently with Cresset Asset Management, LLC since 2024, Leslie previously worked at The Invictus Collective, LLC, JPMorgan Securities, LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Merrill. Cresset Asset Management, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $71.9 billion in client assets for a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm focuses on diversified, asset-allocation-driven portfolio construction using both active and passive strategies, supported by a structured due-diligence program and a range of wealth management and advisory services.

Brad Long is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 14 years of experience at Fiducient Advisors LLC, where he has worked since 2012. Based in Chicago, IL, he focuses on investment management within the firm. Fiducient Advisors provides investment management, outsourced CIO, and consulting services to a diverse client base that includes institutional and non-institutional clients such as pension plans, endowments, corporations, and private investors. The firm employs a research-driven approach emphasizing asset allocation and investment manager due diligence, managing approximately $34.2 billion in regulatory assets as of December 31, 2024.

Scott Zopfi is a CFP®-credentialed financial advisor at William Blair with 10 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company since 2015. 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.

Wojtek Wojtyrowski is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management in Niles, IL, holding Series 63 and 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC Investments since 2009. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through several model-based programs, including the Portfolio Solutions Strategist Digital Offering, an online discretionary model account available by invitation only to employees with existing PNC Bank online-banking credentials. The program uses algorithmic risk assessment and relies on approved model strategies executed via mutual funds and ETFs, with annual rebalancing.

Sumit Desai is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with nine years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at West Loop Investment Advisors, Ltd. and Morgan Stanley. Outside of his advisory work, he provides marketing and financial advice to a general dentistry practice and serves as treasurer for a condominium homeowners association. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. offers 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 disciplined approach involving investment policy preparation, asset allocation, and due diligence across a range of asset classes and may utilize third-party sub-advisors along with proprietary private investment products.

Karim Ahamed is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience. He has been with Cerity Partners LLC since 2010 and previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities and Banc One Securities Corporation. Outside of his advisory role, he serves on the board and finance committee of Ingenuity, Inc., an arts education organization, and is involved with several endowment funds and social impact financial institutions. Cerity Partners advises a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, charitable institutions, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in client assets. The firm offers customized wealth management services and employs a client-specific investment framework that integrates proprietary quantitative processes and access to alternative and private market solutions.

Jenni Engstrom is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Chicago, holding Series 66 and Series 65 licenses and five years of industry experience. Her prior roles include positions at TC Wealth Partners, LLC and Trust Company of Illinois. Hightower Advisors offers investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, institutions, and financial organizations. The firm employs a multi-manager investment approach, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers, and provides access to a range of strategies such as mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

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. His prior experience includes roles at Retirement Programs Co., LLC, where he was a pension consultant and financial advisor for 35 years, as well as positions at Private Vista, LLC and RPC Private Wealth, LLC. He maintains ownership and an active consulting role at Retirement Programs Co., LLC, focusing on pension plan consulting and financial advisory services. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm emphasizes a multi-manager investment approach, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research to deliver tailored portfolio management and financial planning solutions.