James Heimler is a CFP® and holds a Series 65 license with seven years of industry experience. He is currently with Ballast Advisors, LLC, where he has worked since 2023. Prior to that, he was with Gradient Advisors, LLC for six years and Case Central for six years. Ballast Advisors manages approximately $674 million in client assets, serving individual investors, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers financial planning, investment and wealth management, and retirement plan consulting, utilizing a range of strategies including modern portfolio theory and tactical asset allocation.

Robert Phillips is a CFP®-certified financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience. He is currently a vice president and financial advisor at Greater Midwest Financial Group, LLC, where he has worked since 2023, and has also been affiliated with Kestra Advisory and Kestra Investment Services for over a decade. Phillips is a partner in a real estate venture, JB Financial. Greater Midwest Financial Group, LLC provides financial planning, investment management, wealth management, and retirement plan consulting to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm employs a comprehensive investment process that integrates multiple analysis techniques and is overseen by an internal investment committee, managing approximately $589 million in assets for 678 clients through a team of eight advisors.

Matthew Gendreau is a ChFC® credentialed advisor at Leverty Financial Group, LLC, with three years of industry experience. Prior to joining Leverty Financial Group, he worked at Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association and Proprietors Capital Holdings. Leverty Financial Group is a SEC-registered advisory firm with a six-person team managing approximately $567 million for over 600 clients. The firm serves individuals, small businesses, retirement plans, and nonprofits, providing discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services tailored to client objectives.

Daniel Molenaar is a financial advisor with Great Waters Financial, holding a Series 65 designation and five years of industry experience. He has worked at Great Waters Financial since 2018 and previously held roles at AdvisorNet Wealth Management, Punch & Associates, and the University of Minnesota Duluth. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as an assistant hockey coach for Eden Prairie Schools. Great Waters Financial serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, managing over $1.2 billion across more than 1,600 client relationships. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management combined with financial planning and consulting, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis and a broad range of investment vehicles.

Kerri Vogel is a financial advisor with Great Waters Financial in Shoreview, MN. She holds the Series 65 and Series 63 designations and has been with Great Waters Financial since 2025. Prior to joining the firm, she was not employed in the financial industry for 19 years. Great Waters Financial serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $1.235 billion across over 1,600 client relationships. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management along with financial planning and consulting, using a tiered service model that incorporates asset allocation, tax strategy, and specialized planning areas.

Ethan Stone is a financial advisor with Great Waters Financial, holding a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. He has worked at Great Waters Wealth Management since 2022 and previously held roles at AdvisorNet Wealth Management and Great Waters Financial. Outside of advising, he is a clerk at the Isanti Municipal Liquor Store. Great Waters Financial serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning. The firm employs a range of investment strategies across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs, and offers additional services including tax preparation and retirement-plan rollover advice.

Dean Allen is a CFP® professional with seven years of experience at Pine Grove Financial Group and a total of two years in the financial industry. Prior to joining Pine Grove in 2019, he worked at Highland Bank and was involved in the University of Minnesota’s Security Monitor Program. Pine Grove Financial Group is an SEC-registered advisory firm serving individual and high-net-worth clients, retirement plan sponsors, and plan participants. The firm employs a value investing approach combined with strategic and tactical asset allocation, managing approximately $1.48 billion in discretionary assets across a 15-advisor team.

Nicholas Foulks is a financial advisor at Great Waters Financial with 11 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Great Waters Wealth Management, AdvisorNet Wealth Management, and Drake & Associates, LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of Next Minute Mindset, LLC, where he works as an author and speaker. Great Waters Financial provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a range of investment strategies across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, and ETFs, and distinguishes itself with in-house tax preparation, insurance services, and strategic third-party partnerships.

Alexander Eisch is a financial advisor at Great Waters Financial with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 credential and has previously worked at Wells Fargo N.A., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and Pruco Securities LLC. Great Waters Financial serves individuals, business entities, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and retirement plans, managing approximately $1.235 billion for over 1,600 client relationships. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services through tiered programs that incorporate asset allocation, tax strategy, and specialized planning.

Kristen Mueller is a financial advisor at Strategic Asset Management LLC with eight years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at firms including Solidity Financial LLC and Securus Wealth Management DBA GPS Wealth Management. Outside of her advisory role, she is the founder and CEO of Birch River Financial Services, LLC, which provides fractional back-office operations and compliance consulting for independent registered investment advisers, and she is also licensed as an insurance broker. Strategic Asset Management LLC is a ten-advisor firm that provides portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis with a focus on long-term strategies and discretionary management, supported by a multi-office presence and dual-licensed advisors.

Will Johnson is a financial advisor with Tailwinds Wealth, LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and 11 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Great Waters Wealth Management and Advisornet Wealth Management. Johnson is also an owner and licensed insurance agent with Wilian Insurance, LLC. Tailwinds Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing discretionary portfolio management and personalized investment policy statements. The firm uses a variety of analysis techniques and investment strategies, often employing third-party managers and model portfolios, and offers both stand-alone financial planning and consulting services.

Patrick Manning is a Series 65-registered financial advisor with seven years of industry experience. He currently works at Tailwinds Wealth, LLC and has held previous roles at Great Waters Financial, Great Waters Wealth Management, Advisornet Financial, and Bridge Church. In addition to his advisory work, he is an Investment Adviser Representative for Wilian Insurance, LLC. Tailwinds Wealth serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, charitable organizations, and business entities by providing discretionary portfolio management and customized Investment Policy Statements. The firm employs a range of investment strategies across multiple asset classes and offers stand-alone financial planning and consulting services.

Steven Schmidt is a financial advisor at Ballast Advisors, LLC in St. Paul, MN, with 33 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations and has worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for 24 years before joining Ballast Advisors in 2017. Outside of advisory work, he is also an independent insurance agent with various insurance companies. Ballast Advisors serves individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, consulting, and portfolio management services. The firm uses asset allocation and modern portfolio theory principles to tailor portfolios to client risk tolerance and objectives, regularly monitoring accounts and employing tactical shifts when appropriate.

Richard Gerczak is a CFP® with 31 years of industry experience, currently serving at Ballast Advisors, LLC since 2017. Prior to this, he worked at Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. for over two decades. Outside of his advisory role, he is vice president of a real estate business and is involved as an independent insurance agent. Ballast Advisors serves individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs asset-allocation and modern portfolio theory principles, tailoring portfolios to client objectives and risk tolerance.

Joshua Anderson is a CFP® professional with four years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Pine Grove Financial Group. Prior to joining Pine Grove Financial Group in 2022, he held roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and Crossroads Financial Group. Pine Grove Financial Group manages approximately $1.5 billion across about 1,400 client relationships, providing services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, and retirement plan sponsors. The firm emphasizes value-oriented, long-term investing combined with strategic asset allocation and offers fiduciary consulting, discretionary asset management, and educational seminars.

John Sniadajewski is a Series 66 registered advisor with 16 years of industry experience, currently with Principal Advised Services. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors from 2013 to 2021 and has been associated with various Principal entities since 2021. His role includes providing one-on-one investment advice to retirement plan participants. Principal Advised Services offers investment advice and related services primarily to retirement plan participants and retail IRA clients. The firm utilizes a combination of third-party tools and proprietary models to deliver both non-discretionary recommendations and discretionary investment management through its SimpleInvest program, leveraging its affiliation with Principal Financial Group and related entities.

Steven Schoeder is a financial advisor at Associated Investment Services, Inc. with 31 years of industry experience. He holds the ChFC® designation and Series 63 license. His prior experience includes roles at United Planners Financial Services, Personal Wealth Partners, LPL Financial, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Hornor Townsend & Kent. Associated Investment Services, Inc. provides advisory and brokerage services mainly to individual investors, as well as small corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable institutions. The firm offers model portfolio and separately managed account programs through third-party managers and its affiliate Kellogg Asset Management, delivering services via the Envestnet/NFS platform with assets managed predominantly on a non-discretionary basis.

Gregory Breheim is a financial advisor with Gradient Advisors, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. He has one year of industry experience and has previously worked at Wells Fargo and High Ticket Trainer LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he was involved with the St Croix Swim Club for three years. Gradient Advisors, LLC provides investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities. The firm operates primarily through a network of Investment Advisor Representatives and third-party money managers, managing a platform with approximately $1.39 billion in assets under administration.

Devon Sandhu is a CFA® charterholder with two years of industry experience. He is currently with Fiduciary Counselling, Inc., where he has worked since 2023, following a seven-year tenure at Advanced Capital Group. Fiduciary Counselling, Inc. serves individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and related entities, providing investment advisory, accounting, tax, estate planning, and administrative services. The firm employs asset allocation and modern portfolio theory to build model portfolios and conducts manager due diligence, with a notable structure that includes common ownership with a private trust company and subadvisory roles for registered investment companies and private funds.

Brian Samec is a financial advisor with Great Valley Advisor Group, LLC, holding the CFP® and ChFC® designations and over 26 years of industry experience. He has held positions at Northwestern Mutual and LPL Financial, working extensively in wealth management and investment services. Samec provides investment advisory services through Great Valley Advisor Group, an independent investment advisor firm. Great Valley Advisor Group is an SEC-registered, multi-team investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and other entities. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting, using a combination of in-house strategies and third-party managers across multiple platforms.