Nino Lekarczyk is a financial advisor at WealthRidge Investments LLC with six years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has previously worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he owns and operates a real estate rental business. WealthRidge Investments LLC is an independent investment adviser offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and business entities. The firm employs fundamental and cyclical analysis along with Modern Portfolio Theory and may use long- and short-term holdings and options strategies.

Chwei Guang Chiou is a financial advisor at Momentum FinTech LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Momentum FinTech since 2018, following two years at Ausdal Financial Partners, INC. Outside of his advisory role, Chiou serves in several leadership positions within Taiwanese-American cultural and nonprofit organizations, including Treasurer of the Taiwanese American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Chicago and board member of the Friends of Taiwan Foundation. Momentum FinTech LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a blend of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis across a range of strategies, including long-term holdings and active trading techniques such as short sales and options, managing approximately $7.35 million across 33 client relationships.

Scott Wentsel is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with nine years of industry experience and the principal advisor at Wentsel Wealth Management, LLC. He has managed his independent advisory firm since 2016 and has been a professor at DePaul University since 2011. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as a trustee for an investment-related advisory firm. Wentsel Wealth Management provides investment management and financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth households, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm uses a low-cost, globally diversified investment approach centered on asset allocation, combining index-oriented ETFs and mutual funds with selective active management and individual securities, and offers institutional services uncommon for a firm of its size.

James Krebec is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at CIC Investment Consultants, LLC since 2003. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and maintains an Arkansas insurance license, though he spends no meaningful time in the insurance business. CIC Investment Consultants provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers discretionary portfolio management, written financial plans, and advisory services on private securities and alternative investments, using a variety of analytical methods and strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerance.

William Nedza is a CFP® professional with 34 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC since 2018. His career includes leadership roles at Nedza Financial Advisors, LLC and Aos, Inc. Outside of advisory work, he holds active insurance licenses and engages in insurance sales. Ventoux Financial Advisors, LLC is an independent registered investment adviser that provides written financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, and other U.S. entities. The firm employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis, risk management tools, and diversified investment strategies across various asset classes.

Thai Thomas Tran is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Petrarch Wealth Management in Chicago. His prior work includes roles at Ameriprise Financial Services and Ameriprise Financial. Outside of his advisory duties, he owns and operates Petrarch Insurance Services LLC, which provides online non-investment financial education and consulting. Petrarch Wealth Management offers both discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and retirement-plan consulting services to individual and retirement plan clients. The firm emphasizes capital preservation and risk management through behavioral economics, goal-based planning, and strategic asset allocation, managing approximately $11.9 million across about 40 client relationships.

Kevin Yu is a CFP® and CFA® charterholder with 20 years of experience in financial advisory. He has led Yunistone Investment Group, LLC since its founding in 2009. The firm provides investment advisory and management services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, focusing on long-term, globally diversified, and tax-efficient portfolios using a core-satellite approach that combines passive index and ETF exposures with actively managed funds.

Gerard Downey is a financial advisor at Linden Wealth Management LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at RBC Capital Markets since 2011. Linden Wealth Management LLC provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses. The firm emphasizes modern portfolio theory, using low-cost, index-based ETFs and mutual funds, while also incorporating individualized securities and alternative investments as appropriate.

We guide First Gen Wealth Builders to align money with purpose. When you’re a First Gen, the financial safety net didn’t exist. You built your own. We partner with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs who’ve built success from the ground up. Does this sound like you? You’re ready for guidance that feels aligned, not intimidating. Advice that honors where you came from and helps you build what’s next. Hiring a financial planner? That’s new territory. No one in your family has done this before. Success has evolved. The questions are bigger now — more strategic, more intentional. -How do I balance saving and investing for my family with still having the freedom to travel, be present and enjoy life? -How do we protect what we’ve built, legally, financially, and emotionally, in a system that wasn’t built for us? -How do I make smarter decisions around taxes, equity comp, and investments, without second-guessing every move? Enter FirstGen Wealth: A Financial Life Planning Practice - Independent - Fee-Only (one flat fee for financial planning and Investment Management) -Fiduciary 100% of the time - Virtual - Based in Chicago and work with clients nationwide (most clients are in CA, NY, NJ, WA, VA, GA, and TX) Meet Valerie Rivera, CFP®, Founder & Financial Planner: -CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with nearly 20 years of experience advising clients with $10–$20 million portfolios. Now using that same expertise to empower First Gen Wealth Builders. -Wife, mother, homeowner, and business owner bringing real-world perspective to every financial plan. - A proud First Gen who built her own financial safety net and reached Coast FI by 40. Passionate about tax planning, travel, and helping others design lives of freedom and purpose. Her six-year-old has already visited more than 15 countries, and I’m always planning the next four. -Culturally competent, inclusive, and a proud LGBTQ+ ally committed to financial equity and social justice.

Sam Bakou is a CFP® with 20 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Sora Wealth, LLC. He previously worked at Vantage Financial Partners Limited for 18 years before founding his independent firm in 2021. Sora Wealth provides wealth management and financial planning services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm combines client-specific financial planning with tailored asset allocations, employing both fundamental and technical analysis, and uses an external sub-adviser for trade execution and back-office functions while retaining supervisory responsibility.

Himanshu Patel is the sole advisor at Lakshmi Wealth Management LLC in Naperville, IL, holding a Series 65 designation with 11 years of industry experience. He has led Lakshmi Wealth Management since 2009. Outside of his advisory work, he provides occasional consulting on insurance carrier business through an expert network firm. Lakshmi Wealth Management serves individual investors and trusts, offering personalized financial planning and discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs actively managed, customized portfolios and uses a range of instruments, including options and derivatives, to manage risk and pursue returns.

Sam Macaluso is the founder and principal of Ripple Ridge Enterprises LLC, an independent advisory firm. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 14 years of industry experience. In addition to his advisory work, he operates an independent insurance agency and a CPA firm, SAM D. Macaluso & Associates, which provides accounting and tax-preparation services. Ripple Ridge Enterprises serves individual and high-net-worth clients with financial planning, portfolio management, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs an asset-allocation approach and utilizes a range of investments, including mutual funds, ETFs, private placements, and non-traded real estate investment trusts.

Edwin Cogan is a financial advisor at Steeplechase Investments with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Steeplechase Investments since 1994. Steeplechase Investments provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, focusing on direct investments in stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds. The firm employs an active, tactical approach that adjusts between capital appreciation and preservation based on macroeconomic analysis and technical chart patterns, tailoring portfolios to clients’ age and income needs.

William Alt is a financial advisor at MWS Capital Consultants LLC with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at MWS Capital Consultants since 2020. Prior to his current role, he was affiliated with UW-Madison and the Camp Randall Rowing Club, and he has over two decades of experience in public schools. MWS Capital Consultants LLC offers personalized investment management, wealth-planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes a Classic Portfolio Management strategy focused on fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis, managing mostly discretionary portfolios while supporting interactive financial planning through the eMoney Advisor platform.

Frances Tuite is a CFA® charterholder with 11 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Sankota Capital LLC since 2024. She previously worked at Oak Family Advisors, LLC, Fairpointe Capital LLC, and RMB Capital Management. Outside of financial advising, she is co-manager of an organic brewery and restaurant and owns an organic farm. Sankota Capital LLC provides discretionary investment management to individuals, high-net-worth clients, family offices, pension and profit-sharing plans, foundations, endowments, and charitable institutions. The firm employs a fundamentally driven, concentrated investment approach focused on undervalued small- and mid-cap companies, incorporating corporate governance and sustainability assessments in its security selection.

Beth Smyth is a financial advisor at MWS Capital Consultants LLC in Chicago, holding a Series 65 designation. She began her career at MWS Capital Consultants in 2024 following a year at DePaul University. MWS Capital Consultants LLC provides personalized investment management, wealth-planning, and consulting services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and corporate clients. The firm’s Classic Portfolio Management strategy focuses on direct ownership of equities, fixed income, and funds with an emphasis on long-term economic returns, using fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis rather than automated systems.

Eduardo Caldera is a financial advisor at Retirement Systems LLC with under one year of industry experience. He previously worked with Foundations Investment Advisors LLC and Regency Capital, and has a background in mortgage banking. He is also involved in life insurance and annuity sales through Regency Capital. Retirement Systems LLC provides discretionary asset management and financial planning primarily to individual clients, offering tailored portfolios and 3(21) fiduciary services to qualified retirement plans. The firm employs a mix of fundamental, technical, and charting analysis with quarterly reviews and allows clients to set written investment restrictions.

John Crawford is a financial advisor at Copperwood Financial with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and previously worked at LPL Financial LLC and Horizon Wealth Management. Copperwood Financial provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and small businesses, with a specialty practice for athletes under the Pro Athlete Wealth brand. The firm manages client portfolios on a discretionary, tactical allocation basis and offers qualified retirement plan consulting, including ERISA Section 3(38) fiduciary services.

Charles McKenna is a financial advisor with McKenna Capital, Inc. in Wheaton, IL, holding Series 65 and Series 63 designations and 15 years of industry experience. He has worked at Heart Capital, LLC since 2018, McKenna Capital since 2017, and previously at National Planning Corporation and Global Beverage Team, LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he provides consulting services for GModelo USA, LLC. McKenna Capital is a small, supported advisory firm managing approximately $83 million for fewer than 40 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm utilizes a mix of charting, fundamental, and technical analysis to implement long-term strategies and options trading, managing accounts mostly on a discretionary basis while also offering financial planning and portfolio monitoring services.

David Gosnell is a CFA® charterholder with 18 years of experience at New England Research & Management, Inc. He is based in Chicago, IL, and has spent his entire professional career with the firm since 2008. New England Research & Management provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families, managing a range of account types including trusts, retirement plans, and estates. The firm customizes portfolios to individual client objectives and manages each account separately, employing a diversified mix of securities and instruments, with reported assets under management of approximately $337 million across 149 client accounts.