Michael Fujii is a financial advisor with Advisory Services Network in South Barrington, IL, holding Series 63, Series 65, and Series 66 licenses and bringing 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at Advisory Services Network since 2022 and concurrently operates Fujii Partners Capital, LLC, which he founded in 2007. Advisory Services Network is an enterprise firm that serves individuals, families, corporations, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans through a network of approximately 208 independent advisers. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, investment and retirement-plan consulting, and third-party manager selection, managing about $8.6 billion in client assets.

Kolton Rominski is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with four years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at several firms, including Larson Financial Group and Rock Harbor Capital LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as a referral partner for a direct prescription service. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets through a network of about 152 advisors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, utilizing a range of investment strategies and custodial services.

Bret Mooney is a financial advisor with VestGen Advisors, LLC, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 66 license, and has seven years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Triad Hybrid Solutions, LPL Financial LLC, and Sequoia Wealth Management, among others. Outside of advisory work, he is involved in insurance product solicitation and servicing through VestGen Insurance Partners, LLC. VestGen Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered firm managing approximately $6.66 billion for nearly 23,000 clients across 53 advisors. The firm offers a range of investment management and retirement plan services, using a combination of fundamental, technical, and quantitative analyses along with modern portfolio theory, and serves a diverse client base including institutional investors.

Francesco Vitale is a financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and bringing 30 years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Cetera, and VOYA Financial Advisors. He also serves as a trustee on a family trust. Merit Financial Group, LLC is an SEC-registered advisory firm managing approximately $10.6 billion with 144 advisors serving individuals, corporate clients, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and institutions. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach using model portfolios and customizable sleeves, overseen by an Investment Committee and central management team.

Robert Bieniek is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 47 years of industry experience. He has worked with World Equity Group since 2005 and has also been associated with Individual Financial Practitioners, Inc. since 1983, where he is involved in the sale of individual life and long-term care insurance. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm offers managed portfolios through its wrap-fee program, combining discretionary portfolio management with financial planning and access to third-party money managers.

David Robbins is a financial advisor with Archer Investment Corporation in South Barrington, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and 12 years of industry experience. He has been with Archer since 2015 and is also an owner of Nieminski Robbins & Associates CPAs, where he has worked since 2005, providing tax, accounting, and wealth management services. Additionally, he is involved with Barrington Advisors Group LLC, a marketing venture connected to Nieminski Robbins & Associates. Archer Investment Corporation offers investment management primarily to individual clients, including both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth investors, through separately managed accounts and proprietary mutual funds. The firm employs a multi-branch, independent-contractor model and manages roughly $1.01 billion in discretionary assets with a range of advisory services from comprehensive financial planning to limited-scope model portfolios.

Sanjay Asija is a financial advisor at Archer Investment Corporation with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Archer since 2017. In addition to his advisory role, he is a certified public accountant managing tax preparation and payroll services through his CPA firms. Archer Investment Corporation provides investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, and investment companies, managing approximately $900 million on a primarily discretionary basis. The firm offers customized portfolio management and model-based strategies, emphasizing diversified allocations across various asset classes and regular account reviews.

Theodore Buckley is a financial advisor with VestGen Advisors, LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 credential and 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Triad Hybrid Solutions, Triad Advisors, Sequoia Wealth Management, and LPL Financial. Outside of his advisory work, he is an author and motivational speaker, conducting seminars and coaching sessions unrelated to investments. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for over 9,400 individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, utilizing a combination of analytical methods and third-party managers to tailor portfolios to client goals.

Eric Talbott is a financial advisor at Apollon Wealth Management, LLC with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 65 and Series 66 registrations and has previously worked at Piershale Financial Group, Envestnet Asset Management, BMO Harris Financial Advisors, and Portfolio Brokerage Services. Apollon Wealth Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, businesses, and various institutional investors, providing financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan advisory, and sub-advisory services. The firm uses a combination of centrally managed model strategies and locally managed portfolios, investing across multiple asset classes and offering specialized services including ESG models and tax-managed Direct Indexing.

Ralph Backe Jr. is a financial advisor with Prospera Financial Services, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 32 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network LLC before joining Prospera in 2019. Outside of his advisory role, he co-owns vacation condos in St. Petersburg, Florida. Prospera Financial Services, Inc. is an enterprise-scale firm serving individuals, corporate and charitable entities, and retirement plans, managing approximately $12.4 billion through about 207 advisors across 140 offices. The firm offers diversified investment advisory and financial planning services using a combination of firm models, third-party sub-advisers, and customizable allocations across multiple platforms.

Lawrence Kimmel Jr. is a financial advisor at Harbour Investments, Inc. with 28 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Harbour since 2018, following nine years at Ausdal Financial Partners and over three decades running his own CPA and tax preparation firm. He also maintains an active role as president of Lawrence J. Kimmel, P.C., providing accounting and tax services. Harbour Investments offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, charitable and corporate clients, and retirement plans. The firm uses a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to develop customized investment strategies and provides various portfolio management and model-based solutions.

Keith Mooney is a CFP® and ChFC® with 31 years of industry experience. He is currently an advisor at VestGen Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at firms including LPL Financial and Sequoia Wealth Management. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as president and educator for a nonprofit that conducts financial education seminars. VestGen Advisors, LLC is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.47 billion for over 9,400 clients. The firm serves individual and high-net-worth clients with discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan services, employing a mix of analytical methods and third-party managers to implement client portfolios.

Alan Flota is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Elgin, IL. He holds Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and has two years of industry experience. Before entering the financial industry, he worked for over three decades at School District U-46. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients by providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple program types and primarily manages assets on a non-discretionary basis, working closely with both retail and institutional sponsors within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Scott Farwell is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has worked at Fifth Third Securities and Fifth Third Bank since 2022. Prior to that, he was with TD Ameritrade for five years and Edge Financial Advisors for one year. Fifth Third Securities, Inc. provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate clients, and institutional investors through its Passageway Managed Account Program. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs combining third-party portfolio managers, strategist portfolios, and advisor-managed sleeves, and is notable for its municipal-advisor registration and affiliation with Fifth Third Bank.

Steven Whiting II is a Series 66-licensed advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors and has been in the industry since 2024. His prior experience includes roles at Wfgia, American Airlines Group Inc., National Airlines, FedEx, and United Airlines. Transamerica Financial Advisors serves individual investors, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm offers both advisory and broker-dealer services through proprietary and third-party model portfolios, with a range of discretionary and non-discretionary program options.

Richard Kuzniar is a CFP® with 34 years of industry experience, currently serving at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. since 2017. Prior to that, he worked at BMO Harris Financial Advisors for over a decade. 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 combines its municipal-advisor registration with its affiliation to Fifth Third Bank, providing a range of discretionary managed-account options and features such as direct indexing and tax-overlay services.

Amanda Czosek is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 65 credential and nine years of industry experience. She has worked with AE Wealth Management since 2016 and is also the owner and president of Jager Financial Services. Additionally, she serves as a board member for the National Alliance on Student Loan Debt. AE Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a platform-centered approach featuring model portfolios, discretionary asset management, financial planning, and specialized plan services.

Brian Sutherland is a financial advisor with AE Wealth Management, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Oxbow Financial, TSFG, LPL Financial, and Perdoceo Education Corporation. AE Wealth Management is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base, including individual investors, retirement plan sponsors, trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers a platform-centered approach with model portfolios, discretionary asset management, financial planning, and plan services, supported by an internal Investment Consulting Group and various licensing and sub-advisory programs.

John Sias is a financial advisor with NewEdge Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and over 24 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at Edward Jones from 2002 to 2018 and LPL Financial since 2018. He provides investment advisory services through NewEdge Advisors, an independent registered investment advisor firm. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations through a network of independent representatives. The firm offers a broad range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, retirement consulting, and access to sponsored advisory programs, utilizing multiple program structures and technology tools to support advisor and client needs.

Donald Cafero Sr. is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 42 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with TLG Advisors, Inc. He has worked at several firms including The Leaders Group Inc and Highland Capital Brokerage. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance brokerage through The Cafero Group and works as a point of sale and wholesale specialist with FSG. TLG Advisors, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $2.0 billion in discretionary client assets. The firm serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses, and institutional investors, offering services such as portfolio management, comprehensive financial and estate planning, and ERISA fiduciary services. Their investment approach combines fundamental analysis and Modern Portfolio Theory, with a direct-to-consumer program called Starlight Portfolios that tailors portfolios based on client risk profiles.