William Traylor is a CFP® professional with seven years of industry experience, currently serving at Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2019. Prior to joining Mariner, he worked at OFM Wealth from 2015 to 2018. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by an internal team and third-party managers, and offers integrated tax and accounting services along with specialized CFO and financial wellness solutions.

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.

Dylan Lustig is a CFP® with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Mariner. He previously worked at Whitnell & Co. and Granular, and has military experience with the Illinois Army National Guard. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and corporations, offering investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and tax services. The firm uses a combination of in-house research and third-party managers to create customized portfolios and provides integrated tax, accounting, and financial wellness solutions.

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.

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.

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.

Iris Sagrado is a financial advisor with United Planners' Financial Services of America and holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations. She has 20 years of industry experience and is also the owner of Filro Global Hiring and Filro Caregivers, businesses outside the investment sector. Additionally, she serves as an arbitrator with FINRA and is president and treasurer of Sagrado & Stears, Inc. United Planners Financial Services serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm offers a range of financial planning, portfolio management, retirement plan services, and brokerage solutions through its network of 477 independent advisors and operates an open-architecture platform with multiple custodians and third-party money managers.

Brett Guendel is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently with Mariner Wealth Advisors since 2020. He previously worked at Arbor Point Advisors and Securities America Advisors, among other roles. His background also includes involvement with the Rotaract and Brookfield Chamber of Commerce. Mariner serves a diverse client base including high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations, offering investment management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs discretionary, customized portfolios supported by in-house research and third-party managers, and is notable for its integrated tax and accounting services as well as administrative family office and employer financial wellness solutions.

Timothy Gleason is a financial advisor at William Blair with 10 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has been with William Blair & Company since 2015. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

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.

Michael Jansey Jr. is a financial advisor at Mariner with a Series 66 designation and three years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at GDS Wealth Management and Equitable Advisors LLC. Mariner serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and private funds. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and coordinated tax services, with customized portfolios overseen by an Investment Committee and supported by in-house research combined with third-party managers.

William Mosler Jr. is a financial advisor with Lincoln Investment in Lombard, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and 15 years of industry experience. He has been with Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. since 2011. Outside of his advisory role, he is the managing partner of Mosler Wealth Management, an entity established for tax purposes. Lincoln Investment Planning, LLC is a large enterprise advisory and broker-dealer serving a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth investors, trusts, charities, and retirement plans. The firm provides financial planning, portfolio management, and access to third-party managers, supported by an in-house Investment Management & Research team that develops strategic model portfolios and adaptive investment strategies.

Kerry Williams is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with three years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked previously at JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, Merrill, and U.S. Bank. Outside of financial services, he has experience in the restaurant and retail sectors, including roles at Portillo's Restaurant Group and Walmart. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across multiple wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and brokerage services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains notable market roles such as operating as a swap dealer and futures commission merchant.

Karim Ahamed is a CFA® charterholder with 22 years of industry experience, currently serving at Cerity Partners LLC since 2010. His prior experience includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities and Banc One Securities Corporation. He is involved in several nonprofit and educational organizations, including serving as board member and finance committee chair for Ingenuity, Inc., an arts education nonprofit, and participating in endowment fund oversight for the College of William & Mary. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a diverse national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, charitable organizations, and institutional investors. The firm builds client programs through tailored asset allocation and manager selection, utilizing proprietary quantitative screens alongside third‑party managers and individual securities, and offers a range of services including portfolio management, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to 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 credentials and previously worked at TC Wealth Partners, LLC and the Trust Company of Illinois. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad mix of individual and institutional clients. The firm’s approach emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, using both affiliated and third-party managers, and includes access to proprietary research and diverse investment options.