Joshua Carucci is a financial advisor at The Mather Group, LLC with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and McAdam LLC. The Mather Group serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities by providing integrated financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning, and family office services. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach with risk-based allocation models and customization options, combining technology-driven tools with human oversight.

James Palermo is a CFP® and CFA® with five years of industry experience. He has worked at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC since 2020 and previously spent 29 years at Chicago Equity Partners. He also held a position at Retirewise CFP from 2022 to 2023. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC serves a diverse client base, including individuals, trusts, endowments, and corporations, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and family-office services. The firm employs a long-term, diversified investment approach with customized portfolios and sponsors affiliated pooled investment vehicles, including private funds.

Karma Forrestal is a CFP® professional with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Forum Financial Management, LP since 2012. She holds the Series 63 designation and is based in Lombard, Illinois. Outside of her advisory role, she is a member of F.A.M. LLC, providing certain management services under a service agreement with Forum Financial Management. Forum Financial Management, LP offers fee-based wealth management, financial planning, and qualified plan services to individual and institutional clients. The firm also serves as a sub-advisor and turnkey asset management platform for other independent RIAs, utilizing model portfolios managed primarily with DFA institutional mutual funds and ETFs aligned with a Modern Portfolio Theory approach.

Nathan Jefferson is a CFP® with two years of industry experience and has been with Ritholtz Wealth Management since 2022. He is also affiliated with Michigan State University, where he has worked since 2019. Ritholtz Wealth Management serves individual and institutional clients, offering comprehensive portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm employs a goal-based investment process that incorporates asset allocation and behavioral finance principles, utilizing diversified ETFs alongside tactical overlays and alternative investments, supported by digital platforms for portfolio implementation and management.

John Storrs Jr. is a financial advisor with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. He holds Series 66, Series 63, and Series 65 licenses and has 28 years of industry experience. Mr. Storrs has been with Northern Trust Securities, Inc. since 2006, with a brief break before rejoining in 2025. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management through a wrap fee program serving high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients. The firm uses a model-driven approach to manage portfolios that include proprietary and third-party products, combining advisory, brokerage, and custody services.

Maria Tipton is a financial advisor with KCD Financial, Inc. in Willowbrook, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 38 years of industry experience. She has been with KCD Financial since 2012 and has also been self-employed since 2011. Outside of her advisory role, she is licensed as an insurance agent, focusing on the sale of fixed annuities, life insurance, long-term care, and disability products. KCD Financial, Inc. is a multi-team registered investment adviser and broker-dealer with 38 advisors managing approximately $202 million in assets. The firm serves individuals, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, employing a range of investment strategies and due diligence on third-party managers as part of its approach.

Owen Duncan is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with nine years of industry experience. He is currently with Curi Capital, LLC and previously worked at RMB Capital Management LLC and The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets and serving individuals, employer retirement plans, institutions, mutual funds, private funds, and family offices. The firm follows a long-term, fundamental investment approach using a combination of proprietary strategies, third-party managers, mutual funds, and private funds.

Joel Clousing is a financial advisor with Highpoint Planning Partners in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 39 years of industry experience. He has been with Highpoint Advisor Group, LLC and LPL Financial since 2013. Outside of his advisory role, he prepares personal taxes as a CPA and serves as a basketball referee. HighPoint Advisor Group serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm provides discretionary asset management, financial planning, retirement plan advisory, and sponsors wrap-fee programs, utilizing personal consultations to build client investment policies and diversified portfolios across multiple asset classes.

Nicholas Wilkins is a financial advisor with Merit Financial Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 25 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Blue Print Wealth Advisors and Commonwealth Financial Network for 13 years before joining Merit Financial Advisors and Purshe Kaplan Sterling in 2025. Wilkins is the owner of Huron Leavitt LLC, a non-investment-related business. Merit Financial Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser with over 260 advisors serving more than 20,000 clients across 66 offices and managing approximately $23.9 billion in client assets. The firm emphasizes long-term, diversified portfolios managed through a combination of centrally managed models and advisor customization, offering coordinated wealth management services and specialized fiduciary and trustee offerings.

Jack Grzenia is a financial advisor with Forum Financial Management, LP, holding Series 65 and Series 66 licenses and bringing ten years of industry experience. His background includes roles at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Cetera, and MP360 Financial Services. Outside of advisory work, he is a partner at ZEN Installations, a vinyl sign installation business, and engages in insurance sales as a sole proprietor. Forum Financial Management, LP serves individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and institutional clients, offering portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm builds portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory, primarily utilizing institutional mutual funds and ETFs, and supports other RIAs through a turn-key asset-management platform and back-office services.

John Lancaster III is a financial advisor at Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. with 41 years of industry experience. He holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations as well as a Series 63 license. In addition to his role at Ausdal since 2009, he is president of The Lancaster Co., Inc., where he oversees insurance sales including group and individual medical, life, disability, and long-term care products. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in assets through a network of 152 advisors. The firm offers investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, employing a range of discretionary and non-discretionary strategies across multiple asset classes.

Tina Meckaroski is a financial advisor at Highpoint Planning Partners with 15 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has previously worked at firms including LPL Financial, PIMCO Investments LLC, and Nuveen Investments. Highpoint Advisor Group serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities with discretionary asset management, financial planning and consulting, and retirement plan advisory services. The firm constructs client investment policies through personal consultations and employs a diverse range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms to implement portfolios.

Reginald Smith is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. with three years of industry experience. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC for three years before joining Zacks. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary investment management services to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional clients, offering a range of strategies including all-cap core, dividend, quantitative, international, sector, fixed-income, and long/short approaches. The firm integrates proprietary quantitative models with qualitative management and distributes its strategies through wrap-fee and unified managed account programs.

Lori Hall is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. She has worked at Sowell Financial Services, LLC since 2016 and previously at Concert Wealth Management Inc for four years. In addition to her advisory role, she is involved as a planning specialist at Sapphire Wealth Management, where she supports sales, client relationship management, and financial planning. Sowell Management is a multi-team registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, corporations, and other RIAs. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services through an independent-contractor model with over 100 investment advisor representatives.

Brandon Mull is a CFP®, CFA®, and Series 66-licensed advisor with eight years of industry experience. He currently works at Savvy and previously held roles at Zhang Financial LLC, Morgan Stanley, and TransMarket Group. Savvy provides customized discretionary and non-discretionary investment and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and other entities. The firm combines an index-based core with tailored strategies such as direct indexing with tax-loss harvesting, active and passive stock portfolios, and ESG-focused models, supported by a parent technology platform and third-party tools.

Brian M. Ahern is a ChFC® credentialed financial advisor with 25 years of industry experience. He is currently with VestGen Advisors, LLC and has prior experience at The LAT Group, Raymond James Financial Services, and Merrill. Based in Chicago, IL, he has held various roles in both advisory and private client services. VestGen Advisors, LLC manages approximately $6.66 billion for about 22,790 clients through 53 advisors, offering a range of investment management, financial planning, and ERISA 3(21) retirement plan services. The firm employs a client-specific strategy development process that incorporates fundamental, technical, and quantitative analysis alongside modern portfolio theory and serves a diverse client base including institutional investors.

Christian Whittemore is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Zacks Investment Management since 2002. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary portfolio management to a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and institutional investors. The firm employs a proprietary investment process combining quantitative and qualitative analysis, offering a broad range of strategies and serving both direct clients and third-party advisers through model portfolios and indices.

Craig Norris is a CFP® with three years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Mariner Independent in Chicago, IL. He has held advisory roles at Archiwealth and Mariner Platform Solutions and serves on the advisory board of The H Foundation, a nonprofit focused on cancer research. Additionally, he creates content for an internet-based sports media channel called Game On Media. Mariner Independent provides investment advisory, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans. The firm offers access to model portfolios, third-party managers, and a range of retirement plan services, supported by institutional affiliations that enhance its investment and fiduciary capabilities.

Kelsey Narish is a CFP® with eight years of industry experience, currently serving at Arete Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2023. She also operates Narish Financial Service, where she provides life insurance and annuities as part of comprehensive financial planning. Prior to her financial advisory roles, she worked at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School for one year. Arete Wealth Advisors offers investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both advisor-driven and proprietary model-based allocation strategies and uses third-party sub-advisers while acting as an ERISA fiduciary when applicable.

Daniel Cardell is a CFA® charterholder with 15 years of industry experience, currently serving as an advisor at Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC since 2018. He previously worked at Chancellor Financial Group WB LLC and has held roles at Waveco Energy LLC and Roadwave LLC. Outside of his advisory work, he is a partner in Holborn Village LLC, a real estate property management business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, trusts, endowments, and corporations, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement services. The firm utilizes a long-term, diversified investment approach focused on fundamental analysis and customized portfolios, and is notable for sponsoring affiliated pooled investment vehicles and serving insurance company clients.