Xavier Patino is a financial advisor at NFSG Corporation with 17 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Newbridge Securities Corp, J.P. Morgan Securities, and JP Morgan Chase Bank NA. Outside of his advisory role, Patino manages a transportation logistics company providing freight solutions. NFSG Corporation is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, third-party manager selection, and financial planning, tailoring portfolios to client objectives using a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis.

Sean Philbin is a financial advisor at Zacks Investment Management, Inc. He holds a Series 66 designation and has two years of industry experience. His prior work includes roles at Wells Fargo Clearing Services, Cetera, Renaissance Financial, and TD Ameritrade. Zacks Investment Management provides discretionary investment management to individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and institutional clients. The firm integrates proprietary quantitative models with qualitative portfolio management across a range of strategies and manages affiliated mutual funds and ETFs.

Jake Eischens is a financial advisor with Curi Capital, LLC, holding CFP® and Series 65 licenses and possessing seven years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at RMB Capital, the Comptroller of the Currency, and the University of North Dakota. Curi Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $11.6 billion in assets, serving individuals, employer retirement plans, institutions, and family offices. The firm employs a long-term, fundamental investment approach with a combination of proprietary strategies, third-party managers, and private funds.

David Cimmarusti is a financial advisor at HighPoint Planning Partners with six years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked with HighPoint Advisor Group, LPL Financial, and Leaders Partners, Inc. His work includes activities related to investment advisory businesses connected to LPL Financial. HighPoint Advisor Group serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services, employing fundamental analysis and diversified portfolio construction across various asset classes, and utilizes multiple platform solutions to deliver advisory services.

Adam Erickson is a financial advisor at Northern Trust Securities, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with two years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Morgan Stanley, PHMG, and Florida Financial Advisors. Northern Trust Securities, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management primarily for high-net-worth individuals, retail investors, and institutional clients through a model-driven approach that uses Separately Managed Accounts and other managed portfolio services delivered via the Fidelity Managed Account Xchange platform.

Peter Steger is a financial advisor with Kingswood Wealth Advisors, LLC and holds the ChFC® designation along with a Series 63 license. He has 43 years of industry experience, including prior roles at Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as president of The Efficient Edge, a company that develops actuarial-based strategies to optimize returns on life insurance, and he is involved in several nonprofit and trustee roles, including serving as board president of the Kappa Kappa Sigma House Corporation. Kingswood Wealth Advisors serves a diverse client base that includes individual and high-net-worth investors, retirement plan sponsors, and institutional clients. The firm offers customized portfolio management, financial planning, and ERISA plan advisory services, utilizing an open-architecture platform and integration with affiliated financial entities, including insurance-related account management.

Todd Lestina is a financial advisor with Latitude Advisors, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and over 20 years of industry experience. He has been with Latitude Advisors and GWN Securities, Inc. since 2009, and owns Lestina & Associates, LLC, a tax preparation and accounting firm. He is also an independent insurance agent specializing in fixed and health insurance products. Latitude Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, and various institutional and corporate entities, offering financial planning, discretionary portfolio management, third-party manager selection, and pension consulting. The firm employs a combination of valuation-driven and momentum-based multi-asset model strategies, managing most accounts on a discretionary basis with continuous monitoring and rebalancing.

David Kudo is a financial advisor with First Advisors National, LLC, holding a Series 66 designation and 11 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at W&S Brokerage Services, Western Southern Life, Royal Alliance Associates, and Jhfn Sii. He has been retired since 2021. First Advisors National manages discretionary assets primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, offering investment management, third-party portfolio recommendations, and retirement plan consulting. The firm’s investment process focuses on selecting and monitoring third-party money managers, supplemented by fundamental analysis of individual securities, and typically manages accounts on a discretionary basis.

Sherwin Shenfeld is a financial advisor with World Equity Group, Inc. in Schaumburg, IL, holding the PFS™ and Series 63 designations and bringing 40 years of industry experience. He has served as president of Shenfeld & Co, Ltd, a CPA firm, since 1989 and also leads Mervana, Inc., an art dealing business. World Equity Group, Inc. provides fee-based investment advisory and financial planning services to a range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and institutional accounts. The firm offers managed portfolios through its wrap-fee program, combining discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and third-party money manager access.

Thomas Chrobak is a financial advisor at Gradient Advisors, LLC with 12 years of industry experience and a Series 65 designation. He has held roles at Gradient Advisors since 2022, and concurrently owns MC2 Wealth Management and Plan on College, where he provides financial planning and educational consulting services. Gradient Advisors, LLC delivers investment management, financial planning, and consulting services to individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and other business entities primarily through a network of Investment Advisor Representatives and third-party money managers, using a largely non-discretionary operating model.

Robert Perez is a CFP® professional with 28 years of industry experience, currently affiliated with Highpoint Planning Partners. He has previously worked at Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc., and has been associated with LPL Financial and HighPoint Advisor Group, LLC (doing business as On Path Financial) for multiple years. His outside activities include offering health insurance as a non-variable insurance product. HighPoint Advisor Group serves a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm provides discretionary asset management, comprehensive financial planning, and retirement plan advisory, utilizing a range of investment vehicles and third-party platforms to implement personalized client strategies.

Shae Hess is a CFP® professional with six years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at The Mather Group, LLC. Prior to joining The Mather Group, Hess held roles at firms including Sebold Capital Management, Northwestern Mutual, and Wells Fargo Advisors. The Mather Group primarily serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities, providing financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning guidance, and family office services. The firm uses an evidence-based investment approach with customizable portfolio strategies and incorporates AI and machine-learning tools under human oversight.

Adam Spector is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in financial advising, currently with The Mather Group, LLC in Chicago, IL. He has been with The Mather Group since 2016 in various capacities. The Mather Group primarily serves high-net-worth individuals, family offices, trusts, corporations, and other entities, providing integrated financial planning, investment management, tax and estate planning, and family office services. The firm employs an evidence-based investment approach with customizable portfolios and leverages AI tools under human oversight to support market analysis and client communications.

Brett Heniss is a financial advisor at Financial & Tax Architects, LLC with a Series 65 credential and one year of industry experience. Prior to joining Financial & Tax Architects, he worked at Power Home Remodeling, Penny Mustard Furnishings, Northwestern Mutual, and Raymour & Flanagan. Financial & Tax Architects provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning primarily for individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on those nearing or in retirement. The firm employs proprietary “Private Wealth Strategies” using exchange-traded funds, individual securities, and trend-aware rebalancing, with most client relationships managed on a discretionary basis.

Jeffrey Layman is a CFA® charterholder based in Chicago, IL, with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors, LLC since 2024 and previously spent 22 years with BKD Wealth Advisors, LLC. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, families, retirement plans, institutions, and nonprofits. The firm offers financial planning, investment management, consulting, and family-office style services, managing approximately $12 billion in assets.

Kurt Yndestad is a financial advisor with IHT Wealth Management LLC in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and bringing 26 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank NA and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. Yndestad has been with IHT Wealth Management and LPL Financial since 2019. IHT Wealth Management serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients, offering discretionary asset management, financial planning, ERISA plan consulting, and outsourced CIO arrangements. The firm employs a combination of fundamental value screening, quantitative optimization, and portfolio rebalancing, incorporating proprietary model portfolios and third-party managers tailored to clients’ objectives and risk tolerances.

John Martin is a financial advisor with Forum Financial Management, LP in Lombard, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has experience working at Forum Financial Management and BMO, as well as in roles at the Plainfield Park District and the University of Illinois. Forum Financial Management, LP provides investment advisory and related services to a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm uses model asset-allocation portfolios based on Modern Portfolio Theory and offers a range of services including discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and back-office support to independent advisors and RIAs.

Christopher Buti is a CFP® professional with 27 years of experience in the financial industry. He has been with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2015. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in insurance sales and wealth management through his work with BCH INSURE, LLC and BCH WEALTH MANAGEMENT. Ausdal Financial Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer managing approximately $2.13 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, trusts, corporations, pension plans, and charitable organizations, offering a range of investment advisory programs, retirement plan services, and financial planning.

Christopher Burke is a financial advisor with Apollon Wealth Management, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 20 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Podesta Capital Advisors, LLC, Podesta & Co., and J.P. Morgan Securities. He is also a managing partner at Podesta Capital Advisors, an Illinois registered investment advisory firm. Apollon Wealth Management is a multi-team SEC-registered advisory firm serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, families, trusts, businesses, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes a combination of centrally managed strategies and locally managed portfolios, investing across a broad array of asset classes and offering specialized services such as ESG models, Direct Indexing, and sub-advisory roles for pooled and insurance-dedicated funds.

Stephen Meskan is a financial advisor at CL Wealth Management LLC with 36 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has held roles at several firms including Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Feltl & Company, and B. Riley Wealth Management. He also serves as president of Meskan Capital, where he educates clients on the merits of 1031 exchanges. CL Wealth Management LLC provides portfolio advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm employs both discretionary and non-discretionary management strategies, utilizing fundamental and technical analysis, model portfolios, and a range of mutual funds and ETFs.