Steven Josephson is a financial advisor at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Chicago, IL, with 33 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has worked at Bankers Life Advisory Services and Bankers Life Securities since 2017, following a 12-year tenure at Harris Investor Services, Inc. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. provides discretionary portfolio management and investment consulting primarily to mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals. The firm emphasizes customized asset allocation, tax efficiency, and a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis in its investment approach.

Joseph Cheop is a financial advisor at William Blair with 26 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair And Company, L.L.C. since 2004. His credentials include Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. 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.

Brandi Ruffalo is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Group, LLC, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 24 years of industry experience. She has been with Independent Financial Group since 2009 and is the owner of The Business Development Company, which provides administrative and bookkeeping services. Ruffalo is also involved in business valuation and forensic consulting through Valuation & Forensic Partners, LLC. Independent Financial Group, LLC is a dual-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser serving individuals, charities, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers brokerage, portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan services through a national network of Investment Adviser Representatives and utilizes multiple advisory platforms and third-party asset managers.

Jennifer Rosenblum is a financial advisor with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 28 years of industry experience. She has been with Mesirow Financial since 1997. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division serves private individuals, pension plans, government entities, charitable organizations, and institutional clients. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning, employing a process that includes setting asset allocation targets, conducting due diligence across various investment types, and offering access to both third-party managers and proprietary private investment products.

Adria Siewert is a ChFC® and Series 66 credentialed advisor with 18 years of industry experience. She has been with Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC and its affiliated entities since 2013, and previously worked at LPL Financial. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC is an SEC-registered enterprise advisory firm serving individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, and retirement plans through a large network of advisors. The firm’s investment approach combines strategic asset allocation with both passive and active management, supported by quantitative and fundamental research and a structured rebalancing process.

Michael Bryan is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 20 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and has been with Mesirow Financial since 2006. Outside of his advisory role, he operates a tax preparation practice as a sole proprietor. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm employs quantitative and qualitative due diligence across various asset classes and offers access to proprietary private investment products and affiliated feeder funds.

Julian Bell is a CFP® and Series 65 credentialed advisor with four years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2025 and previously held roles at Plante Moran Financial Advisors and Plante Moran. His background also includes experience outside of financial services. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers a variety of portfolio construction options including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Susan Wolfe is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 29 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and previously worked at Merrill for 25 years before joining several firms including Sanctuary Advisors, Telemus Capital, and Kovitz Investment Group Partners. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term investment approach that emphasizes tax- and fee-sensitivity within an enhanced open architecture framework, combining active and passive strategies along with a range of affiliated private and registered funds.

Margaret Miller is a financial advisor at William Blair with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at William Blair since 2021, following a period at American Commercial Bank & Trust. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division serves individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients with discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services. 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.

Roger Smithberg is a CFP® with 36 years of industry experience. He has been with Sanctuary Advisors, LLC since 2015 and also has longstanding involvement with Sanctuary Securities, Inc. since 1998. Based in Chicago, IL, Smithberg holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations. Sanctuary Advisors, LLC serves a diverse client base including individuals, corporations, pension plans, trusts, and charitable organizations through over 400 independent investment adviser representatives. The firm offers portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting, employing a variety of investment approaches and acting as a fiduciary when under written advisory agreements.

Christopher Brathwaite is a financial advisor at William Blair with 27 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Co LLC since 2010 and holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division provides discretionary and non-discretionary 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 and offers a range of proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investments.

John Pestikas is a financial advisor with PNC Wealth Management, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 22 years of industry experience. He has been with PNC investments since 2009. PNC Wealth Management offers retail brokerage and advisory services through model-based programs, including an invitation-only digital discretionary model account accessible to employees with existing PNC Bank online credentials. Their approach uses approved strategies executed via mutual funds and ETFs, relying on algorithmic risk assessments and delegating portfolio management and proxy voting to third parties.

Eric Kuehl is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has previously worked at Wasmer, Schroeder & Company, LLC, and Cincinnati Asset Management Inc. Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, corporations, and institutional investors, advising on approximately $126.9 billion in assets. The firm offers a range of services such as investment management, financial planning, tax and insurance support, and access to alternative and private-market investments, with a focus on customized, diversified portfolios and private market programs for qualified clients.

James Allen is a CFP® with 32 years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked at Oppenheimer since 2020, following roles at David A. Noyes & Co. / Sanctuary Securities, Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets. Outside of his advisory work, he volunteers as a caucus member for the Village of Glencoe, IL, participating in the selection of library and park district candidates. Oppenheimer serves a broad client base including individuals, corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations. The firm offers a range of advisory and brokerage services, employing strategic and tactical asset allocation along with various investment vehicles to meet client objectives.

Sean Lawless is a financial advisor at Equity Services, Inc. in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and has been in the industry since 2025. Lawless also has a background in education, having been affiliated with DePauw University, Lake Forest College, and New Trier High School since 2016. Equity Services, Inc., operating as ESI Financial Advisors, provides financial planning, consulting, and asset management to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and employer retirement plans. The firm offers multiple advisory platforms and combines long-term investment strategies with options for shorter-term trading and specialized instruments.

Kevin Torres is a financial advisor with Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and bringing six years of industry experience. His prior employment includes roles at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Monere Investments, Inc. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create tailored asset allocations and ongoing portfolio management aligned with clients’ goals and risk profiles.

Jerome O’Reilly is a financial advisor with PlanMember Securities Corporation in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 38 years of industry experience. He worked for Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. for 20 years before joining PlanMember and Vista Financial Group Ltd., both since 2016. He operates Vista Financial Group Ltd. and provides insurance sales and services as a licensed Insurance Producer. PlanMember Securities Corporation provides retirement-plan advisory services to employers and participants, acting as an ERISA 3(38) fiduciary for many plans and offering participant-level investment options. The firm uses a top-down strategic asset allocation framework and risk-based mutual fund portfolios, supported by education, seminars, and personalized retirement planning.

Shannon Stevens is a financial advisor at Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 65 designation. She has five years of experience in the industry, previously working at Trust Company of Illinois and First Midwest Bank. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors such as pension plans, charitable organizations, and corporations. The firm emphasizes multi-manager solutions, manager selection, and uses both affiliated and third-party managers to deliver customized portfolio management and financial planning.

Daniel Maxwell is a financial advisor with William Blair in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Valic Financial Advisors and Fischer Investment Group, Inc., as well as work at the University of Notre Dame. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, and institutional clients, using an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and providing access to proprietary models and private investment opportunities.

Thomas Zimmerman is a Series 66-registered financial advisor with two years of industry experience. He has worked at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services since 2024, with prior roles at William Blair and Private Vista LLC. Outside of finance, he was employed at Hinsdale Golf Club from 2016 to 2022. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individual investors, executives, and institutional clients. The firm uses strategic allocation models and manager selections to tailor portfolios and offers a range of services such as Private Family Office programs, Financial Wellness, and access to Alternative Investments.