Jennifer Frahm is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with 22 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been associated with GWFS Equities, Inc. and Great West Life & Annuity Insurance Company since 2009. Outside of her advisory role, she teaches financial fluency to high school students and medical students at the University of Illinois Medical School through her initiative, Intentional Investment Education. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management mainly to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and certain retail brokerage account holders. The firm’s approach emphasizes long-term portfolio returns, annual rebalancing, and clients’ savings rates, delivering services through an integrated model tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Michael Biggus is a financial advisor with VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and having 29 years of industry experience. He has worked with VOYA Financial Advisors and its affiliated entities since 2002. Outside of advising, he is an independent insurance agent and engages in personal buying and selling of gold and silver on eBay. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. is an enterprise-scale advisory and broker-dealer affiliate of Voya Financial serving individuals, including high-net-worth clients, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm offers financial planning, portfolio management, unified managed accounts, and retirement-plan advisory services through a network of representatives using a combination of in-house and external strategists, model portfolios, and technology-enabled tools.

Colleen Mccaffery is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. She has worked at Truist Advisory Services since 2022 and previously spent time at Wells Fargo Clearing and Wells Fargo Investments. Truist Advisory Services provides investment consulting and advisory services to individuals, corporate and business clients, retirement plan sponsors and participants, and charitable organizations, utilizing a combination of discretionary manager relationships and consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Ruth Goran is a financial advisor with Cetera Planning Partners and holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses. She has 25 years of industry experience, including 25 years at Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. Outside of her advisory role, she is president of Entertain2Educate, an organization involved in developing original scripts for continuing education programs, and serves as president of the not-for-profit Parks Earhart, which researches women breaking the glass ceiling in business. She also holds several voluntary board and treasurer roles with nonprofit organizations. Cetera Planning Partners serves individual and high-net-worth clients, focusing on pre-retirees and retirees by providing investment management, comprehensive financial planning, Social Security optimization, and retirement-related advice. The firm offers additional services such as tax planning and preparation, bookkeeping, payroll support, and estate-planning through a third-party provider, integrating a diversified investment approach with a formal planning process.

David Harrison is a CFP® professional with 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. He is currently with NewEdge Advisors and has held roles at North Star Investment Services, Mid Atlantic Capital Corporation, Mid Atlantic Financial Management, and Wells Fargo Clearing. Outside of advisory work, he serves as president of Wealth Capital Partners, a financial activity business, and also of a fixed annuities and life insurance company. NewEdge Advisors is an enterprise-scale registered investment adviser serving individuals, retirement plans, corporations, and nonprofit entities through a network of independent representatives. The firm offers a variety of portfolio management and consulting services and employs multiple program structures supported by centralized due diligence and advanced technology tools.

Carmen Cheung is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with six years of industry experience. She has been with Citigroup since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she works as a wedding emcee on an event basis. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across a range of wealth segments, offering multi-asset, multi-manager investment strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs. The firm combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including in-house research and derivatives services.

Alisa Ciccone is a financial advisor at William Blair with 27 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1999. 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 active, research-driven management across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Kathryn Novak is a financial advisor at William Blair with two years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 license and has worked at William Blair since 2024. Prior to entering the financial industry, she spent four years at Bucknell University and four years at Mattawan High School. 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 various asset classes and offers proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Abraham Jimenez is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC in Chicago, holding a Series 66 designation with four years of industry experience. Prior to joining Cerity Partners, he worked at The Vanguard Group. Cerity Partners serves a broad range of clients including individuals, families, trusts, estates, business entities, charitable institutions, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in client assets. The firm offers customized wealth management services and employs an investment framework focused on client-specific profiles, asset allocation, and access to alternative and private market solutions.

Didier Thierry is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and with six years of industry experience. Prior to joining HighTower Securities, LLC in 2019, he worked in the hospitality sector with Windy City Hospitality and Hospitality One Group from 2016 to 2019. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a wide range of individual and institutional clients, utilizing a multi-manager approach that includes affiliated and third-party managers, proprietary research, and diversified investment options such as mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative investments.

Andrew Mclean is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with eight years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC since 2019, following prior roles at The Ayco Company, L.P./Mercer Allied and CMT Asset Management. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services offers financial planning, investment management, and advisory support to a diverse client base, including high-net-worth individuals, corporate participants, and institutional clients. The firm utilizes centralized investment resources and model portfolios while providing tailored solutions such as Executive Wealth and Private Family Office support.

William Mc Carty IV is a financial advisor at Fifth Third Securities, Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked at Fifth Third Bank and Fifth Third Securities since 2023, following prior roles at Charles Schwab and First Trust Portfolios. Outside of his advisory work, he engages in personal item sales on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Fifth Third Securities provides brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, charitable organizations, corporate and business clients, and institutional investors. The firm offers multiple discretionary managed-account programs through its Passageway Managed Account Program and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, combining bank affiliation with a broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser structure.

Jacqueline Moss is a CFA® charterholder with 25 years of industry experience. She has been with William Blair & Company since 2014. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and provides proprietary models and access to private funds through its integrated platform.

Jeremy Knobel is a financial advisor with Guardian Life and holds the CFP® and ChFC® designations. He has 25 years of industry experience, including long-term tenure with Guardian Life and business ownership through JSK Financial Services LLC. Knobel is also co-trustee of the Seth Knobel Revocable Trust. Park Avenue Securities LLC, where Knobel practices, is a subsidiary of Guardian Life providing brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plan sponsors, and organizations. The firm offers a range of financial planning and investment solutions combining advisor-led discretionary management with model-based strategies and access to proprietary and third-party platforms.

Melissa Wiss is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with 10 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and previously worked at Lockton Investment Advisors, Lockton Financial Advisors, and Lockton Companies. Wiss is based in Chicago, IL. Creative Planning provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, corporations, foundations, trusts, and retirement plans. The firm manages approximately $217 billion in client assets and employs a financial planning–led investment approach that emphasizes low-cost indexing, buy-and-hold strategies, and supplemental tactics such as direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting.

Mikela Ryan is a Series 66-licensed financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services, based in Deerfield, IL, and has two years of industry experience. Her background includes roles at Goldman Sachs since 2023, as well as experience with JT Fitness MKE LLC, The Lowlands Restaurant Group, and Marquette University’s Office of Risk Management and Law School. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services provides financial planning and portfolio management to a diverse client base, including individuals, executives, plan sponsors, and institutional clients, offering tailored investment strategies supported by the firm’s extensive research and operational capabilities across the Goldman Sachs network.

Matthew Alcorn is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with Series 66 and Series 63 licenses and 25 years of industry experience. His prior work includes positions at BMO Capital Markets Corp., B. Riley Securities, Inc., TradeStation Securities, Inc., and Yilmaz Advisors. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals with existing TIAA retirement plan relationships, as well as to trusts, estates, and small retirement plans. The firm provides both point-in-time planning and ongoing portfolio management through model and customized strategies, and it acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Patricia Luken is a financial advisor at Valic Financial Advisors with eight years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Barclays Bank plc. Valic Financial Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-member broker-dealer that serves primarily U.S. individuals, including high net worth clients, as well as employer-sponsored retirement participants. The firm uses a technology-driven approach, offering discretionary unified managed accounts and financial planning through a large network of advisors.

Cary Margolis is a financial advisor at Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. with 25 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and has worked previously at Western International Securities, Inc. and National Planning Corporation. Margolis is based in Chicago, IL. Bankers Life Advisory Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals through discretionary portfolio management, investment consulting, and retirement plan consulting. The firm uses a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to create customized portfolios aligned with clients’ goals and risk tolerances.

Mariam Blanco Paz is a financial advisor at Goldman Sachs Wealth Services with a Series 66 designation and one year of industry experience. Her work history includes roles at Goldman Sachs, Satori Energy, Bundlar, CME Group, and several positions at Lake Forest College. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a diverse client base ranging from individual investors to institutional clients, providing financial planning, portfolio management, and specialized wealth programs. The firm integrates strategic allocation models and research from various internal groups and affiliates, offering a wide array of service platforms and tools tailored to client objectives.