Joel Chery is a financial advisor with TIAA-CREF, holding a Series 66 credential and 19 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Merrill, Wells Fargo Clearing Services, and Morgan Stanley. Outside of his advisory work, he owns Harbor Yachts, a business providing fractional boat leases, and serves on the board of St. Bernard's High School. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services offers financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, and small retirement plans, often for clients with existing employer retirement plan relationships. The firm provides advisory services with a fiduciary standard across various managed account models and acts as adviser to a donor-advised fund.

Joseph Tabet is a financial advisor at William Blair with five years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at William Blair since 2021. Prior to his current role, his work history includes positions at World of Beer, Local Tree Tech, and Alaska Pacific Seafoods. 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, offering proprietary models and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Susan Soderberg is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with six years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Morgan Stanley and Riverstone Wealth Partners. Her background also includes roles in the Indian Prairie School District. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs primarily to individuals connected to TIAA-administered employer retirement plans, as well as to trusts, estates, partnerships, and small retirement plans. The firm offers both point-in-time planning services and ongoing discretionary management through model portfolios and customized accounts.

Anthony Gurrieri is a financial advisor with Transamerica Financial Advisors, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and bringing 27 years of industry experience. His career includes roles at WealthWave, LSPN Pro, Apollo Agency, and several other firms. He is involved with the Heartland Institute for Financial Education as a registry instructor. Transamerica Financial Advisors, LLC serves a broad client base including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and businesses. The firm employs a model-driven investment approach using proprietary and third-party portfolios, supported by a large advisor network and multiple program platforms.

James Myczek is a financial advisor at TIAA-CREF with 15 years of industry experience and holds a Series 66 designation. He previously worked at PNC Investments and PNC Bank before joining TIAA-CREF in 2018. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC’s Advice & Planning Services division provides financial planning and discretionary managed account programs to individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, corporate entities, and small retirement plans, often serving clients with existing employer retirement plan relationships. The firm also advises donor-advised funds and employs both model-based and customized portfolio management strategies under a fiduciary standard.

John Cultra is a CFA® charterholder with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Company L.L.C. since 1997. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, foundations, pension, and corporate clients, employing an active, research-driven approach across equities, fixed income, and alternative strategies.

John Christopher is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies since 2016 and is also involved with Christopher Financial Group, LLC, Mahoney Financial Organization LLC, and Exodus Business Strategies LLC. Christopher serves as a board member of the Medinah Country Club. Eagle Strategies provides financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services to a diverse clientele including individual investors, institutional plans, and charitable organizations. The firm delivers tailored advice through various program types, emphasizing non-discretionary asset management and integrated advisory services within the New York Life affiliate structure.

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 bringing 28 years of industry experience. He has been with VOYA Financial Advisors since 2014. Outside of his advisory role, he operates as an independent insurance agent and is involved in buying and selling gold and silver on eBay as a personal venture. VOYA Financial Advisors, Inc. provides investment advisory, brokerage, financial planning, and retirement plan services to a diverse client base including individuals, charitable organizations, corporations, and plan sponsors. The firm offers a range of advisory programs featuring both discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, supported by a broad affiliate network and multiple custodial relationships.

Colleen Mccaffery is a financial advisor with Truist Advisory Services based in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 31 years of industry experience. Her prior experience includes roles at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC and Wells Fargo Clearing. 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 blend of discretionary manager relationships and non-discretionary consulting supported by third-party platforms and AI-enabled research tools.

Carmen Cheung is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with six years of industry experience. She is based in Chicago, IL, holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses, and has been with Citigroup since 2015. Outside of her advisory role, she works as a wedding emcee. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and brokerage services. The firm implements multi-asset, multi-manager strategies through discretionary and non-discretionary programs, supported by in-house research and specialized market roles.

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 one year of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation. Prior to joining William Blair, she worked at Bucknell University and Mattawan Highschool. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary investment management, financial planning, and wealth services to individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as foundations, pension, and corporate clients. The firm employs an active, research-driven investment approach across multiple asset classes and provides access to proprietary models and private fund opportunities.

Abraham Jimenez is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation with four years of industry experience. His career includes prior roles at The Vanguard Group and Randstad, as well as multiple positions at Cerity Partners since 2023. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management services to a diverse national clientele, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset allocation and manager selection, combining proprietary quantitative screens with third-party managers and individual securities, and offers access to alternative and private-market investments.

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.

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.

Michael Muersch is a financial advisor with Principal Financial Services in Downers Grove, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and 18 years of industry experience. He has been with Principal Securities Inc. since 2016 and with Principal Life Insurance Company since 2008. He is also involved in health and fixed life insurance brokerage activities. Principal Securities provides brokerage and registered investment advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, retirement plans, trusts, and business entities. The firm offers direct advisory programs, financial planning, retirement plan consulting, and access to third-party money manager asset allocation and separately managed account solutions.

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.

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 24 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at Western International Securities, Inc. and National Planning Corporation. 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 employs a combination of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to tailor portfolios according to clients’ goals and risk tolerances.