Lorence Merritt is a financial advisor with Independent Financial Partners in Highland Park, IL, holding the ChFC® designation and Series 63 and 65 licenses. He has 46 years of industry experience and has worked at firms including LPL Financial and Sheridan Road Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he serves as Co-Chair of Legacy Fundraising at Temple Beth Israel. Independent Financial Partners provides investment advisory, financial planning, trust, and retirement-plan services through a nationwide network of independent advisors. The firm supports a multi-advisor platform serving individual, charitable, corporate, and high-net-worth clients, with a notable focus on retirement-plan advisory and pension consulting.

Lewis Affetto is a Series 66-credentialed financial advisor with 16 years of industry experience, currently serving at Kestra Advisory since 2021. His prior experience includes roles at Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and Hornor Townsend & Kent Inc, spanning over a decade. Outside of his advisory work, he is a partner in an accounting firm, Bernard A. Affetto & Co., and serves on the board of FRA NOI, a nonprofit organization. Kestra Advisory Services provides investment advisory and retirement-plan consulting to a diverse client base, including institutional and individual investors. The firm offers comprehensive services such as fiduciary consulting, plan design, and investment advice, supporting a wide range of client needs with multiple management platforms and third-party solutions.

Stephanie Feldman is an advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. with 13 years of industry experience. She holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with Mesirow Financial since 2013. Outside of her advisory role, Feldman serves as Co-Treasurer for the parent organization of Solomon Schechter Day School, a nonprofit private elementary school. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to private individuals, institutional clients, and government entities. The firm employs both third-party managers and proprietary investment products, focusing on diversified portfolios that include mutual funds, equities, fixed income, ETFs, and alternatives.

Matthew Clark is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott in Chicago, IL, with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 63 and Series 66 designations. Prior to joining Janney Montgomery Scott in 2025, he worked at Bank of America, Merrill, and J.P. Morgan in various roles spanning from 2011 to 2025. Clark also serves as an associate board member for the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation, reviewing applications for prospective students. Janney Montgomery Scott is a large, dually registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered investment adviser managing approximately $110 billion in client assets. The firm serves a diverse client base including individuals, families, trusts, estates, corporate and retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, and municipal clients, offering brokerage, financial planning, consulting, and multiple advisory programs.

Kevin Brock is a financial advisor with William Blair in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 37 years of industry experience. He has been with William Blair & Co., L.L.C. since 2002 and previously worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation beginning in 1993. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division serves individuals, including high-net-worth clients, as well as foundations, pension plans, and corporations. The firm employs an active, research-driven investment approach across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

John Schriver IV is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license, with seven years of industry experience. He has been with Cresset Asset Management, LLC since 2018 and previously worked at BMO Private Bank for 16 years. He serves on the investment committee of Christ Church of Oakbrook, advising on investment strategy and allocation. Cresset Asset Management, LLC manages approximately $71.9 billion in client assets for a diverse range of clients, including individuals, high-net-worth families, trusts, retirement plans, and charitable organizations. The firm employs a diversified, asset-allocation-driven approach combining active and passive strategies, with a structured due-diligence program and a range of services including portfolio management, wealth planning, private fund advisory, and family office services.

David Snyder is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with Corient in Chicago, IL, and has six years of industry experience. Prior to joining Corient in 2026, he worked for Vivaldi Capital Management LLC for ten years. Outside of finance, he is a financial backer and partner in CityWide SuperSlow, a fitness training business in Chicago. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach that integrates internal strategies with third-party managers and employs risk management tools and alternative investments as appropriate.

Christopher Sullivan is a CFP® professional with four years of experience at Corient in Chicago, IL. His prior work history includes time at Bowling Green State University. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, utilizing a goals-based team investment approach that integrates in-house strategies with third-party managers. The firm offers specialized services through affiliates and employs risk management tools and continuous portfolio monitoring.

Jacob Cohen is a financial advisor at Creative Planning with a Series 66 designation and four years of industry experience. He previously worked at Hergenroeder Financial Advisors and LPL Financial and has experience outside finance, including a role at Towson Tavern. 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 assets and employs a financial planning-led investment process emphasizing low-cost indexing and buy-and-hold strategies, supplemented by various specialized portfolio management techniques.

Jack Bertke is a financial advisor with Oppenheimer in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 66 designation and began his industry career in 2026. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, he completed his education at Michigan State University and worked in educational roles at East Grand Rapids High School and Middle School. Oppenheimer serves individuals, corporations, pooled vehicles, and retirement plans, offering a range of portfolio management, consulting, and financial planning services. The firm employs various investment approaches across multiple programs and reported approximately $36.7 billion in assets under management as of late 2025.

Jacquelyn Coleman is a financial advisor with Schwab Wealth Advisory, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 16 years of industry experience. Her career includes roles at Northwestern Mutual Investment Management and Charles Schwab. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice through the Schwab Wealth Advisory program, focusing on financial reviews, retirement planning, and investment recommendations using Charles Schwab’s research tools and asset allocation models. The firm operates as an internal advisory unit within the Schwab ecosystem and differs from many enterprise wealth managers in its fee structure and client service model.

Lev Aviv Shuber is a financial advisor with Citigroup Global Markets, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and nine years of industry experience. He has been with CitiBank since 2012, accumulating a total of 14 years in the firm. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across multiple wealth segments, offering a broad range of investment advisory programs and execution services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and combines large institutional scale with unique market roles, including research, security pricing, and derivatives services.

Kate Elisha is a financial advisor at William Blair with five years of industry experience. She holds a Series 66 designation and has been with William Blair since 2019, following two years working at Trifecta Grill and four years in full-time education. William Blair’s Private Wealth Management division offers discretionary and non-discretionary 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, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds through its MB Investments Program.

Michael Tuber is a financial advisor at Focus Partners Wealth, LLC with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Strategic Wealth Partners, and Kovitz Investment Group Partners. Focus Partners Wealth, LLC provides wealth advisory and investment management services to individuals, high-net-worth families, family offices, retirement plans, institutions, and businesses. The firm employs a long-term, tax- and fee-sensitive investment approach within an enhanced open architecture framework that combines active and passive strategies, separate account managers, private funds, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Ariella Masters is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC with three years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at RITA Corporation for six years. Cerity Partners provides customized wealth management and related services to a broad national client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors. The firm employs tailored asset allocation, manager selection, and periodic rebalancing using proprietary quantitative screens alongside third-party managers and individual securities.

Stevany Williamson is a financial advisor at Empower Advisory Group with Series 65 and Series 63 credentials and three years of industry experience. Her prior work includes positions at JPMorgan Chase Bank, J.P. Morgan Securities, and various mortgage-related roles. Before her financial services career, she managed a salon and spa for three years. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily to employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors and their participants, as well as to Empower Premier IRA and retail brokerage clients. The firm’s integrated approach leverages proprietary and third-party methodologies focused on long-term portfolio returns and savings rates, with services closely tied to Empower’s recordkeeping and administrative platforms.

Walter Parenti is a ChFC® with 39 years of industry experience, currently serving at Equity Services, Inc. since 1986. He has worked with National Life of Vermont since 1987. Outside of his advisory role, he is a part-owner of commercial and mixed-use real estate with his family. 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 primarily long-term investment strategies with options for shorter-term trading and specialized instruments.

Dean Turner Jr. is a CFP® with 13 years of experience in the financial industry. He is currently with Rockefeller Financial LLC and Rockefeller Capital Management since 2025. Prior to this, he worked for Bank of America, N.A. and Merrill for ten years. Rockefeller Financial LLC serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, institutional clients, retirement plans, foundations, and corporations. The firm offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and consulting, and operates as a registered broker-dealer providing securities transactions, variable insurance products, and investment banking services.

Ryan Keenan is a financial advisor at Citigroup Global Markets with 10 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and has previously worked at JP Morgan Securities, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Stevee Mengyan, and Northwestern Mutual Investment Services. Citigroup Global Markets serves individual and institutional clients across various wealth segments, offering a range of investment advisory programs and broker-dealer services. The firm employs multi-asset, multi-manager strategies and maintains significant in-house research and market roles, distinguishing it within the industry.

Patrick Vasicovschi is a financial advisor with Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 17 years of industry experience. His prior roles include positions at Hightower Securities, GWFS Equities, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, HUB International Investment Services, Capital Group, and UBS Financial Services. Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. serves a diverse client base including individuals, retirement plan sponsors, charitable organizations, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. The firm offers services such as financial planning, portfolio management, wrap programs, third-party money manager access, and plan-sponsor consulting, with a focus on recommendation-based, non-discretionary asset management.