Matthew Ward is a financial advisor with Hightower Advisors in Chicago, IL, holding a Series 66 designation and five years of industry experience. His prior experience includes roles at Hightower Securities, LLC, G Treasury, Symphony Clinical Research, and Illinois State University. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, offering discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and employs proprietary research and a variety of investment vehicles.

Gordon Scott is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Series 66 license with 26 years of industry experience. He has worked at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2017 and was previously with Geneva Advisors, LLC from 2014 to 2017. He is based in Chicago, IL. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth advisory services to a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm utilizes an investment process involving internal teams and governance committees to construct customized portfolios and managed account programs, distinguished by its relatively high assets under management per advisor and its work with investment company clients.

Matthew Cooper is a CFP® certified financial advisor with five years of industry experience. He is currently with Cresset Asset Management, LLC and has previously worked at Rockefeller Capital Management, Truist Securities, and Merrill Lynch. Prior to his advisory roles, he was employed at Elsmore Swim Shop and Indiana University Bloomington. Cresset Asset Management is a multi-disciplinary investment adviser managing approximately $78.9 billion in client assets. The firm serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, retirement plans, corporations, and pooled investment vehicles, employing a disciplined, risk-aware approach that integrates strategic asset allocation, manager selection, and both active and passive investments across various asset classes.

Sebastian Galindo Sosa is a CFP® professional with eight years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at Schwab Wealth Advisory. His prior experience includes roles at The Vanguard Group and Wells Fargo. He holds Series 63 and 66 licenses and is based in Chicago, IL. Schwab Wealth Advisory provides non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice and financial planning to clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain Charles Schwab & Co.-referred clients. The firm’s guidance is based on standard asset-allocation models and internal research tools, with recommendations tailored annually to each client’s goals and risk tolerance.

Erica Bunnell is a CFP® professional at Cerity Partners LLC with seven years of industry experience. Prior to her current role at Cerity Partners, she worked at HPM Partners LLC for five years. Cerity Partners advises a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, charitable institutions, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in client assets. The firm offers customized wealth management services and employs a client-specific investment framework combining quantitative screening, manager selection, and both third-party strategies and direct security selection.

David Sokolovsky is a CFP®, CFA®, and holds a Series 66 license with 13 years of industry experience. He has worked at Hightower Advisors since 2019 and previously held positions at Zurich North America, Accenture Strategy, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. He is based in Chicago, IL. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, including pension plans, charitable organizations, corporations, and trusts. The firm’s advisory model emphasizes manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing both affiliated and third-party managers, and offers a variety of investment vehicles and strategies including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, and custom indexing.

Ryan Taylor is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs Wealth Services in Chicago, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses and having five years of industry experience. He has been with Goldman Sachs since 2019, previously working at AIT Worldwide Logistics. He has made guest appearances for the Green Bay Packers as an alumni. Goldman Sachs Wealth Services advises a wide range of clients, including individual investors, corporate participants, executives, and institutional clients. The firm provides financial planning and portfolio management with customized strategies supported by extensive research, leveraging Goldman Sachs’ broad ecosystem of affiliates and specialized advisory teams.

James Borovsky is a financial advisor at Corient with 27 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Corient since 2022, with prior experience at Gofen and Glossberg, L.L.C. for 26 years. Corient provides investment advisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base that includes individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporate entities. The firm uses a goals-based, team investment approach combining in-house strategies with third-party managers and employs risk management tools and stress testing to align portfolios with client objectives.

Michael Annin is a CFA® charterholder with 19 years of industry experience. He is currently affiliated with Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., where he has worked for over 20 years. His prior experience includes roles at Ibbotson Associates, Inc. and Ibbotson Associates Advisors, LLC. 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 private individuals, institutional clients, and government entities. The firm employs both proprietary private investment products and third-party managers, applying quantitative and qualitative due diligence in portfolio construction.

Jessica Salemy is a CFA® charterholder currently with Hightower Advisors in Chicago. She has prior experience at Star Mountain Capital, WP Global Partners, Mercer, and Marquette Associates. Hightower Advisors provides investment advisory and planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors. The firm’s approach features manager selection and multi-manager solutions, utilizing affiliated and third-party managers alongside proprietary research and customized portfolio construction.

Julie Byrnes is a financial advisor at Rockefeller Financial LLC with 19 years of industry experience. She holds Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and previously worked at Wells Fargo Clearing and Merrill. Byrnes is based in Chicago, IL. 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 combines a Private Advisor model with an integrated investment platform that offers discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and access to alternative investment solutions, alongside registered broker-dealer services.

Nicole Hultin is a financial advisor with Capital Group Private Client Services, Inc., holding a Series 65 designation and 15 years of industry experience. She has been with Capital Group since 2011. Capital Group Private Client Services provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and charitable organizations, using a multi-manager approach that emphasizes fundamental research and long-term investment horizons. The firm implements client portfolios through separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and access to private-equity and alternative funds.

David Ricciardelli is a financial advisor with CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with seven years at CIBC and three years at Macquarie Capital Markets. He has two years of industry experience. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors provides investment and wealth advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm combines an internal investment team with governance committees to deliver customized portfolios and manages approximately $67.8 billion in assets with about 175 advisors.

Jose Almanza is a financial advisor with Empower Advisory Group in Berwyn, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses and 17 years of industry experience. He has worked at GWFS Equities, Inc. since 2021 and previously at MML Distributors, LLC and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company from 2016 to 2021. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as Chief Operations Officer for Lakeshore Financial Network, a business specializing in tax preparation, and works as a loan originator for ILoan Home Mortgage. Empower Advisory Group provides financial planning and investment management primarily for employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors, their participants, and retail brokerage clients. The firm uses an integrated model linked to Empower’s administrative platforms, offering point-in-time financial plans and managed account solutions focused on long-term portfolio returns and annual rebalancing.

Scott Edmiston is a CFA® charterholder and Series 63 licensee based in Chicago, IL, with one year of industry experience. He has been with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) since 2026 and previously held roles at NYLIFE Securities LLC and New York Life Insurance Company starting in 2024, following 21 years at Aon plc. Eagle Strategies serves a diverse range of individual and institutional clients, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm offers multiple advisory programs tailored to client objectives and emphasizes non-discretionary asset management within an integrated New York Life affiliate structure.

Mary Jo Hayes is a financial advisor at Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. in Chicago, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 34 years of industry experience. She has been with Mesirow since 2011 and previously worked at Chicago Investment Group, LLC. Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc.’s Wealth Management division offers investment management and financial planning services to a range of clients, including individuals, pension plans, government entities, and charitable organizations. The firm uses both proprietary and third-party investments and emphasizes a disciplined approach with Investment Policy Statements, asset allocation, and due diligence across various asset classes.

Kenneth Pollard is a CFA® charterholder with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at CIBC Private Wealth Advisors, Inc. since 2012. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and is based in Chicago, IL. CIBC Private Wealth Advisors offers investment and wealth advisory services to a diverse clientele, including individuals, families, trusts, employee benefit plans, corporations, and investment companies. The firm combines an internal investment team with various committees to deliver customized portfolio management and coordinated Family Office services, managing approximately $67.8 billion in assets with 175 advisors.

Jennifer Thurswell is a financial advisor with Schwab Wealth Advisory in Chicago, IL. She holds a Series 65 designation and has industry experience beginning in 2025. Her prior work includes five years at Harrison, LLP, one year at Katten Muchin Rosenman, LLP, and three years at Reed Smith LLP. Schwab Wealth Advisory serves clients enrolled in the Schwab Wealth Advisory program and certain Charles Schwab & Co.-referred clients by providing non-discretionary fiduciary investment advice, financial planning, and wealth management consultations. The firm uses Charles Schwab & Co.’s asset-allocation models and internal research tools, with client authorization required for trades.

Nelson Summary is a financial advisor at Cerity Partners LLC based in Chicago, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has three years of industry experience, including prior roles at GeoWealth and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Cerity Partners advises a diverse client base, including individuals, families, trusts, business entities, and institutional investors, managing approximately $166.2 billion in client assets as of December 31, 2025. The firm offers customized wealth management services with an investment framework centered on client-specific profiles, proprietary quantitative screening, and access to alternative and private market solutions for qualified clients.

Jeffrey Rezza is a financial advisor with Capital Group Private Client Services, Inc. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 28 years of experience in the industry. Prior to joining Capital Group in 2026, he worked at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. for 15 years and UBS Financial Services for three years. Capital Group Private Client Services provides discretionary investment management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and charitable organizations, offering access to separately managed accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, and alternative strategy funds. The firm employs a multi-manager approach based on fundamental research and a long-term investment horizon.