As a CFP® professional and founder of Illuminate Wealth Management, I work with business owners, executives, and professionals who are navigating complex financial decisions. My goal is to help you understand your options, avoid costly mistakes, and create a strategy that supports the life you're working so hard to build. Over the years, I've developed a particular passion for helping clients make smart decisions around equity compensation. Whether you're dealing with RSUs, ISOs, stock options, ESPPs, or a major liquidity event, I help clients think through the tax implications, manage concentration risk, and create a plan that connects today's decisions with their long-term goals. I also work closely with business owners who are balancing the demands of running a company while trying to make thoughtful decisions about growing and protecting their personal wealth. When your business, taxes, retirement goals, investments, and family finances are all connected, financial planning becomes about much more than investments alone. While equity compensation and business planning are often what bring people to me, my role is much larger than solving a single financial challenge. I help clients think through retirement, taxes, investments, cash flow, and long-term wealth planning so they can make decisions with confidence and stay focused on what matters most. My approach is simple: bring clarity to complexity and help people make confident financial decisions. I believe good planning should help you spend less time worrying about money and more time focusing on what matters most to you.

James Madl is a financial advisor at Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management with a Series 65 designation and four years of industry experience. Hendricks Wealth and Estate Management advises individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension and profit-sharing plans, and business entities, offering portfolio management, financial planning, and retirement plan consulting. The firm employs a range of analytical approaches and integrates financial planning with tax, insurance, and corporate-structure considerations, providing coordinated legal, tax, and insurance services through affiliated professionals.

Tom Sunny is a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies (NY Life) based in Schaumburg, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and nine years of industry experience. He operates Sunny Financial Strategies, LLC, offering New York Life products and brokering non-registered insurance products. He serves as a board member and marketing director for the Illinois chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). Eagle Strategies LLC provides financial planning, investment advisory, and retirement plan consulting services to individuals, employer-sponsored retirement plans, trusts, charitable organizations, and corporate clients. The firm emphasizes client-directed solutions and utilizes third-party managers and model portfolios, operating as an indirect subsidiary of New York Life.

David Meehan is a CFA® charterholder with seven years of industry experience. He has been the sole advisor at Maple Street Capital Advisors, LLC since 2018 and previously worked as a self-employed investor for three years. Maple Street Capital Advisors provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals and families, including high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a fundamental, long-term investment approach focused on diversified, low-cost core equity and fixed-income funds, complemented by selected individual equities, with an emphasis on asset allocation, rebalancing, and strategic cash management including a near-constant allocation to gold via ETFs.

Edgardo Navarro is a financial advisor at Navarro Asset Management, LLC with three years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been managing investments at Navarro Asset Management since 2022. Navarro is also the Managing Director of Kocoon Investments, LLC, a family investment entity he has been involved with since 2014. Navarro Asset Management serves individuals, including high net worth clients, as well as trusts and estates, providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment management along with financial planning and consulting. The firm employs a diversified investment approach using mutual funds, ETFs, equities, bonds, options strategies, and private funds, and incorporates fundamental, technical, and charting analysis methods.

Curtis Bergquist is a CFP® with 49 years of industry experience and is the sole advisor at Ameribanc Corporation in Hoffman Estates, IL. He has been associated with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2009. Outside of his advisory role, he is the owner of Ameribanc, where he engages in asset management. Ameribanc provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals and families, primarily through its Capital Management Service (CMS), which incorporates market-timing signals and a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to manage risk and adjust portfolio exposure.

Alka Oberoi is a financial advisor with Leading Edge Wealth Management, LLC in Rolling Meadows, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials and possessing 33 years of industry experience. She has been with Leading Edge Wealth Management since 2008 and also has experience with Leigh Baldwin & Co., LLC and Copley Alternative Investments Inc. Outside of her advisory role, she is involved in retirement income and comprehensive planning through fixed life insurance products. Leading Edge Wealth Management serves individual and high-net-worth clients and their related trusts and estates, offering both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management, written financial planning, and educational seminars. The firm applies a client-specific investment approach based on modern portfolio theory, utilizing a range of institutional mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, and third-party models, and incorporates quantitative methods and third-party research in its analysis and implementation.

Gary Byrne is a financial advisor at Carlisle Financial Management, LLC with 19 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has worked at Great Northern Financial since 2006. Carlisle Financial Management provides portfolio management and investment supervisory services to individual and high-net-worth clients, utilizing both fundamental and technical analysis. The firm employs a range of strategies including options writing and short-term trading, managing approximately $38.2 million for about 25 clients without account minimums.

Brenda Knox is a CFP® with 26 years of industry experience. She has been with Financial Elements, Inc. since 2008. Financial Elements, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and discretionary investment management for individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and business entities. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory, using globally diversified portfolios primarily composed of mutual funds and ETFs, and operates as a small, fee-only advisory practice with multiple professional fiduciary credentials.

Scott Sierens is a CFP® professional with nine years of experience in financial advising. He is the principal of Sierens Financial Group, Inc. and is also involved in content creation as a paid contractor for YouTube. His career includes roles at AE Wealth Management, Gradient Advisors, and AptarGroup. Sierens Financial Group, Inc. provides discretionary asset management and financial planning services to individuals, trusts, estates, and high-net-worth clients. The firm uses a tailored investment approach incorporating mutual funds, ETFs, and both fundamental and technical analysis, and also offers public educational seminars and workshops.

Daniel Short is the sole advisor at Directional Asset Management, LLC in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 65 and Series 63 licenses with 29 years of industry experience. He has been with Directional Asset Management since 2010 and previously worked at JVM Securities LLC and JVM Realty Corp. Outside of advising, he owns the commercial property leased to his firm. Directional Asset Management, LLC is an independent, single-advisor registered investment adviser serving individual, high-net-worth, and charitable clients. The firm combines fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis to construct customized investment portfolios and employs strategies including discretionary management, options, margin, and third-party managers where authorized.

John Piershale is a CFP® professional with 32 years of industry experience. He is the sole advisor at Piershale Wealth Management, LLC in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and has held prior roles at Origin Financial, Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc., Piershale Financial Group, Inc., and Triad Advisors, Inc. Piershale Wealth Management provides discretionary investment management and a variety of financial planning services to individual clients. The firm emphasizes strategic asset allocation based on Modern Portfolio Theory and fundamental analysis, offering specialized tax and estate planning within a modest, single-advisor model.

David Grant is a CFP® at Retirement Matters, Inc. in Barrington, IL, where he has worked since 2013. He has 15 years of industry experience and operates as the sole advisor at his independent firm. Retirement Matters, Inc. manages approximately $25 million for about 21 clients, offering discretionary portfolio management, comprehensive financial planning, and ongoing wealth management services. The firm serves individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, and charitable organizations, and incorporates fundamental analysis and individualized investment policies in its approach.

Matthew Nordman is a financial advisor with Crown Financial Group, Inc., holding a Series 65 designation and 28 years of industry experience. He operates as the sole advisor at an independent firm. Crown Financial Group provides investment supervisory and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including individual and institutional investors such as corporate pension plans, charitable institutions, and municipalities. The firm employs a multi-method investment process incorporating technical, cyclical, and fundamental analysis and offers a range of strategies from long-term buy-and-hold to short-term trading.

James Richter is a CFP® professional with 25 years of industry experience, currently serving as the sole advisor at Monotelo Wealth Partners in Elgin, IL. He previously worked at Hd Vest Advisory Services and Hd Vest Investment Services before founding Monotelo Wealth Partners in 2017. In addition to his advisory role, he owns and operates Monotelo Advisors, an accounting and tax preparation practice. Monotelo Wealth Partners is an independent firm that provides discretionary portfolio management and investment advisory services to a select client base, including individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, and charitable organizations. The firm manages balanced, diversified portfolios with a focus on exchange-traded funds and employs multiple methods of analysis to implement tax-efficient investment strategies.

I’m Matthew, the founder of Maplewood Wealth. I’m a financial planning nerd, hard stop. Standard financial advice is heavily geared toward retirees, leaving mid-career professionals with complex compensation without a clear place to turn. You don't need a generic roadmap, and you certainly don't need a cheerleader. You need a dedicated expert to take the heavy lifting of tax strategy, equity compensation, and investment management completely off your plate so you can protect your time and energy. I built Maplewood Wealth specifically for high-earning professionals, law firm partners, and dual-career parents. Whether you are dealing with a complex K-1 buy-in, navigating vesting RSUs, experiencing a sudden liquidity event, or managing the intense financial realities of chronic illness, I step in to handle the mechanics so you don't have to. Why work with me? The "Professor" Flex: I actually love the complex math of this stuff so much that I teach it to the next generation of advisors as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois (UIUC), and I help write official exam questions for the CFP® Board. Taxes, Minus the Stress: As an Enrolled Agent (EA) admitted to practice before the IRS, I don't just give high-level advice. I do in-house tax preparation and tax-smart investment management to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing: I don't require a $1M portfolio to work together. I offer two clear paths: a one-time $495 Clarity Session to solve an immediate, painful financial headache, or a $500/month Principal Partnership (capped at roughly 30 clients) where I take wealth and tax management entirely off your hands. I live in the Chicagoland area with my wife, our two kids, and our dog, but I operate a completely virtual practice serving professionals across the country. If you are ready to offload the mental load of your finances, let's talk.

Patrick Mcrae is the principal of Kintail Advisors, an independent advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 credential and has professional experience with Kapco Futures, Inc. since 2019 and CGB Diversified Services, Inc. from 2016 to 2019. Mcrae also operates as a registered associated person and principal of Kapco Futures. Kintail Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to high-net-worth individuals and qualified companies and institutions. The firm uses four long-term model portfolios with allocations ranging from bond and REIT-focused ETFs to growth ETFs and occasional spot cryptocurrency ETFs, employing technical, fundamental, and quantitative analysis on a discretionary basis.

Philip Statz is a financial advisor with Insight Financial Group, Inc. in Arlington Heights, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 25 years of industry experience. He has worked at Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2005 and has been with Insight Financial Group since 2003. In addition to his advisory role, Statz operates as an independent insurance agent. Insight Financial Group serves individual clients, including high-net-worth families, and small-business owners by providing comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and business consulting. The firm employs an investment approach centered on asset allocation and behavior coaching, using model portfolios primarily composed of ETFs, and offers unique services such as the Virtual CFO Solution™ and a fixed-price fee model.

Steven Peshek is a financial advisor at Altruity Wealth with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and has been with Altruity Investment Advisors, LLC since 2018. In addition to his advisory role, Peshek is president and CEO of Texture Graphics, LLC, a print and marketing firm he founded in 2002. Altruity Wealth is an independent registered investment advisor providing discretionary portfolio management and advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, pension plans, pooled investment vehicles, and institutional clients. The firm offers actively managed strategies across a range of risk profiles and uses a combination of technical, fundamental, and sentiment indicators to guide asset allocation and security selection.

Chetan Notaria is a financial advisor with Investment Resources Center in Palatine, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 designations and 16 years of industry experience. He has been associated with Planning Resources Center since 2001, where he also serves as president of an insurance agency and is involved in technology and business development consulting. Investment Resources Center provides personalized financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and business entities, including corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, estates, and trusts. The firm emphasizes asset allocation and offers proprietary model portfolios alongside customized management, with services that include retirement planning, tax-efficiency analysis, and estate-related investment guidance.