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.

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.

Curtis Bergquist is a CFP® with 50 years of industry experience. He is the owner of Ameribanc Corporation, an independent advisory firm based in Hoffman Estates, IL, and has been associated with Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc. since 2009. Ameribanc provides investment advisory and financial planning services to individual and family clients through its Capital Management Service (CMS), which integrates market-timing signals with mutual fund holdings to manage risk and adjust exposure according to market conditions.

Scott Sierens is a CFP® professional with 10 years of industry experience. He is the principal at Sierens Financial Group, Inc. in Elgin, IL, and has prior experience with AE Wealth Management, Gradient Advisors, and AptarGroup. He also works as a paid contractor creating content for YouTube. Sierens Financial Group, Inc. provides discretionary asset management and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, and high-net-worth clients, combining mutual funds, ETFs, and both fundamental and technical analysis. The firm offers educational seminars and workshops and accommodates client-specific investment restrictions and goals.

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.

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.

Patrick Mcrae is the principal of Kintail Advisors, an independent advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 designation and has professional experience including roles at Kapco Futures, Inc. and CGB Diversified Services, Inc. Mcrae maintains a registration as an associated person and principal at Kapco Futures, where he devotes a significant portion of his time. Kintail Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management to high-net-worth individuals and qualified companies and institutions. The firm manages four long-term model portfolios using technical, fundamental, and quantitative analysis, with allocations ranging from conservative bond and REIT ETFs to higher-beta growth and cryptocurrency ETF components.

Henry Glodny is a financial advisor with Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. in Hoffman Estates, IL. He holds a Series 65 designation and has 17 years of industry experience. He is the principal and founder of Terra Nimbus Systems, Inc., an IT consulting business that develops software tools for his financial planning practice. Castling Financial Planning, Ltd. is a solo independent firm serving primarily middle-class individual clients with fee-only, hourly financial planning and investment advice. The firm employs an evidence-based, data-driven investment approach using a proprietary Asset Allocation Database to analyze portfolio allocations and risk, and it maintains a policy of no percentage-of-AUM fees, no product sales, and no discretionary trading authority.

Timothy McDonald is the sole advisor at Timothy J McDonald CPA CFP, an independent firm based in Lake Barrington, IL. He holds CFP® and Series 63 designations and has 27 years of industry experience. He is also a partner in the CPA firm McDonald Doherty & Co., where he has been active since 1988. The firm provides personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals and families, integrating tax planning with investment strategies. It employs a combination of fundamental and technical analysis and asset allocation tailored to clients’ risk tolerance and goals, managing approximately $65 million across about 60 client relationships.

George Panopoulos is the principal advisor at The Panopoulos Group with 34 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Linsco/Private Ledger Corp. for 19 years before founding his current firm in 2017. The Panopoulos Group is an independent registered investment adviser serving high-net-worth individuals with personalized portfolio management and financial planning. The firm utilizes a combination of fundamental, technical, cyclical, and charting analyses, employing both active and passive investment strategies tailored to each client’s objectives and risk tolerance.

Roy Brown is a CFP® with 28 years of industry experience. He has been with Trueman Brown since 2007 and previously worked at Ameriprise for nine years. Outside of his advisory work, he is co-owner and vice president of RVTV Properties. Trueman Brown, LLC is an independent advisory firm managing approximately $196 million for about 128 clients, offering financial planning, consulting, and investment management services to individuals, trusts, charitable organizations, business entities, and institutional clients. The firm employs a long-term growth investment approach combining fundamental and technical analysis, and it is notable for serving pension and profit-sharing plans and recommending private placements and hedge-style collective vehicles.

Anton specializes in retirement planning, business tax strategy, and personalized financial advice designed to reduce taxes and support long-term financial goals. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a growing practice, or planning for life after work, he delivers clear, actionable guidance tailored to your situation. Most advisors specialize in either taxes or investments. Anton holds the credentials and the responsibility for both — which is what lets Sansone coordinate the two sides of your financial life under a single strategy.

Hemang Patel is the principal advisor at SPIRE Investment Management LLC, holding Series 65 and Series 66 registrations with seven years of industry experience. Prior to founding SPIRE in 2019, he worked at Motorola Solutions Inc. for 22 years. Outside of his advisory role, he owns and manages a real estate investment business focused on property maintenance. SPIRE Investment Management serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, corporations, small businesses, charitable organizations, and institutional clients, offering asset management, financial planning, consulting, and sub-advisory services. The firm combines active asset management with multiple analytical methods and provides ERISA-related fiduciary consulting and investment management services for retirement plans and institutional clients.

William Parsch is a financial advisor with Wellspring Capital Group, Ltd. in North Barrington, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 23 years of industry experience. He has been with Wellspring Capital Group since 2010, operating as a single-advisor independent practice. Wellspring Capital Group, Ltd. provides fee-based portfolio management to individuals, trusts, retirement plans, and business entities, managing approximately $6.9 million on a discretionary basis for a small client base. The firm’s investment approach emphasizes detailed fundamental analysis combined with technical and cyclical assessments, offering strategies that include long-term holdings, active trading, and alternative investments for qualified clients.

Robert Stanley is a CFP® and ChFC® with 17 years of experience in financial advisory services at R. W. Stanley Investment Planning. He has operated the Stanley Agency since 1991, providing fire, casualty, and life insurance services. R.W. Stanley Investment Planning offers fee-only, project-based financial planning and investment advisory services primarily to individuals and families, emphasizing broad strategic asset allocation and the use of low-cost passive index funds. The firm does not take custody of client assets and provides advice on a per-project, hourly basis.

Jack Lubecker is the sole advisor at Integrity Investment Management with 36 years of experience in the financial industry. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 designations and previously worked at LPL Financial from 2008 to 2017 before joining Integrity Investment Management in 2017. Integrity Investment Management is a state-registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth clients, and charitable organizations. The firm offers investment management, referrals to third-party managers, and financial planning, employing both passive and active strategies tailored to clients’ specific objectives and risk tolerances.

Richard Vandersande is the sole advisor at Smart Stewardship Advisors in Lake in the Hills, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 credentials with 21 years of industry experience. He has operated his own practice since 2005 and has been involved with The Stewardship Alliance, LLC since 2001, which provides stewardship planning based on biblical principles. He also serves as Vice President of Benefit Alliance, Incorporated, a company offering group discounts and benefits. Smart Stewardship Advisors delivers financial planning, coaching, and wealth management services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and businesses, with a focus on donors and Christian ministries. The firm employs a diagnostic approach called the “BALTIC” gap analysis and works primarily in a non-discretionary advisory capacity, coordinating with third-party portfolio managers who manage ETF-based model portfolios.

Nicholas Daleiden is the sole advisor at Daleiden Wealth Advisors in McHenry, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 38 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Nations Financial Group, Inc. for 11 years before establishing his own practice. In addition to advisory services, he is involved in fixed insurance sales as an insurance agent. Daleiden Wealth Advisors provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management and financial planning to individual clients, including high-net-worth individuals. The firm employs a range of investment strategies tailored to client goals and risk tolerances, and routinely uses third-party sub-advisors while maintaining client relationship oversight.