Top financial advisors working with millennials and founders and business owners in Des Plaines, IL

Candace Vondra is a CFA® charterholder with 23 years of industry experience, currently serving at William Blair since 2006. She holds the Series 63 designation and is based in Des Plaines, IL. 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 an active, research-driven approach across multiple asset classes and offers proprietary models, third-party sub-advisers, and access to private funds and co-investment opportunities.

Nancy Morales Calara is a Financial Consultant currently working at Fidelity Investments since 2024. Prior to this role, she held positions including Relationship Manager and Transition Services Specialist at Fidelity Investments, as well as various roles at Merrill and Banker's Life and Casualty Co. Her career demonstrates a progressive experience in financial services and client relationship management. Nancy emphasizes the importance of listening and building trust in financial planning. She approaches financial discussions with a focus on understanding each client's unique circumstances, whether addressing retirement, investments, or unforeseen financial events. Her professional philosophy centers on providing clarity and support as clients navigate their financial situations. Outside of her professional work, Nancy has interests in art, badminton, cars, food, social events, and traveling.

Nancy Szymula is a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Des Plaines, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and bringing 40 years of industry experience. She has been with UBS Financial Services since 2013. UBS Financial Services Inc. serves individual, corporate, and institutional clients through brokerage and investment advisory offerings, combining institutional trading capabilities with wealth management services. The firm provides fee-based financial planning, portfolio management, and access to proprietary research and capital markets services.

Krzysztof Garlewicz is a CFP® and Series 66-registered advisor with 18 years of industry experience. He has worked at ProsperiFi LLC since 2017 and previously spent seven years with LPL Financial. In addition to his advisory work, he is an author associated with the Financial Freedom Formula and has engaged in speaker and content creation activities. ProsperiFi LLC provides advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations, and family-owned businesses. The firm employs a multi-faceted investment approach incorporating fundamental, quantitative, and technical analysis, along with modern portfolio theory, and offers access to alternative investments and third-party money managers.

Michal Walaszek is a financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in Des Plaines, IL, holding Series 63 and Series 66 credentials and six years of industry experience. He has worked at J.P. Morgan Securities since 2019 and has prior experience with Northwestern Mutual Investment Management and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Additionally, he was involved with RzConstruction from 2016 to 2018. J.P. Morgan Securities provides investment consulting and advisory services primarily to institutional clients and retirement plan sponsors, combining quantitative asset-allocation modeling with centralized due diligence and applying an ESG eligibility framework in its recommendations.

Jared Fruth is a financial advisor at Northwest Asset Management with four years of industry experience. He holds a Series 65 designation and previously worked at Securities America, Inc., KMS Financial Services, Inc., Oppenheimer Funds, and John Paul Mitchell Systems. Northwest Asset Management is a registered investment adviser managing approximately $3.6 billion for nearly 3,000 clients, including individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, and corporations. The firm employs a customized, fiduciary approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and strategic asset allocation, combining fundamental and technical analysis to build diversified portfolios with periodic rebalancing.

Edwina Martin is a Series 65 licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience, currently with Waverly Advisors, LLC. She previously worked at 9258 Wealth Management for five years and was employed at Teradata Corp for eleven years. Martin also serves as assistant director of tax planning at 9258 Tax and Planning, a non-investment related business. Waverly Advisors is a multi-team registered investment adviser managing portfolios for individuals, retirement plans, and pooled investment vehicles. The firm combines traditional equity and fixed-income strategies with alternative and private-market allocations, offering a range of investment management and financial planning services.

Jeffrey Park is a financial advisor at Merrill with eight years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at Merrill and affiliated firms since 2011, including roles at JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities. Outside of his advisory work, he is a sole owner and co-owner of family rental properties in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Merrill, together with its affiliate Managed Account Advisors LLC, provides managed account services to Bank of America fiduciary clients through the Select Portfolio Solutions Program, offering model-based and discretionary strategies for individuals, high-net-worth clients, and institutional investors.

Craig Mcdaniel Jr. is a financial advisor with Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC in Columbia, SC. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 13 years of industry experience. He has been with Capital Investment Group, Inc. and The McDaniel Corporation since 2012. Outside of his advisory role, he is involved in life insurance sales and serves as an independent agent for annuities and related products. Capital Investment Advisory Services, LLC provides investment advisory and supervisory services to individuals, retirement plans, corporations, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm offers customized investment management through discretionary mandates, third-party managers, and private-label model portfolios, using a blend of analytical methods with ongoing portfolio monitoring.

Elizabeth Brown is a Series 66 licensed financial advisor with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York, NY, where she has worked since 2012. She has 26 years of industry experience. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to clients such as corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Drew Feutz, CFP®, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Founder of Migration Wealth Management, LLC, a fee-only wealth management firm that specializes in providing financial planning and investment management to people in their 30s and 40s. Drew got his start in financial planning as an Intern in May 2014, began working part-time as a Financial Planning & Investment Analyst during his final semester of college, and started working as a Financial Planner full-time upon graduation. Drew graduated Summa Cum Laude from Indiana State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Financial Planning and Investments. During his time at ISU, Drew was a Scholar in the Networks Professional Development Program, a Service-Learning Scholar partnered with Junior Achievement of the Wabash Valley, President of the ISU Financial Planning Association Student Chapter, member of the Investment Club, and a University Honors Program student. He spent his summers during college studying abroad at the Athens Centre in Athens, Greece, interning at First Direct Logistics in Dublin, Ireland, and interning at a fee-only wealth management firm in Indianapolis. He is a Board Member for the Hendricks County Community Foundation as well as Susie's Place Child Advocacy Centers and previously served as Chair of the NAPFA Genesis Committee, Treasurer of Young Professionals of Central Indiana, and as a board member of the Indiana State University Financial Planning Advisory Board. Additionally, Drew co-founded and co-hosts the Circle City Success Podcast. Drew is also a former Fellow in Class V of the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation Fellowship and Member of Leadership Hendricks County Class of 2023. Read Drew's blog here: https://migrationwealthmanagement.com/blog/

WHY JERRY CHOSE TO BE A FINANCIAL PLANNER: His lack of financial literacy was not by choice. It was because personal finance was not taught in school or in his community. As a first-generation wealth builder, Jerry's money journey has been shaped by a profound understanding of both cultural and financial expectations. His experiences have uniquely positioned him to empathize with the challenges faced by first-generation families, inspiring a distinctive approach to financial guidance. His moment of profound solitude occurred during his transition from the Marine Corps back to civilian life. In uniform, Jerry felt in control, with camaraderie, financial stability, and a consistent salary. However, the day he left, all that stability vanished giving way to a cascade of emotions - depression, anxiety, and fear. Jerry, who had grown up facing financial hardships, relying on food stamps, and public aid, knew it was time to stop merely talking about wanting to build wealth and start acting. The realization struck deep: He needed to make a difference not just for himself, but for others facing similar issues. Motivated by a desire to help his family and friends, Jerry decided to be the guide he wished he'd had. He obtained his license, college degree, and joined a firm not only to enhance his life but the lives of other 1st-time wealth builders. After a few years of helping high net worth individuals grow their assets, Jerry felt the firm wasn't built to help families like his. In 2024, Jerry took the leap and launched Confianza Wealth Management as a guide for aspiring wealth builders. Jerry is on a mission to empower 1st-time wealth building families. Jerry wants to bridge the financial planning accessibility gap by helping these millennial families take control of their financial futures.

Jamieson enjoys playing golf, basketball and baseball. You can also find him catching up on all the Netflix and Hulu specials, and planning his next big vacation. Having moved to the Seattle area in 2021, Jamieson looks forward to being closer to his family and having an opportunity to explore his other passion outside of personal finance, working with animals at the local shelter. Jamieson works directly with clients in developing holistic financial plans. He oversees the development, implementation, and ongoing oversight of clients’ financial plans in coordination with Levi. Professional Designations & Certifications: Jamieson is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and EQUITY COMPENSATION ASSOCIATE. CFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation. An ECA is qualified in the fundamentals of equity compensation taxation, plan design, law, and very basic accounting, and can address these topics intelligently with equity plan participants.

Hi, I’m Andrew! I founded Wrought Financial Planning to help entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals forge their path to financial freedom. We help our clients manage their cashflow, reduce their taxes, and grow their wealth. I’ve been interested in history, finance, and psychology since I was a kid growing up in Ocean City, New Jersey. After graduating from The College of New Jersey with honors, I began my financial services career in the alternative investment industry (private equity, hedge funds, commercial real estate and other fancy investments) first with Merrill Lynch Alternative Investments in Princeton, New York, and Boston and then with FS Investments based in Philadelphia. I grew tired of getting on airplanes for work and being away from my family so with the entrepreneurial spirit calling me I began my wealth management practice at Merrill Lynch and then I founded the independent and fee-only firm Wrought Financial Planning. I am married to my beautiful and patient wife and together we reside in Haddonfield, NJ with our two young daughters and Labrador Retriever. We enjoy traveling and sharing new experiences with my girls and being involved with their sports teams and activities. I am the Vice President and soon to be President of the Rotary Club of Haddonfield where we provide grants and scholarships to deserving organizations and underprivileged students. With whatever free time is left to me I love to read, listen to podcasts, and stay active by jogging with my dog and squeezing in a round of golf when possible.

Rajiv Eluthesen is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He began his career with Merrill Lynch in 2010 after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Rajiv works collaboratively with clients across various stages of their financial lives, developing tailored wealth management strategies to support retirement, education planning, stock options, and RSUs management, among other goals. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification and Personal Investment Advisor designation. Rajiv's professional expertise includes education planning, family wealth management strategies, legacy planning, managing new wealth, personal retirement planning, portfolio management services, socially responsible and ESG investing, women and wealth, tax minimization, and retirement income strategies. He is a member of the Peninsula Velo cycling team. Outside of his professional work, Rajiv enjoys cycling, ski trips, hiking, camping, cooking, reading, and spending time with his family. He has combined his interests in travel and cycling through activities such as riding from Barcelona to France.