Top financial advisors working with women 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.

Amanda Colon is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, where she has served for nearly five years. She specializes in guiding women executives, business owners, and families through retirement planning, business transitions, and various life changes. Amanda provides tailored financial strategies focused on areas such as college education planning, family wealth management, legacy planning, and philanthropic planning, among others. Amanda holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designations. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Texas. Fluent in English and Spanish, Amanda combines her diverse cultural background and extensive experience across multiple industries to support clients in financial clarity and life fulfillment. Outside of her professional role, Amanda enjoys performing music as a singer-songwriter, traveling, and spending time with her family. She lives in North Texas with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Kelly Lynch Moloney is a CFP® and Series 65 registered financial advisor at Palisade Capital Management, LP with five years of industry experience. She has worked at Palisade since 2025 and previously spent time with Orange Investment Advisors, Inc. and Hudson Valley Investment Advisors, Inc. Palisade Capital Management provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial planning services to a diverse client base, including corporations, public pension plans, family offices, and individual investors. The firm employs a research-intensive, bottom-up fundamental investment approach across multiple strategies and serves as a sub-adviser to mutual funds and collective investment trusts.

Emilio Egea is a Series 65-licensed financial advisor with two years of industry experience. He has worked at HB Wealth (formerly WMS Partners, LLC) for four years and spent one year at Circle Wealth Management, LLC. Prior to his advisory career, he was affiliated with Loyola University for five years. HB Wealth Management provides wealth management, investment management, and financial planning services to individuals, families, trusts, retirement plans, corporate entities, foundations, family offices, institutional clients, and investment companies. The firm combines quantitative and qualitative due diligence across a range of public and private investment strategies and offers both discretionary portfolio management and institutional advisory services.

Women often take career breaks for caregiving, have lower lifetime earnings, and live longer, all of which can affect long-term financial stability. We get it. You’re not thinking about just getting by in retirement - you want to thrive. You want more freedom and peace of mind and want to truly enjoy life both now and in the future. I've taken a unique path in traveling the world for 6-months, have traveled to over 30 countries and went from banking in Chicago for 15 years to doing financial planning at wineries in Napa Valley. I'm here to support you wherever your life and unique journey - take you! Whether you're planning/preparing for retirement, want to travel more, retire early, start your own business, are managing a career change, or balancing caregiving responsibilities - I use my passion and 25+ years of finance experience working with trust clients, 401(k) investments and financial planning to build a customized financial plan and investment portfolio that’s based on your unique situation, goals and aspirations. We believe everyone deserves access to financial advice and help a range of clients. Please don't be shy in reaching out and setting up a complimentary consultation. We promise to talk about money in an easy-to-understand and 100% judgement-free zone. It’s possible - we can make talking about money fun! I love working with clients virtually across the nation and am active on LinkedIn - you can also check me out and get to know me more there! Education: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - Bachelor of Science, Finance Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management - MBA, Finance & Strategy

Willa Lande is a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Hamilton, MT, holding Series 63 and Series 65 licenses with 33 years of industry experience. She has been with Edward Jones since 2009. Edward Jones is a full-service wealth management firm serving over four million individual and institutional clients, offering a range of advisory programs including discretionary and non-discretionary strategies, separately managed accounts, and affiliated mutual funds. The firm manages approximately $1.01 trillion in assets through a nationwide network of more than 23,700 advisors.