Financial advisors in Chicago

At Wysopal Wealth, we specialize in helping high-income professionals and former athletes manage the complexities of equity compensation and variable income. Our goal is to make sure your money works for you—today and for the future. We focus on creating personalized, values-driven financial plans that allow you to live fully now while planning for what’s next. I’m Brett Wysopal, a proud girl dad of two and a former minor pro hockey player. My experience in sports taught me discipline, focus, and resilience, all of which I apply to financial planning. After spending years navigating the world of equity compensation, I’ve made it my mission to help families simplify their finances, reduce tax burdens, and achieve their life goals. Our approach at Wysopal Wealth is rooted in personalized attention. We keep our client list small, ensuring every client receives the time and care they deserve. We dive deep into your financial situation, understanding your numbers, values, and what matters most to you. This allows us to tailor your financial strategy to your unique goals, whether that’s managing your equity, preparing for retirement, or planning a family legacy. Equity compensation is often the largest part of our clients' wealth, but it comes with complexities—ISOs, RSUs, stock options, and significant tax implications. Many people wait too long to make decisions about their equity, resulting in missed opportunities or unexpected tax bills. At Wysopal Wealth, we take a proactive approach, creating a strategy for when and how to execute your equity plans, minimize tax liability, and diversify your holdings. At Wysopal Wealth, financial happiness is the goal. We believe that money should support the life you want, and we’re here to help you make that happen.

Holistic financial planning for creatives, freelancers, small business owners, and independent thinkers. Indie Financial Planning is a woman-run, fee only financial planning firm with a background in arts and entertainment. We are licensed in Illinois and California. Before becoming a CFP® Professional, I spent over 20 years working in the independent music industry. I have a unique awareness of the challenges facing artists, creatives, or anyone looking to build a career or business not tied to a traditional 9-5 position. IFP caters to self-employed entrepreneurs or anyone looking to plan for a future on their own terms. I founded IFP as an alternative to a financial industry widely viewed as only serving the very wealthy. There are no investment minimums to work with IFP. We are an independent resource ready to partner with you when you are ready to take control of your financial life. Whatever your planning needs – from investments to budgeting – IFP will consider the many moving parts of your situation and work with you to build a plan based on trust. We focus on holistic planning and helping to educate you, so you are better positioned to achieve your goals. We treat planning as a partnership. We provide you with the tools and knowledge to take control of your finances. We offer advice and expertise to answer your questions and pursue your goals. Investment management and ongoing planning allows us to create a roadmap with clients and travel that path with them adjusting to changes along the way. After graduating from Pomona College with degrees in Economics and French, I moved from California to Boston for a change of scenery. There, I began working in a record store and eventually moved into sales and distribution for a small independent record label. I continued working in independent music when I moved to Chicago including 16 years as Head of Sales and Distribution for Touch and Go Records. When I left the music industry in 2009, I saw an opportunity to offer financial planning and investment advice to the many talented and creative folks in my circle of friends and others like them. Outside of work, I have a soft spot for animals including my 2 cats and 2 dogs all rescued from Chicago area rescues. The dogs arrived at the house as 2-week-old puppies along with their mama dog and 7 siblings during the 2020 Covid pandemic. If the pets give me the I still enjoy seeing live music and enjoy the many venues around Chicago.