Wealth Management for Individuals, Families & Business Owners

Our comprehensive approach to wealth management provides everything you need under one roof.

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A More Thorough Approach

Successful wealth management considers every aspect of your finances. We offer a full spectrum of coordinated services to preserve, grow, and transfer prosperity.

Our Practice Provides

  • Business Owner Advisory
  • Executive Compensation
  • Financial Planning
  • Tax Planning & Preparation
  • Investment Solutions
  • Retirement Income Planning
  • Estate & Gift Planning
  • Insurance Planning & Risk Management

Meet the Practice

Our office delivers value and personalized service to clients through integrity, professionalism, and results-driven performance. We work collaboratively to help clients navigate life’s milestones and achieve their financial goals.

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(630) 221-1000

111 W Wesley Street
Suite 1
Wheaton, IL 60187

Michael Greenen

Senior Principal

James Alexander

Partner

Ed Meek

Partner & Practice Leader

Andrew Krajewski

Principal

Our practice exists to help clients optimize their financial lives so they can build a truly fulfilling future. We believe money is a tool, not an end goal. It's the means to pursue what matters most and to dream without limits."

James Alexander, Partner

Our Practice Works With

We partner with individuals and families across a broad range of professional backgrounds to help simplify complexity, align financial decisions with long-term goals, and build confidence at every stage of life and business.

  • Pre-retirees and Retirees
  • Business Owners
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Executives
  • Athletes

What You Can Expect

Cerity Partners clients benefit from a team of specialists working in concert on every aspect of their financial plan.

Independence

Our advisors draw upon the universe of available solutions to the extent they can be leveraged in your interest. We are not bound to any one solution.

Exceptional Talent

Our collaborative culture, broad capabilities, and commitment to high standards have helped us attract experienced professionals from across the wealth management industry.

Stewardship

We explain relevant wealth management issues and solutions, providing full transparency on all terms, risks, and expected outcomes.

Thought Leadership

Our firm's specialists provide timely insights on the most opportune and challenging financial topics of the moment.

Scale with Personalization

Cerity Partners is proud to be one of the fastest-growing RIAs. We create economies of scale across our practice-lower cost structures on investments, exclusive access to private investing, and advanced research and technology. Our rich resources enable advisors to do their best work.

Diversity

The diversity of our perspectives enables us to work with a wide variety of needs and meet our clients where they are.

Our Practice Provides

Business Owner Advisory >

We work with owners of privately held businesses to help them create and execute transition plans that provide a seamless and successful exit for themselves, their families, and other stakeholders.

Investment Solutions >

Investing is a long-term commitment to your financial well-being. It’s about growing and safeguarding your wealth. Our disciplined, goal-oriented approach ensures your portfolio remains resilient in the face of market and economic fluctuations.

Financial Planning >

Successfully navigating the financial challenges that come with wealth necessitates planning, relevant advice, and a financial advisor who’s always in your corner. Cerity Partners provides all three.

Tax Planning & Preparation >

We design and implement tax optimization strategies, including the creation of detailed tax projections and the preparation of personal, trust, and business tax returns.

Estate & Gift Planning >

Our sophisticated estate and wealth transfer strategies help you preserve your legacy while helping minimize tax burdens. Every recommendation is tailored to your specific needs, leveraging our extensive knowledge of estate, trust, gift, and tax regulations.

Insurance Planning & Risk Management >

Safeguard the financial security you and your loved ones have built. We assess your current risk exposure and develop customized strategies designed to protect the most vulnerable areas of your financial life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes your approach different from a typical financial advisor?

We take a holistic view of your financial life rather than focusing on one piece of it. Investments, retirement
income, taxes, and estate planning are all connected. We manage them together as one coordinated plan,
not as separate transactions.

Will I be working with one advisor or a team?

You'll have a dedicated lead advisor who partners with you and is your main point of contact, backed by a
full team with expertise across investments, tax, and estate planning. Beyond your immediate team, Cerity
Partners has specialists firmwide in areas such as tax preparation, estate setup, business sale planning, and
insurance. This helps you get the right expertise no matter how complex your needs become.

What does the planning process actually look like?

We start by understanding your full financial picture and your goals, then build a plan around them. From
there we meet regularly to track progress, adjust for life changes, and make sure your plan keeps pace with
your priorities.

How do you help with retirement planning?

We build a retirement income strategy tailored to your goals, factoring in your spending needs, tax situation,
and timeline. We stress test the plan against different market and life scenarios so you have confidence in
the numbers, not just hope.

What is your investment philosophy?

We believe in building diversified, low-cost portfolios tailored to your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance
rather than chasing short-term market moves. Tax efficiency is a critical part of that philosophy. How much
you keep matters as much as how much you earn, so we manage every portfolio with an eye toward
minimizing unnecessary tax drag through thoughtful asset location, tax-loss harvesting, and disciplined
rebalancing. This keeps your investments working in step with the rest of your financial plan.

What investments do you offer?

We offer access to a broad range of investment options, including individual stocks and bonds, mutual
funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), separately managed accounts, and alternative investments for
qualified investors. We select and combine these building blocks based on what best fits your goals, rather
than favoring any single product or provider.

How do you approach taxes in the planning process?

Tax strategy is built into every recommendation we make, not treated as an afterthought. We look for ways
to manage your tax exposure across investments, retirement withdrawals, and wealth transfer to help you
keep more of what you've built.

Do you help with estate planning?

Estate planning is a core part of what we do. We work alongside your attorney to make sure your investment
and beneficiary strategies align with your broader estate wishes, so nothing falls through the cracks between
documents and accounts. If you don't already have an attorney, we can connect you with one from our
network.

Do you help with assessing my insurance?

Yes. We review your existing life, disability, and long-term care coverage as part of your overall plan to help
identify any gaps or overlaps. Where it makes sense, we can also connect you with insurance specialists to
help make sure your coverage lines up with your broader financial and estate planning goals.

How often will I hear from you?

We proactively reach out, we don't wait for you to come to us. You'll have scheduled check-ins to review your plan, plus direct access to your team whenever questions or life changes come up in between

How do you explain your recommendations to clients?

We believe you should understand the why behind every recommendation, not just the what. We take time
to walk through our reasoning in plain language so you're equipped to make informed decisions, even
though we're doing the heavy lifting for you.

What kind of clients do you typically work with?

Though we welcome all types of clients, we specialize in high-net-worth families who want a coordinated
approach to their financial life, often during major transitions like retirement, a business sale, or wealth
transfer to the next generation.

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Your Trusted Financial Partner Awaits

Connect with Our Practice

Let’s get to know each other. Schedule your discovery session to discuss your financial planning needs, learn more about what we offer, and determine whether we’re the right fit for you.

Ed Meek's headshot

Ed Meek

Partner & Practice Leader

Connect with Our Practice

Call Us: (630) 221-1000

Let’s get to know each other. Schedule your discovery session to discuss your financial planning needs, learn more about what we offer, and determine whether we’re the right fit for you!

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