Over a year ago my father passed on. Following his passing my mother inherited his 401k. She did…read morenot know much about it and lets me manage it. But unfortunately I wasn't 100% on what we had. I felt overwhelmed. I figured I needed some additional help on what to do. I approached Martin at Woodfield Financial Advisors. He broke it down and told me what needed to be done in easy to understand steps. Martin gave me the advice and confidence I needed to fully understand what I needed to go forward.

During 40 years of total association and trust with WFA associates, I have never been disappointed…read morein any of their decisions through all of the various market fluctuations. The best in my book.

I had to come into this branch to drop off a form, and I was surprised that it's part of a business…read morepark building where the guard makes you sign in first. But when I told him where I was going, he was pretty nice about it and didn't make me fill out my car license plate number (which I didn't know off the top of my head and would have had to have gone back outside to go get it off my car). It's probably mostly required for people who are visiting the entire day, not for someone be like me who was only popping in and out for a few minutes, so I just signed my name and time of arrival. I didn't have any issues finding guest parking in the very full lot, so don't know if I was just lucky that day or what. The guard was surprised when he asked if I had difficulty finding guest parking, and I said I didn't. The receptionist at the Schwab front desk was really nice and reviewed my form after taking it from me, to make sure everything was filled out okay. She told me they would send it on to Operations that day and I should hear back in a few days, and if not, then I could follow up by calling the number she gave me on their business card. I liked how there were bowls of candy laid out, but I was too embarrassed of looking like a piggy at 9:30 in the morning, so I didn't take any. :/

Had an account in Barrington, IL was switched to Schaumburg, IL with my knowledge. Quarter meeting…read morewas always a battle because, my work finish time is 5pm, advisor and Schaumburg office account person was complaining about out 5:15 pm 30 minute phone call. Numerous last minute schedule changes due to family issues...Do they want to be advisors to my schedule or not??? Sick and tired of this whining bunch of so called advisors. Oh, and by the way, having so many "accounts" with little growth even though the market had been breaking records. So long Schwab, and hello to another group.

I have always been a firm believer in making my money work for me, so it was not too terribly long…read moreafter I began working at 'real' jobs that I also began to explore options for long term investment opportunities to supplement my 401K contributions. I worked with an EJ advisor back in Wisconsin for a little less than 2 years. Him and I had a great relationship and mutual understanding of my goals, but after I moved here I though it best to pass on my account to somebody local. Now granted that in this day and age you can easily accomplish anything you might need from a broker via phone or email, but I still like to have a face to face at least once every financial quarter. Call me old school. I scouted around places for several weeks before deciding to stick with an EJ rep here in town, and I would advise anyone looking to work with a broker or investment banker to do the same. This is a person you are trusting with your money after all, and is not something you should take lightly. Practice due diligence, ask lots of questions and be sure to get references from them, especially if you are in it for the long haul. Any reputable broker will be more than happy to accommodate you. If they aren't, Run! This small EJ office is all about personal attention to the client, which is not something you are going to find at the larger financial services firms in the Chicago metro. It might sound prestigious hiring out one of the big boys like Fidelity or Morgan Stanley, but those are not people that are ever going to return your calls in a timely manner or be engaged in your account. Those big firms are fine for people that have a hands off type of situation with their portfolio. They also work for the wannabe gurus of the world who handle the bulk of their transactions online personally, and basically just need a brokerage house to facilitate them. For the rest of us, Edward Jones is a good option.

Excellent staff, very knowledgable and dependable. Very patient to answer my questions and concerns.read more

Be aware that Tom Flowers is an insurance salesman motivated by commission sales, not a financial…read moreplanner or a fiduciary as he represented himself to us to be. Therefore, there is a conflict of interest in that his interest is earning the highest commissions regardless of whether the product he is selling the customer is best for them. We were "sold" complex annuities that were not at all in our best interest, costing us tens of thousands of dollars. Also be aware that there is a high fee (minimum 1.5%) for assets under management for relatively poor performance, high expense ration funds and no tax guidance. That fee was misrepresented to us as well. We were advised brokerage firms like Vanguard had a variety of "hidden fees" yet refused to detail what those "hidden fees" actually were. We were also "guaranteed" the fee for tax preparation would be $79 per year provided we were customers of the firm, yet that also was a misrepresentation. After it became apparent we were not "buying" the bs anymore, we never heard from them again. Don't let the "treating you like family" allow you to drop your guard and trust them because they are not at all trustworthy.

My family and I have been banking with Fidelity Investments for over 30 years! Their services are…read moretop notch -- everyone I've worked with is very knowledgeable and efficient! They moved from their now former location (next to the Kuma's burger restaurant), to the plaza next door, new address: 1570 E Golf Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60173; they are in a 10-floor brown marble-looking building next to the Lennar building and are on the first floor to the left as soon as you walk into the lobby! (Their building is next to the plaza that has the Woodfield Hyatt and City Works in it)! They occupy a first floor suite plus the 10th floor! I was helped by a professional, pleasant (and pretty) young lady named Eeshie, who quickly and efficiently deposited my check into 1 of my Fidelity retirement accounts! (Make sure you've already got the Fidelity account number of the account you want to deposit that check into, written on the back of your check, just to make things easy for yourself and the Fidelity rep!)

It's really too bad that the prior review of Fidelity was so bad. I've been using Fidelity…read moreInvestments since the 1970s. Having a local branch is very convenient. I've used them for a variety of services, all of which have been and continue to be well managed. In the times I have been there, they have always been professional and pleasant and provided whatever service I needed quickly. If you need to wait, they have butter cookies, candies and a Keurig Coffee Maker with a variety of choices.

I was seeking a local investing firm and happened to come across Kabarec Financial Advisors on…read moreYelp. Honestly, I didn't even know if they were exactly the right company for what I needed to do. So I just stopped in today and spoke with Michelle. Despite my frazzled and exhausted first-time-mom appearance and my "i have no decent clothes that fit right now so these sweats suffice" wardrobe, neither the receptionist nor Michelle made me feel out of place. As it turned out, for my situation, Michelle advised it is best for me to go to an investment firm and open an account directly with them. Michelle was quite professional, knowledgeable, and able to provide some great advice despite her company not being the exact fit for my needs. If I should ever be in need financial advising, I would absolutely return to Kabarec for their services.

From the owner: Our financial advisors in Chicago work with families and businesses to develop effective game plans…read morein a common language. For us, it's about making the complex simple. As financial advisors, our role is to enable you to confidently pursue your goals.

The wonderful people of M. Sweazey & Associates always take care of my needs and help me in…read moreevaluating the best insurance solutions. They have been my agency of choice since 2004. Mike Imm is friendly and knowledgeable and truly cares for my family's well-being. The staff are also tremendous, especially Jessica who goes above and beyond to ensure you are well cared for and questions are answered at lightning speed. Very easy to talk to and work with. I truly know I am in good hands.

From the owner: Insurance is unlike any other product out there - you pay for it and hope you never have to use it…read more And that makes paying more than you need to that much more uncomfortable. With a policy from Allstate, you can help keep your insurance costs low with the wide variety of discounts we offer. Keep in mind, not all discounts are available in every state. The best way to get all that you qualify for is to get an insurance quote specific to Barrington. You can get a rough "ballpark" insurance quote from many companies online, but talking with an agent allows you to ask questions and get a quote for coverage that matters most to you. An agent can prepare a quote that details the coverage, deductibles (your portion of a loss) and cost (premium) of your insurance policy.