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.

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 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.

Fidelity has focused more recently on creating in-person branches closer to where there customers…read moreare: this location serves the greater Western Chicago Suburbs (Schaumburg area). Walking in, it reminded me of a small bank: a queue of people waiting in line, really young staff helping them, when there is nobody in line, nobody at all manning the greeting area at certain times Waiting in a queue to just check in for a scheduled appointment and not having a dedicated greeter directing traffic for people walking in: two things that your neighborhood bank would do better than here. For a company like Fidelity, it just felt really off..rather cheap. We had a scheduled appointment, and got to walk back through locked doors and there is a large area of offices and conference rooms and that was fine. The prospective meeting was beneficial and we learned that Fidelity (at least in the Chicago area) is now being very clear about providing personal support: only if choose to use them to actively manage your assets (paying a percent of assets as commission). Perfectly fair, and something that probably has to be done to be competitive with other financial compaies.

New location is very nice. Preferred parking is available as well…read more Always amazing excellent service provided at this location. Advisors are always quick to check you in for appointments with your own portfolio advisor and to help with pick up/drop off items.

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.

I found the team at Guidant in Palatine to be extremely helpful after my husband's death, as I was…read morefaced with transferring, updating & investing our finances & retirement accounts. They spent countless hours investigating for me, meeting with me, speaking with my investment companies to complete all the necessary actions required. I felt like they were family/ They took the time to explain their investment strategies, etc to educate me. They charged me NO fees for any of these hours, the only fees involved are for the investments they make. I highly recommend this group to anyone needing investment assistance.

I have been going to Larry for over five years and I could not be more pleased with his services…read more He helps with financial services and my investment properties. I could not survive without him. I am thankful for his advice and how accurate he is. Go see Larry Kwiat if you want your taxes done correctly!!

Larry has been doing my taxes for over 20 years. I trust any advice, with taxes or investments,…read morethat he has ever given me. He is always there to answer any question that I may have. I can not say enough about his knowledge, kindness, and compassion. Just a super guy, that makes getting your taxes done, more like a visit to a friend, than anything to fear.