Ryan F. Evans, AIF®, ChFC®, CFP®
Wealth Advisor
Ryan is a managing partner with Blueprint Wealth Advisors, LLC. Since 2004, Ryan has been able to create personalized solutions to help his clients reach their goals. He co-founded Blueprint Wealth Advisors based on the principle that every recommendation made is dependent solely on the client’s individual needs and not those of the typical Wall Street business model where a firm sells its products to meet its sales goals.
Ryan is a Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) professional, an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®), and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. Ryan holds the FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities registrations and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. Ryan is proud to have been recognized as a *Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Advisor for 2015 and 2016. He has also been named in Chicago Magazine as a **Five Star Wealth Manager since 2013.
Prior to joining Blueprint Wealth Advisors, Ryan was an options trader on the floor of the Chicago Board of Options Exchange for five years. He lives in Elmhurst with his wife, Andria, and his two daughters, Abigail and Delaney. Ryan enjoys coaching his daughters' sports (except dance!), skiing, fishing, live music, spending time with his family and friends, and he even attempts to play golf from time to time.
*To compile this list, the Financial Times evaluated nominees on seven broad factors and calculated a numeric score for each advisor. The areas of consideration were assets under management (AUM) in defined contribution (DC) plans, degree of specialization in DC plan advising, growth in DC plan AUM, the average participation rate in advised DC plans, years of experience as a DC plan advisor, industry certifications, and compliance record. Approximately 540 qualified applications were received; 401 advisors were selected, representing 74.3 percent of applicants. For the full methodology, please visit ft.com. Not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Your experience may vary.
**Based on 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria, including a minimum of 5 years as an active credentialed financial professional, favorable regulatory and complaint history, accepts new clients, client retention rates, client assets administered, education, and professional designations. 5,449 award candidates in the Chicago area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 435 (8 percent of candidates) were named 2018 Five Star Wealth Managers. (The criteria provided reflects the most recent year for which advisor received the award. The criteria used, the number of wealth managers considered for the award, and the percentage of those who receive the award may vary from year to year). These awards are not indicative of the wealth managers' future performance. Your experiences may vary. For more information, please visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.
Nick Wilkins, AIF®
Wealth Advisor
Nick is a managing partner and co-founder of Blueprint Wealth Advisors, LLC. For more than 20 years, he has partnered with his clients as their personal CFO and has helped them gain more clarity and confidence in their financial lives. Nick believes the only way to be a true advocate for his clients is to be an independent advisor with a holistic approach. This ensures that he is only beholden to his clients, not a specific company or a product.
Nick is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designee highlighting his commitment to putting his client’s best interests first. He has been named in Chicago Magazine as a Five Star Wealth Manager.2 Nick has been a guest speaker at the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and a member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).3 He has served on the Commonwealth Financial Network Advisory Board and currently serves on the Chicago Board of Directors for the Muscular Dystrophy association (MDA) and the Tripp Healy Foundation.
Nick lives in Roscoe Village, with his wife Brigette, and three boys, Thomas, Connor, and Peter. He loves coaching his boys in baseball and football. Nick is an average golfer, enjoys skiing, live music, attempting yoga, and spending time with family and friends.
*2010 and 2011: Based on nine criteria, including customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, and overall satisfaction.
*2012, 2013, 2018: Based on 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria, including a minimum of 5 years as an active credentialed financial professional, favorable regulatory and complaint history, accepts new clients, client retention rates, client assets administered, education, and professional designations. 5,449 award candidates in the Chicago area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. 435 (8 percent of candidates) were named 2018 Five Star Wealth Managers. (The criteria provided reflects the most recent year for which advisor received the award. The criteria used, the number of wealth managers considered for the award, and the percentage of those who receive the award may vary from year to year). These awards are not indicative of the wealth managers' future performance. Your experiences may vary. For more information, please visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.
**Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) is an independent membership organization of life insurance and financial service professionals. Membership levels are based on commissions, premiums, or fees generated within a year from investment and insurance products. Members must apply annually and pay a fee. Members must be in good standing of a Professional Association which has met the following criteria: in existence at least 2 years, have 100 or more members, must be a nonprofit organization, must have a code of ethics, and an effective means of dealing with breaches of its code. Members must also adhere to the MDRT Code of Ethics. Working with this advisor is not a guarantee of future financial results. Investors should conduct their own evaluation. For more information, please visit www.mdrt.org.
Margot Craig, CFP®
Senior Financial Associate
Margot joined the team in January of 2020. Since joining, she has become an integral part of the service team by assisting the advisors in day-to-day investment strategy implementation. She works closely with the back office to research investments, compile income strategies, and analyze tax implications on sales of existing holdings.
Margot is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a minor in French. She has worked in the wealth management industry for 5+ years and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional in March 2019. Margot also has experience preparing income tax returns for families and small businesses. She serves on the board of Georgetown’s Alumni Club of Chicago and is a member of numerous women’s networking groups
In her spare time, Margot enjoys running, skiing, scuba diving, and traveling with friends and family. She is also a frequent visitor to the Art Institute and fuels her creative side by painting with acrylics on canvas.
Luke Stortzum, CFP®
Senior Financial Associate
Luke joined the team in March of 2022. As a Senior Financial Associate, he assists the advisors in helping to support client’s financial goals and needs. He accomplishes through getting to know the needs and wants of clients and working with the advisors to help implement plans to help clients achieve their goals.
Luke is a graduate of Marian University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Management and a minor in Psychology. He has worked in the wealth management industry for 4+ years and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional in November of 2021.
In his spare time, Luke enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and spending time with his wife, Kara, and his daughter, Ailee. He is a frequent visitor of the Morton Arboretum and Brookfield Zoo and enjoys sharing experiences in nature with his daughter.
Nora Collins
Director of Client Relations
Nora ensures that our clients receive the exceptional service they deserve. As an integral part of our service team, she handles service requests, including but not limited to scheduling appointments and performing administrative and operational tasks for brokerage and advisory accounts. She also serves as a key contact among the financial planners, clientele, and numerous financial institutions with whom Blueprint partners. Because of her knowledge, dedication, and charming personality, clients are sure to have an enjoyable and successful service experience.
Sara Peters
Associate Paraplanner
Sara Joined the team in June 2022 after her graduation from the University of Dayton in May 2022 where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, double major in Finance & Business Economics. Since joining, Sara has become an integral part of the team by assisting with administrative and operational tasks for brokerage and advisory accounts. She monitors daily client activity, helps onboard new clients by opening and administering new accounts, and organizes asset transfers. Additionally, she processes complex securities transactions, wire transfers and charitable gift requests. Sara provides added value to client relationships through her attention to detail and exceptional customer service.
In her spare time, Sara enjoys working out, reading new books, shopping, and spending time with friends and family.
Elizabeth Meisner
Director of Retirement Operations