Thirteen years ago (2010), when our son was 5 years old, we thought College Illinois 529 Prepaid…read moreTuition Program was the savior - if we buy 1 semester every year for 8 consecutive years, he'd be covered for college. Boy, we were wrong! First year (2010), we bought 1 semester of University+ which costed ~$9.5K and after that we heard that College Illinois was underfunded so we redirected the rest of the investments to other 529 programs. Thirteen years later (2023 now), those other 529 investment funds had grown to more than double and they could be used for any universities in the U.S. without any fees or constrains. As for the 1 semester fund that we purchased in 2010 with College Illinois, when we tried to withdraw in 2023 for using on our son's university - out of state, it was a nightmare. We submitted "Intent to enroll" as requested in the instruction and nothing happened - like a black hole. We called them 10+ times within 3 months - each time a different person picked up the phone and no one seemed to know what's going on. We tried to ask the university for help in pulling the fund from College Illinois. As soon as they heard College Illinois, they said we dealt with them in the past and couldn't help us. We granted an authorization for other 529 program to pull our funds from College Illinois, College Illinois blocked it. To make a long story short, after 5 months of calling, waiting, and frustrations, College Illinois finally released the 1 semester fund which they claimed to be worth... ~$8.3K (after 13 years later). We called back and asked them why our fund reduced from $9.5K to $8.3K? Their answer was... the market went down (when other 529's went up 100%+) and there are fees on top of it. We were shocked in disbelief... and asked them to provide the details that show the breakdown of fees, charges, etc. We received nothing to date but we're glad that we're able to get something out of them and the majority of our investments are not with College Illinois. We were hesitant in posting negative comments. However, we know that there are lots of caring parents out there, who are in the same situation as we are, could learn from our experience.

I set up an account here with for my daughter. I was told that she would be able to attend any…read morepublic school in Illinois, once she turned 18, and that this program was good because it "froze" tuition rates based on the year you open the account. Disappointed to have put so much money in this 529 fund. i will most likely pay the fee to close it and move the funds to a better plan. The customer service is great...while they are still trying to get you to open an account. However, once the account is opened, they seem annoyed to answer any questions you may have. I also found out that U of I, although "public" is not included as one of the schools...you can still apply the balance to UofI's tuition, but you don't get that much of a benefit from it.

We contacted the Ameriprise Ohel-Duncan Group in late September of 2014 to develop a financial plan…read moreand guide our retirement savings after my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 head and neck cancer. Given our circumstances, we were told that our financial plan would expedited and it and investment decisions should be available for review in approx. 6 weeks. Despite providing the Ohel-Duncan Group with all requested documents and transferring all stocks and funds to them, no financial plan was received by the end of 2014. After many emails the Ohel-Duncan group responded in mid January of 2015 that they had several questions to finalize plan. We immediately responded and corrected errors in statements they made as to some of our holdings/needs. When the financial plan was presented during the first week of February, none of the errors we had pointed out had been corrected. And worse, we found out that stock had been sold without approval of a financial plan or consulting us prior to doing so and re-invested in Ameriprise products. When we asked the Ohel-Duncan Group to explain mistakes, delays and actions, they responded that they believed they were not a good fit for our needs. We have filed an investigation complaint with Ameriprise.and hope the corporation will act. While they cannot restore 4 months of lost investment time and incredible stress during an already overwhelmingly stressful situation, we continue to hope that Ameriprise will restore our faith in the company as a whole and that this experience is only representative of the Ohel Duncan Group.

Do not let them invest or manage your money. These are unethical people. I became a trustee on an…read moreaccount for my mother after my father died and have been harassed by unwanted & unrequested emails filling my inbox daily. Ohel/Duncan group says they have no control over the larger corporate emails I am getting. They insist that I should delete and ignore. What they don't understand is that EVERY TIME I see these emails in my inbox, it's an extra reminder that my father is dead, and they don't care that this is difficult for me. It's pretty pathetic that they have no control over their accounts but even more pathetic that they just don't care about their clients. Additionally, their fees are well above the average market rates. Ethical, no.

Steve is great! Extremely personable, knowledgeable and trustworthy, and always available to answer…read moreour financial questions. Steve helped my wife and I consolidate all of our random investments, Roths, and 401k's into a concise portfolio - plus provided us with a financial game plan towards retirement. My wife and I are very concerned about the companies we are investing with, and Steve has done a great job of sourcing out funds that strike a balance between social responsibility, sustainability, and return. Steve delivers a personalized, small-business style service with the resources of a large financial team. I highly recommend Steve to assist you with your financial planning needs.

The customer service provided by this bank is terrible. While staff in the branch is great, it is…read moreimpossible to get banker support regarding various other needs such as wires, ACH's, account postings, etc. In addition, it is impossible to reach the main bank or a bank officer (VP or above), as they filter everything through a call center that is staffed with employees that know nothing about banking. Very disappointing experience with this bank except for the local staff who are great with day-to-day needs. I recommend that the main bank officers render the service and attention to customers with higher end needs as well as the bank employees do with basic needs.

Went to office to set up an checking account. Could not do it online. Staff was very helpful…read moreStill will get $300 bonus assuming I follow rules.

This is where money goes to die. Not helpful, smart or conscientious. Could not access the trading…read moreplatform. They never offered an advisor. I was with this dysfunctional firm for far too long.

Sloppy, unprofessional, rude and incompetent employees. Someone at this branch in Highland Park…read morealtered a legal document to which I had affixed my signature. This unlawful action could have potentially permitted someone to transfer money out of my account. Prior to my learning about this egregious act, I asked at the Highland Park branch to speak to the manager. I was refused by the receptionist and told that the manager was in a meeting. Then, the receptionist informed me that in order to speak to the manager, I must make an appointment. The Fidelity employee who was initially involved in this interaction passed by me several times without acknowledging me or even asking if there were any more problems, since I had previously informed her that on the first document she sent me for signature that she had misspelled my name and had also entered the incorrect bank routing number. This is no way to operate a financial services business.

I can't recommend Richard & SerenityWM enough! Richard is an incredibly knowledgeable & helpful…read moreFinancial Advisor. I have been hesitant to work with a fiduciary for years and decided to connect with a CFP to see what the experience would be like. Richard was incredibly patient and walked me through answers to all of my questions and provided such great insight to questions I didn't even know I needed to ask. If you're looking for a patient, helpful, intelligent, & friendly Financial Advisor that will make you feel incredibly comfortable, please reach out to Richard & team.

I highly recommend working with Jason at Serenity Wealth Management. I have always been reluctant…read moreto work with a financial advisor as I felt I could manage our financial situation myself. However, after having several conversations with Jason prior to agreeing to become a client, I soon realized someone with Jason's financial expertise, level headedness, and genuine concern for helping others was exactly what I needed to put us on a better path to financial security. He takes an extremely thoughtful approach in establishing financial goals and the appropriate strategies to reach them. Most importantly, Jason always takes our concerns and opinions into consideration when discussing what our next moves should be. This creates a significant level of comfort and trust that can be extremely difficult to find in an advisor. Jason's unwavering commitment to help us reach our goals is evident in every interaction we have with him, and his ability to clearly and effectively communicate to us on sometimes confusing topics sets him further apart from the crowd. One of the biggest factors for us is that Jason's expertise goes beyond portfolio management, retirement planning, and investment strategies. Jason was an enormous asset to help us determine how to best manage paying for a basement remodel. He not only reviewed the cost/benefit scenario analysis of debt vs. cash payment, but he also researched loan providers and rates to ensure we made the best choice. Additionally, Jason assisted us in re-evaluating our life insurance policies and provided well thought out and clear recommendations on how to structure them to better fit our financial goals. Lastly, Jason is extremely responsive and willing to answer any and all questions we have. The amount of consideration Jason puts into his responses makes it obvious that he truly cares about his clients, and doesn't just try to check a box. I cannot recommend Jason and Serenity Wealth Management enough. I look forward to working with them for years to come, and have full confidence that they will continue to deliver on their promise to help us reach our financial goals.

Chad's approach to investing is tailored and customized to my needs. Those needs have evolved…read moreover time, so we have made adjustments. I appreciate Chad's attention to the changing dynamics of my investment outcomes.

Coe Financial Group is led by Chad Coe. I highly recommend their services. Chad explains all the…read moreins and outs of your investments. On personal level, Chad is definitely a giver and is all in protecting and expanding your investment portfolio.