Michael Leonetti

Michael Leonetti

AIF®, CFP®, CFS®, CBDA®
Wealth Advisor, Executive Director
mleonetti@htsw.com
847-353-6512
Buffalo Grove
Let’s Connect

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Certification(s) & Designation(s)

  • Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®)
  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®)
  • Certified Fund Specialist® (CFS®)
  • Certified in Blockchain and Digital Assets (CBDA)

Awards

  • Five Star Wealth Manager (2012-2025)*

*Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The Five Star award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by Five Star Professional. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future. Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm, and the content of this material should not be considered financial advice. For more information on the Five Star award and the research/selection methodology, go to www.fivestarprofessional.com.

About Michael

Michael E. Leonetti is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and holds the Certified Fund Specialist (CFS®), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), and Certificate in Blockchain, and Digital Assets (CBDA) designations. He graduated from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics.

Mike founded Leonetti & Associates, Inc. in 1982 and was among the pioneers in championing fee-only planning. He is a founding and current member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the Financial Planning Association and the Investment Management Consultants Association. Mike is an investment advisor representative and successfully passed the Series 7, 63, and 65 examinations. In addition, Mike has been recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager (2012-2025).*

For 11 years, Mike wrote the quarterly financial planning column for The Journal of the American Association of Individual Investors. Articles by or about him have been published in Medical Economics, Money Manager Review, Money, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago Business, Investing, Sylvia Porter’s Personal Finance, Financial Planning, and The Wall Street Journal. His book, Retire Worry-Free, was published in 1993.

Mike has been involved with Omni Youth Services and Illinois Special Olympics. He was the title sponsor of the Leonetti & Associates Omni Classic to benefit Omni Youth Services, and donated all of his book royalties to the Special Olympics.

His hobbies are golfing, working out, and reading.

Michael’s Recommended Reads

  • 5 minutes

    Weekly Wisdom: Fed Meeting Recap – Higher Rates, Stronger Growth

    The Fed Delivers a Rate Hike The Federal Reserve raised the federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00% at its September meeting, marking the first rate increase in more than three years.1 The decision was unanimous and largely anticipated by markets, but the more important message came from the Fed’s updated projections and…

  • 2 minutes

    The Most Powerful Financial Tool Women Have Isn’t Money. It’s Their Voice.

    Why Asking Questions May Be the Key to Financial Empowerment For years, conversations about women’s financial empowerment have centered on income, investing, and retirement planning. While those topics remain important, new research suggests the real catalyst for financial confidence may be something much simpler: asking questions. According to the Savvy Ladies 2026 Mid-Year National Women’s…

  • 2 minutes

    In the News: Stephanie Temporiti Shares Inheritance Planning Insights with Kiplinger

    Inheriting a stock portfolio can create meaningful possibilities, but it often happens during a period of grief when making major financial decisions may feel especially difficult. Stephanie Temporiti, Wealth Advisor and Executive Director at Hightower Signature Wealth, recently spoke with Coryanne Hicks of Kiplinger about the questions beneficiaries should ask before deciding what to do…