Five Star award winner Gabriel Chavez, CFP®, APMA®, CLTC®, CEPA®

ABOUT ME

Dreaming about the future... or building it?

Most people would say building it is better. For me, that answer has always carried a little more meaning.

Hello, I'm Gabriel Chavez, founder of NorthStar Wealth Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC.

At NorthStar Wealth Group, we help people make confident decisions with their money so they can enjoy greater peace of mind, protect what matters most, and create a meaningful future for themselves and the people they care about.

I learned that mindset from my parents.

They weren't the type to simply dream about a better future. They believed in building one. After earning my college degree and beginning my career in financial services, two lessons they taught me stayed with me:

The biggest risk in life is not taking one.

You cannot do it all by yourself.

Those lessons continue to guide me today.

Why dream it when you can build it instead?

My mom, who worked in Children's Services, taught me another lesson that continues to inspire me: it's easier to stay motivated when you're building something for someone else.

I build for my wife, Allison, and our two children. My leadership team and I build for the talented professionals at NorthStar Wealth Group. And every day, I build for our clients.

Whether I'm helping a CFO navigate a complex compensation package, supporting a family as they steward wealth across generations, or guiding someone toward retirement with confidence, my approach is the same: start with what matters most to you and build from there.

Because financial planning isn't really about money. It's about people, priorities, and possibilities.

Personal attention comes first. I believe the best financial advice begins with listening, understanding what matters most, and helping turn goals into a plan of action.

You work hard for the life you're building. More time with family. More freedom. More confidence about the future.

That's a future worth building, not just dreaming about.

And if I can help make that journey a little clearer and a little more confident along the way, I'd be honored to be part of it.

Let's meet soon.

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This award was issued on 10/01/2026 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 02/18/2026 through 07/31/2026. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 6433 Chicago-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 325 (5% of candidates) were named 2026 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2025: 6,399, 362, 6%, 10/1/25, 1/1/25 - 8/1/25; 2024: 6,273, 400, 6%, 10/1/24, 1/9/24 - 8/9/24; 2023: 5,549, 405, 7%, 10/1/23, 1/9/23 - 7/31/23; 2022: 4912, 384, 8%, 10/1/22, 1/24/22 - 7/29/22; 2021: 5635, 386, 7%, 10/1/21, 12/28/20 - 8/6/21; 2020: 4636, 356, 8%, 10/1/20, 1/6/20 - 8/7/20; 2019: 5430, 429, 8%, 10/1/19, 1/7/19 - 8/9/19; 2018: 5449, 435, 8%, 10/1/18, 1/12/18 - 8/17/18; 2017: 3781, 438, 12%, 10/1/17, 12/16/16 - 8/3/17; 2016: 3411, 726, 22%, 9/1/16, 2/26/16 - 8/19/16; 2015: 5833, 716, 12%, 10/1/15, 2/4/15 - 8/3/15; 2014: 8161, 744, 9%, 10/1/14, 2/4/13 - 8/3/13; 2013: 3998, 772, 19%, 10/1/13, 2/4/12 - 8/3/12; 2012: 2970, 780, 26%, 10/1/12, 2/4/11 - 8/3/11.

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Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value.

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results.

Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria - required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria - considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The 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 FSP or this publication. 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 FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.