About
INTEGRITY. KNOWLEDGE. EXPERIENCE.
Dejan Ilijevski, MS, MBA, is an evidence-based fiduciary investment advisor with 20 years of experience in the trading/financial services industry. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry.
Dejan was accepted to medical school and graduate school, ultimately deciding to pursue a career in research and technology. As a research chemist in Aerospace and Engineered Materials at AlliedSignal/UOP, Dejan was privileged to work on exciting and high-visibility projects, including environmental reduction of nitrogen oxides, jet fuel catalytic combustion, and wastewater purification for the International Space Station. He subsequently designed and developed custom technology solutions for UOP’s enterprise-wide resource planning software.
Trading keyboards.
When recruited by a startup trading firm at the Chicago Board of Trade, Dejan put his career in research on hold. The opportunity turned out to be incredibly rare, and he was curious to learn more about capital markets. Dejan soon found that his technical background provided a unique skill set. By the end of his rookie year, Dejan routinely transacted over $1 billion in US Treasury Notes daily, making him one of Chicago’s biggest bond traders. He consistently earned the highest profits for the firm for many years.
Dejan continued to advance professionally in the trading arena. As the Vice President and Director of Discretionary Trading Operations for a private, proprietary trading startup, he played a crucial role in transforming the firm from a manual, click-trading shop into one of the most prominent technology-based trading companies in Chicago.
With newfound experience and expertise, Dejan realized his parents were being exploited by their financial advisor and that the financial services industry does not work in your best interest.
After earning an MBA, Dejan left the trading industry to start an independent financial advisory firm based on integrity and transparency and built on the belief that everyone deserves trusted, knowledgeable financial advice — blending wall street expertise with main street values.
In 2008, Dejan and his wife, Daniela, moved from Chicago to Northwest Indiana to raise their two kids closer to family. They reside in Munster.
Dejan also serves the broader community as an investor advocate, a proponent for financial literacy, and sponsoring nonprofit initiatives.
