Speaker Bio

Brenda Knox

Brenda Knox, Founder and President of Financial Elements, Inc., has been a fee-only financial advisor for more than 22 years, and has helped hundreds of clients plan their financial lives. Her passion is developing long-term relationships with her clients and tailoring her services to their individual needs, including investment management, retirement and social security planning, cash flow and savings, insurance, estate, and college planning.

Brenda is a Certified Financial Planner professional, having completed her course work through the College for Financial Planning. She pursues continuing education on a regular basis and holds certification in the areas of employee and group benefits. She is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, having completed training at the Center for Fiduciary Studies to gain specialized knowledge of fiduciary standards of care and their application to the investment management process.  Additionally, Brenda is an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor having taken specialized coursework through the College for Financial Planning. 

A graduate of Roosevelt University where she was a member of the Franklin Honor Society, Brenda holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a major in Accounting. An active member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), she has served as both president and chair of the Midwest Regional Board, as well as chair of the membership and symposium committees. Currently she is part of the Leadership Development Committee for NAPFA and on the board of the NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation (NCEF).  She has also served in an advisory capacity to the University of Illinois Extension Services, reviewing financial planning literature prior to publication.

Brenda lives in Rolling Meadows with her husband, Eric. She is actively involved in her community serving in leadership roles with the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Harper College Educational Foundation. In addition, Brenda has volunteered her time with Homes for Heroes/NAPFA National Consumer Education Foundation providing financial planning for veterans.