Ok, so I know where and how to get all the Sources that I need. My question is more or less: how do you go about maxing out stats for everyone?

I'm assuming you should wait until they are all level 99 to make it easier on yourself.
Should I equip the lowest armors/weapons so that none of their stats are modified by them so I can see what they really are?
What are the max numbers for each stat, or how will I know when a character has hit his maximum?

things of this nature

thanks