Ben Searer, CFP®

Financial planning is a concept I have valued nearly my entire life. At 8 years old, I painted an old 1x8 board with different sections: Saving, Giving, Lego’s, etc. I carefully stacked my ones and coins in each section, dividing any new funds between categories. Today, I have the opportunity to work closely with my father in a field I genuinely enjoy.

I graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in finance, and headed straight into the financial services world from there. I began with 6 years at JPMorgan Chase as a banker and branch manager, learning to understand people and analyze profit and loss. I then invested 7 years with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor, seeking an understanding of my client’s goals, developing a plan, and setting them up with the tools they needed to succeed.  During my time at Merrill, I earned my securities licenses and became a Certified Financial Planner^TM.

There is little that excites me more in this field than digging into the details of a comprehensive financial plan. Each detail can have an impact, and the ability to build a model that can help a client visualize their future and make strong, informed decisions today with an idea of the true impact on their finances is a calling I enjoy leaning into.

In addition, our family firm allows me to prioritize the people most important in my life. My wife Stephanie and our two little girls Victoria and Julianna enjoy enhanced access to both their parents, and I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to be so involved in their lives on a daily basis. I enjoy getting outside with the family, games with friends, and I keep an audio book in my headphones as often as I can spare the attention.