Hello. I'm Ben
Founder & Senior Financial Advisor
As a Senior Financial Advisor at FFA, my primary role is to lead the “VerWys/Martin team” serving our clients, many of whom either are or have been business owners. As the Founder of FFA, I know the journey of what it means to be both a Founder and Owner. Along that journey, it made sense for me to get credentialed as a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), so I did. We are passionate about serving our clients well.
As a Fiduciary, independent Financial Advisor, we serve clients in two ways:
1) Financial Planning: including pre-retirement accumulation and post-retirement spend-down planning, family legacy planning and family financial management and 2) Wealth Management.
We work in an Advisor capacity only, meaning we have no affiliations with any brokerage firms, sell no products, and accept no commissions on any investment recommendations.
Fiduciary Financial Advisors was founded with a simple approach: the client's best interest comes first. Always. To that end, our team works in a manner that is anti-commission, fee-only, low fee-oriented, and fully transparent on all investment management.
The firm credo is: 'In God we trust, everyone else must bring data' or put differently ‘Math wins.’
The FFA Advisor team works with a wide variety of clients. However, a typical client the VerWys-Martin Advisory team serves is one of the following:
Why I work with clients who are Business Owners & Executives:
I am a business owner myself, and the CEO of a fast growing company, AND a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), I am passionate about helping Owners build or exit well, on your terms. Most of our clients either currently own, or have owned or run a business; many of whom we helped exit successfully. To see how we help Owners, go here.
Families with investable assets of $2 million or more
Why I am passionate about helping Families with investable assets of $2 million or more:
Nearly all of my career has been spent serving families who achieved financial success from years of hard work, sacrifice, and a high savings rate throughout their career. Many families understand the value of a trusted advisor looking out for their best interests and acting as the family’s CFO. If your family fits this description, I’d love to meet.
Sudden Money Situations
Why I often help clients who face Sudden Money Situations:
Having spent so many years working with families who have accumulated wealth, those relationships naturally resulted in having to navigate situations such as inheritances, estate execution, and legal settlements. I enjoy helping someone move beyond the unknown and uncertainty when facing that ‘what to do next’ moment.
Stock options and concentrated stock
Why I love helping clients with Stock Options and Concentrated Stock Holdings:
Whether shares have been accumulated through option grants, RSUs, warrants, an employee stock ownership plan (ESPP), or accumulated over time. We help clients wind down, hedge, and mitigate taxes related to large blocks of stock. This is often complex but highly fulfilling work where we can add significant value.
As Lead Advisor of the team, my priority is overseeing client relationships. My time is dedicated to helping our clients navigate situations related to managing your business, exiting your business, and managing your family’s financial affairs with a focus on deep-dive planning and tax mitigation for clients in a high tax bracket. Whereas my co-Advisor Michael Martin focuses more on day-to-day relationship management and client service.
Our team has achieved a variety of credentials and accolades that we are proud of because they are a testament to the value we have been able to add for our clients and the families that we work with. A few of those include:
Best independent financial advisor in michigan - wealth & finance International
Fastest growing financial advisors in the usa - Wealth management.com
Education: I have a bachelors degree in Business from Davenport University, and attended Western Michigan University for my Masters in Finance. I remain a lifelong learner through my yearly goal of reading the number of books that I am years old.
Background: Prior to founding Fiduciary Financial Advisors in 2014, I worked in wealth management roles for Oppenheimer & Co. and National City Bank (now PNC). I also served one tour in the U.S. Navy.
Community: In the past I have served in boardship roles for: TEDx (Grand Rapids), Gilda's Club LaughFest festival, and Indian Trails Camp. Currently, I am a Board Member of the West Michigan chapter of YPO (Young President’s Organization), Board Member and Treasurer of Daddy Daughter Time, and a Mentor for the Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur Lab (MVEL).
Personal: I am married to my wonderful wife Emily and together we have two daughters who are already budding investors themselves. I love being outdoors where you can find me skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, boating, and ice climbing. I may have a bit of an addiction to playing pickleball, but I haven’t really come to grips with that yet. We love to travel and see new places. And I still spend a good deal of time learning and reading about my first love - the stock markets.
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, spend as much time in Lake Tahoe as possible, and work with clients nationally in over 20 states throughout the US.
Ben has been featured in a variety of national media including the following:
The FIDUCIARY OATH
As a Fiduciary Financial Advisor, I have sworn the 'Fiduciary Oath' which holds these five principles:
I will always put your best interests first
I will avoid conflicts of interest
I will act with prudence; that is, with the skill, care, diligence, and good judgement of a professional
I will not mislead you, and I will provide conspicuous, full and fair disclosure of all important facts.
I will fully disclose, and fairly manage, in your favor, any unavoidable conflicts
client letter - brexit situation
proud to be a veteran owned company
TV interview - federal reserve raises interest rates