When Kenton Snyder got home from his first day of kindergarten, he declared that he would not be going back. 

“When my parents asked me why, I apparently just shrugged my shoulders and told them I already know everything they are telling me,” Kenton recalled with a laugh. 

Although his parents convinced him to return to school, Kenton’s love of learning did not develop until much later. Growing up south of Kansas City, he disliked school through his early years of college. 

Kenton studied architecture at Kansas State University but still had little interest in school. After his sophomore year in college, he decided to take a break and worked in lawn care while considering his next steps. 

During his school hiatus, the idea of healthcare came up, and he was intrigued. He enrolled in anatomy and physiology courses at Johnson County Community College in the Kansas City area and was surprised by his response. 

The young boy who once decided he had nothing left to know after kindergarten suddenly developed an interest in, and even a love for, learning. 

“Part of it was my instructor, but the other part of it was like, I just found something I really enjoy,” he said. “What I discovered was that when you find something you enjoy, learning is just part of the journey.” 

Kenton later transferred to Avila University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in radiologic science in 2006. 

Even before he found his calling, a deeper change had taken place in Kenton: his faith became his own. 

Growing up in church, Kenton was well acquainted with the Bible stories and didn’t doubt the existence of God. But he put off developing a personal relationship with Jesus. 

One of his mentors and Sunday school teachers asked him one day when he was planning to give his life to Christ, and Kenton responded he would surrender to Jesus his first year at Kansas State University. 

Although he continued finding ways to delay that decision, Kenton began attending a Bible study at KSU. There, someone asked him what was holding him back. 

“It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit revealed to me that everything I thought was important—all my excuses for not following Christ—were nothing compared to following Him,” Kenton said. “God had opened my eyes to the truth and the beauty of the Gospel, and when He does that, it becomes irresistible.” 

His relationship with Christ transformed his heart and gave him a new understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. 

“When I came back home, my relationship with my parents was way different than it was before. Instead of constantly pushing against them, I was in unity with their expectations,” he said. “Before that, I was never really bad; I was just never good.” 

After graduating from Avila, Kenton took a job at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Ill.  There, he reconnected with Heidi, a friend from years before. That friendship grew into more, and the two married in 2007 and settled nearby in Morton, Ill. 

The couple relocated to Quincy in 2009 when Kenton returned to school for nursing at Blessing-Rieman. Shortly after the move, they learned they were expecting their first child, Ridge. 

After graduating from the nursing program in 2011, he joined Blessing Hospital’s ICU team, where he worked the overnight shift for six years. In this role, he experienced moments in people’s lives that broadened his perspective. 

 “I learned a lot about life, and a lot about death and just how to care for people,” Kenton said. “I was honored to be able to be there for patients and their families in such an intimate time—it really means something.” 

While working in the ICU, Kenton went back to school once more, earning his nurse practitioner degree online through Graceland University in December 2016. He began his career as a nurse practitioner in 2017. Looking toward a future in healthcare administration, he also earned his MBA in 2021. 

Meanwhile, the family grew. Ridge was joined by two brothers—Slate in 2012 and Tripp in 2013. 

Kenton and Heidi have gone through their own hard seasons. At only 11 days old, their son Slate underwent heart surgery to repair aortic coarctation, a severe constriction in his aorta that was blocking blood flow to the lower part of his body. 

Slate is now an active 14-year-old and—along with his brothers—involved in sports and other activities. 

In 2019, Kenton and Heidi also felt led to increase their family through adoption. They began pursuing the adoption of Willow, then two years old, from China. The process was paused due to the pandemic, and in September 2024, China announced the end of its international adoption program. 

While continuing to hope they can one day bring Willow home, Kenton and Heidi have also opened their hearts to Eden, a little girl in Africa. In 2025 they traveled to meet Eden and are now preparing to bring her home. 

Kenton and Heidi’s passion for missions also connected them to Faithfully Nurturing Children, a school in Uganda, Africa, that Benson Financial Group was involved in founding. 

In November 2024, Kenton and Heidi accompanied a group at BFG who traveled to Africa to visit the school. Heidi had recently joined the BFG team as a client service coordinator. 

During the trip, Kenton found himself discussing his career with Pat Benson. Kenton mentioned he had earned his MBA a few years earlier. 

“We were in Uganda in a big van, windows open on a dusty road—and he asked me if I’d ever consider financial advising,” Kenton said. “I told him, ‘No. I have been in healthcare for 20 years.’” 

“I remember going back to our room that night and telling Heidi about this bizarre conversation with Pat, and I honestly thought I might have misunderstood it,” Kenton continued. “But the next day, Pat asked if I had considered the offer.” 

In April 2025 Kenton joined BFG as a paraplanner, sitting in on meetings, learning from BFG advisors, and studying for certification. 

After completing his exams, Kenton became a financial advisor in August 2026. 

Combining financial advising with his dedication to caring for others, Kenton sees many unexpected similarities between his past career in healthcare and his current profession in finance, as he helps clients through times of hardship and grief. 

“God has wired me with a desire to help people,” Kenton said. “What He has taught me is that I have the opportunity to help people wherever He places me—whether that’s in the ICU or in the seat of a financial advisor.” 

Kenton draws inspiration from Ephesians 2:10. 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

“That is one of the many blessings I have found at BFG,” Kenton said. “Here, our faith shapes our work—not the other way around.”