June 2025
The Hall Family. From left, Abby, Amanda, Laela, Trey and Elizabeth
BFG Spotlight - Amanda Hall
Amanda Hall, the youngest of three girls in her family, began her life in the small community of Frankford, Missouri. When she was 5 years old, they moved outside of New London, where her parents lived for 40 years.
As a young adult, Amanda’s world expanded beyond rural Missouri as she shared her faith on international mission trips. Through serving God across cultures, Amanda discovered a lot about the world.
On a mission trip to Thailand in 2005, she witnessed extreme poverty, where sewage water wasn’t hidden underneath the street but openly trickled through the streets.
"In Thailand, if anyone had indoor plumbing, they were considered wealthy,” Amanda said. “We have indoor plumbing everywhere in the United States, but that’s not the case there."
In 2008, Amanda spent a week teaching English in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Learning English provided locals with greater job opportunities—and for missionaries, it opened the door to ministry in an area where Christianity is restricted.
“They needed English speakers to practice with, so that was a good time to work faith into the conversation,” Amanda explained. “By law, you couldn’t walk up to someone and say, ‘Let me tell you about Jesus,’ but it was fine if it came up naturally.”
In December 2004, a tsunami devastated the region, killing more than 200,000 people along the Indian Ocean. Amanda recalled that many Westerners traveled to Indonesia to help with recovery efforts, especially due to the overwhelming loss of life.
“Religious restrictions prevented locals from touching the bodies after a certain amount of time, and many came to help with that,” she said. “That was the first time I saw a mass grave where about 1,000 people were buried under a small memorial.”
Amanda also served on two trips to El Salvador with the Bethel Baptist Association, helping her father with construction projects for families. A lifetime of helping her dad work on projects at home, church, and abroad sparked her passion for remodeling the house she now shares with her husband, Trey.
Today, Amanda continues her ministry efforts locally. She and Trey serve on the Hannibal chapter of Gideons to ensure God’s word is distributed freely in hotel rooms, hospitals, and other locations. Trey is also a longtime youth minister at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Hannibal.
After earning her marketing degree from Hannibal-LaGrange University, Amanda moved to Kansas City, where she worked at Data Core Marketing.
In 2010, she returned to Hannibal and became a teller at HNB Bank, where she reconnected with Trey, whom she had met in college. They married in 2016 and share a close-knit family with Trey’s daughters Abby and Elizabeth, and their granddaughter, Laela.
Amanda joined Benson Financial Group in 2012 as a receptionist. Amanda already had a connection to the team; one of the founders, Connie Benson, was a former colleague of her mom at Hannibal-LaGrange University.
At the time, Amanda became the sixth employee, including three financial advisors. Over the past 13 years, she has witnessed the firm’s growth to 20 employees and six advisors across two service locations in Hannibal and Quincy.
Colleagues often appear at Amanda’s office door with questions, grateful for the client connections she has built and her experience with software and daily operations.
“It’s hard to believe how much growth we’ve had, and it’s been exciting,” she said. “Knowing where we’ve come from and what we are now—it’s fun to have been part of that.”
A favorite scripture of Amanda’s is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
“This reminds me that through all seasons of life, God will always be there, “she said. “There is ‘a time to dance and a time to mourn,’ and it’s comforting to know that hard seasons will pass.”
Bad Art by Good People: “Miss Sophie” Goes Home
Bad Art by Good People is an annual tradition Benson Financial Group proudly supports.
The Hannibal Arts Council program brings together 10 community leaders with 10 local artists. Each pair creates original artwork for an auction supporting the Hannibal Arts Council’s ongoing work in local arts.
This year, BFG’s Connie Benson teamed up with talented artist Becky Evans to create a vibrant giraffe painting Connie affectionately named “Miss Sophie.”
Connie began working with Becky in January, and Connie said it was a blessed time for her.
“I don’t have an artistic bone in my body,” Connie said with a laugh. “She brought out an artist in me and gave me the confidence to be creative!”
On Thursday, May 1, “Miss Sophie” went home with the highest bidder—Connie’s husband, Pat. Pat was then surprised when he was gifted the painting he created in the program several years ago.
Benson Financial Group’s Justin Gibson had quietly held onto the piece, knowing Pat had wished to keep it. He waited for the perfect moment—when it was Connie’s turn at the easel—so the couple could both take their pieces home.
“Miss Sophie” now brightens their grandchildren’s room at Pat and Connie’s home, while Pat’s hangs in his office.
Previous BFG participants include Pat Benson, Jeriod Turner, and Justin Gibson.
Benson Financial Group’s Guiding Principles of Investing: A Review of the Spring Seminar
by Ben Strother, PhD, BFG Financial Advisor
In our Spring Seminar, financial planner Dr. Benjamin Strother addressed a timely and foundational question: How does Benson Financial Group approach investing?
We aim to capture the full breadth of the market through diversified exposure to a low-cost, passive investment portfolio—all grounded in a financial plan built around the goals our clients are working toward.
If you follow the investment world or financial news, markets often seem noisy, impulsive, and unpredictable. Though the topic was chosen well in advance, it proved especially relevant given current market conditions. A recent downturn driven by tariff concerns led to a sharp decline and investor anxiety.
So, how do we make sense of such market behavior? How do we entrust our future to a system that swings between irrational despair and exuberance?
Dr. Strother offered a steadying perspective—a reminder of the core pillars of BFG’s investment philosophy:
Investment decisions should be backed by a plan.
Clients need a plan behind their invested dollars—if the plan hasn’t changed, then neither should the investments, especially based on daily market headlines.
In the short term, markets are difficult to predict, but in the long term, we can invest with more confidence in positive returns. As the time horizons lengthen, so do our expectations for positive market performance.
Time in the market, not timing the market, drives success.
We can—and should—expect downturns to happen, like the ones we’ve seen recently. In fact, over the past 100 years, the market (S&P 500) averages an annual drawdown of 12.8%. The market has posted positive annual returns 75% of the time, with an average increase of 10.4%. If we are willing to invest for the long haul, these modest returns are outstanding as they compound over time.
At Benson Financial Group, we believe in efficient markets—that stock prices are extremely accurate and reflect all publicly available information. This leads us to use a passive investment approach focused on lowering fees and remaining in the market, even amid drawdowns.
While it may be tempting to pull out when the market is down, history shows it’s nearly impossible to sell at the right time and buy back in at the right time, when the market has bottomed. Missing just a few of the market’s best days can significantly reduce long-term returns.
Some investment strategies can help, particularly dollar cost averaging—the regular, incremental investment of funds over time. This discipline reflects a lifestyle of margin and intentionality, committing to growth even when markets are down. When market prices dip, you can purchase more shares that will increase in value over time. Dollar cost averaging is one of the most powerful wealth-creation strategies, helping to make regular contributions to our future selves.
Our investment philosophy is framed through personalized planning, understanding our clients’ investment strategy with their retirement goals and other future needs. Strategies differ according to when they will be used.
- Funds not needed for 10+ years are fully into the stock market.
- Funds needed in the short term can be feathered into a bond strategy.
We encourage saving early through dollar cost averaging and seeking diversified exposure to the market in client portfolios with a commitment to long-term thinking.
We believe this approach leads to financial freedom and creates the financial margin to bless others and the world around us.
BFG announces new CFP® certification
Benson Financial Group proudly announces that Aaron Hill, CFP®, recently earned his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification! This accomplishment reflects Aaron’s ongoing commitment to BFG clients since he joined the firm in 2021.
Aaron credits the achievement to the support of his wife, Andrea, along with fellow BFG advisors and staff.
Aaron Hill, CFP®
Financial Advisor
Upcoming Holidays & Closings
Please note that our office will be closed in observance of Juneteenth Day on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Benson Financial Group and the financial markets will reopen on Friday, June 20, at 8:30 a.m.
Let us honor this national holiday, as we celebrate our hope for the future with all Americans, and a commitment to freedom. Happy Juneteenth Day!
