Ben and his wife, Janelle

Their three children, Abram, Jetta, and Elijah

BFG Spotlight - Ben Strother, PhD

Long before sitting with clients at Benson Financial Group, Ben Strother sat with his dad at their kitchen table in Southern Illinois with Sunday’s business section spread between them.

“We sat together and looked at the stocks listed in the paper—he would call out the tickers and I would look for them—it was like a word search,” he said. “This was about 1994, before the internet, when the only way we knew how the market was doing was to read the paper.”

This weekly activity with his dad, along with wisdom shared from his budget-conscious mom, gave Ben a foundational interest in finance. 

Growing up in Salem, Il., surrounded by two older brothers and many friends, Ben had a typical small-town life. 

His journey to Benson Financial Group began while pursuing his passion for education. After graduating high school in 2005, Ben attended Hannibal-LaGrange University and earned a degree in secondary education.

Also meeting his wife, Janelle, at HLGU, they started building a life in the area. Teaching English, History and a variety of other subjects at Mark Twain High School in Center, Mo., Ben earned his master’s degree in education through William Woods University.

When he began teaching personal finance to seniors at Mark Twain High, a required class in Missouri, Ben knew he’d found his niche.

“Out of all the subjects, teaching personal finance was always nearest and dearest to me—maybe because my dad raised me with a keen interest in the market,” he said. “I also really liked teaching at the senior class level, and thought I might enjoy teaching higher level content and older students.”

Ben returned to HLGU, but in a much different role. Serving as the head basketball coach and professor of finance for seven years—Ben continued to further his own education. In 2020, he received his PhD in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University. 

Research for his PhD led Ben overseas, where he learned from financial advisors and students in Beijing, an experience that helped shape him as an advisor. Through this global lens, Ben was grateful for the overall trust and stability American investors enjoy in the US market.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “Sitting across the table from financial planners in China made me realize how differently other cultures approach money—and how much we take for granted here.”

When Ben’s small-town roots met this broadened horizon, he gained a person-first perspective that deepened his financial guidance. He wants clients to know freedom from anxiety—no matter what their portfolio looks like.

“I’ve learned that when you sit across the table from people, that’s what they are—people,” he said. “Some people might be anxious about pennies; some might be anxious about millions. It’s not about the amount of money they have, it’s about how they feel about it. You can’t just tell people, ‘You shouldn’t feel that way.” You’ve got to dig deeper and help them understand the freedom they can have.”

Ben joined the BFG team in 2022. 

After meeting with BFG leadership, Ben appreciated that they supported and shared his client-first approach, and his passion for educating others. He immediately recognized the firm’s focus on faith and relationship building aligned with his own values.

Ben has found fulfillment serving clients with the BFG team and growing through the mentorship of senior advisors Pat Benson, Justin Gibson, Jeriod Turner, and Steve Hill (who retired last year).

“The big thing here is the heart everyone has for loving and serving people well,” Ben said. “It’s not a transactional atmosphere. Our work is about aligning our hearts with our faith and seeing how that can really come to life in this industry.”

Ben also enjoys serving with Janelle. Along with raising their three children together—Elijah, 10, Jetta, 7, and Abram, 4—the couple is also active at Believer’s Church, and mentors through the United Way of the Mark Twain Area’s RISE program. 

The RISE program is a 17-week program providing one-on-one financial coaching, where Ben and Janelle help individuals with money management and budgeting. Through RISE, Ben was again blessed to look through another lens.

“People usually come to the program because they really need help managing it all,” he said. “And we empower them with the tools and confidence to know they can do it.”

Jeriod Turner, BFG partner and advisor, said Ben brings wisdom and heart to the team.

“Ben combines deep industry expertise with genuine care for each client as an individual,” he said. “This creates lasting value to our clients and our firm.”

Ben’s faith and his approach to financial planning is reflected in this verse:

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you abound in every good work. — 2 Corinthians 9:8

“This world often leans toward fear or scarcity,” Ben said. “But God calls us to live in His abundance—and to use that abundance to do good work.”