Benjamin Green

Founder & Wealth Preservation Specialist

A native of Columbia, SC, Benjamin is Co-Founder of Ready2Retire™, the leading retirement planning firm for people who want to retire with confidence. Benjamin greatly appreciates customer service and client satisfaction, honed from over 20 years of experience, and is recognized nationwide as a top retirement, insurance, Medicare, and Social Security planner.

He has over 2,000 clients and has educated over 10,000 people. Benjamin is also President and COO of Insurance Advantage, an employee benefits agency he co-founded 13 years ago. Ben has previously served as COO of a human resources staffing firm and as Vice President of Asia and Europe for an American software company.

Benjamin has extensive experience in economic development and consulting and worked as a Business Recruiter for South Carolina. Since Ben opened the Japan office in 2012, South Carolina has received over $2.2 billion in investment. In 2014, he was hired to write the Strategic Plan for the State of South Carolina.

Based on ten years working overseas in Japan, Brazil, & Spain, he wrote the Amazon Best Seller "The Global Superstar: How Your Students Can Develop an Advantage over Global Competition" to help students prepare for careers in this changing economy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Morehouse College, an International MBA from The University of South Carolina, and certificates from UNC and Temple University.

He’s conversant in Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish, and has studied Latin, Italian, and French. He has served on numerous boards, including the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Association, the SC Chamber of Commerce, and the Columbia (SC) Chamber of Commerce. He’s a member of the Nashville City Club, The Entrepreneurship Center, and the Nashville Kiwanis Club.

Benjamin splits time between his homes in Nashville, TN, and Columbia, SC, with his wife Kim, and their two wonderful daughters. He loves traveling, spending time with friends and family, and helping his clients win.

My Qualifications

Laurence has been a financial advisor since 2013. He received a Bachelors degree in Economics and a minor in finance from the University of Rhode Island. He holds his General Securities Representative registration (Series 7), his Uniform Combined State Law Registration (Series 66) and insurance licenses for life, health, disability, property and casualty. He has obtained the following two designations. The Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CFF) and the Certified in Social Security Claiming Strategies (CSSCS) designation. Laurence is dedicated to developing lasting relationships with all of his clients. His goal is to help clients assess their financial goals and participate in the management of their finances. One of the benefits of working with Laurence is his ability to provide clear, easily understood explanations of financial investments and services. The personalized program he provides is designed to help you work toward an independent financial future.

My Background

Laurence currently lives in Cherry Hill, NJ with his wife Danielle and their son Mason. When not working, he enjoys golfing and skiing.

On March 7, 2016 I joined Medallion Wealth Advisors after working at Merrill Lynch for 4 years.  I am currently accepting new clients.  My most typical client is a Physician or other Healthcare Professional as I spent a number of years in medical sales earlier in my career.  I also work with many families and small business owners helping them plan and save for retirement.  I specialize in Financial Planning and providing Investment Advice.  My goal is to provide the individual investor the same level of professional management and service as institutional investors.  Through the planning process I develop an in-depth understanding of my client's financial needs and goals, and then design an investment strategy designed to meet those goals while taking on the minimum amount of risk needed.  I am most proud of helping my clients achieve their financial goals.  I went through the process of attaining the Certified Financial Fiduciary® designation to emphasize my life-long commitment to always act in the financial Best Interest of my clients.  I live in Colchester with my wife and three daughters.

Dan is a ‘Certified Financial Fiduciary’ and a nationally-recognized financial advisor with over 20 years’ experience. Dan believes that risk management is the most important aspect of financial planning. Managing risk and being able to keep your life’s hard-earned money protected is just as crucial as growing your money, recognizing that losses hurt you more than gains help you.

Dan is passionate about his clients’ financial education. He finds it deeply rewarding to take the complexities of a family’s finances and translate those issues into something clear and understandable so they can make solid, risk-free retirement planning decisions. It’s important that his clients understand what their money needs to do to accomplish their financial goals first, then implement a sound and secure plan.

Additionally, Dan is an author, speaker, and educator. He has appeared on a number of media publications and media networks.

Dan’s life is about commitment – his commitment to professional and personal development and his commitment to others. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family; snow skiing, water sports, traveling and attending sporting events. He attributes his success to the fact that the foundation of his practice is based on honesty, integrity and always doing what is in the best for his clients.

Dan can be reached at 408.206.7665 or through his website at: https://www.simplifiedretirementstrategy.com

Chet joined Nelson Financial Planning in August of 2018 . He is a Financial Planner with Nelson Financial Planning , Inc. (NFP) and a FINRA Registered Representative with Nelson Ivest Brokerage Services, Inc. (NIBS).

Chet is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC™), a Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional (PFQP®), a Notary Public in Florida, and he holds a Series 7 Securities License with FINRA, along with the Certified Financial Fiduciary® designation. 

What really inspires Chet is working side by side with clients through the personal and financial journey towards a safe and secure financial future. And with no account or investment minimums, he is ready to help anyone. 

When he’s not changing lives with successful financial planning, he is likely fishing, in the gym, or traveling to this next bucket-list destination. 

Andrea Carpenter is a Partner and Financial Advisor with Prosperity Partners Wealth Management, LLC. Andrea has been in the financial industry over 25 years and during that time has worked with clients from a variety of industries, including small Business Owners, Teachers and Engineers. Over the years, Andrea has worked with not only clients, but other advisors in financial plan design and training.

With all the twists and turns one can experience in their financial lives, Andrea utilizes her diverse business acumen and financial credentials in helping clients plan for the financial challenges ahead. She works in navigating those paths by focusing on educating clients of their options and opportunities in building a plan to walk through various life stages on their financial journey.

A lifelong East Tennessee native, Andrea graduated from Maryville College with a degree in Management where she met her spouse Joel. They have two children, Madalyn, also an MC grad and Joshua, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee.  Andrea is the former board president of a local nonprofit, Kingdom Design Ministries and is an active supporter of her church.

John Hess has been involved with Client Service and Practice Management since 1987. He joined what is now Hess Financial Planning Inc in 1999. In 2015, he became the sole owner of the Firm. He focuses on financial planning, helping clients plan for and enjoy their retirement. As part of planning, John helps clients with the tax implications of their investment decisions. He earned his Enrolled Agent (EA) designation, which enables him to practice and represent clients before the IRS.

In 2024, Hess Financial Planning Inc was awarded Business of the Year Lancaster, SC by the Lancaster Co Chamber of Commerce in recognition of their service and contributions to clients and the community.

John has been published in Investment Advisor magazine. He served as Area Chapter Director for Avantax Investment Services^sm for 7 years. The meetings are for training and networking with area Investment Advisors. John maintains his Securities licenses through continuing education at national and local conferences.

John is involved in providing the full slate of financial services we offer for our clients. John is Securities Licensed and is a Licensed Insurance Agent in multiple states.

John and his wife Malissa have two children and three grandchildren. John spends much of his leisure time working in ministries at his church: teaching, serving, singing, and leading various groups. John also enjoys reading, golf, and working in the yard.

Alex Johnson is an independent insurance broker through his agency, HealthCare Advisors. He specializes in individual/family health insurance, Medicare, life insurance, and insurance solutions for retirement and long-term care needs.

“My favorite part about being an insurance professional is I am truly able to help people and give them piece of mind about their finances. I have always sought to provide honest and best-interest solutions, and becoming a Certified Financial Fiduciary has allowed me to show my client’s that I hold integrity and best-interest above all else.”

Alex strives to provide his clients with honest and expert guidance and keeps a close eye on industry trends and products. When not helping people with insurance, Alex loves to spend time with his wife Morgan and daughter Alaina. Alex also loves cooking and enjoying the great outdoors.

Steve Charlton is a man of faith, honor, and integrity. Whether at the gym, on the trails with his wife or in the bleachers watching his boys play baseball & swim, Steve operates with that same high level of care and passion to the conversation of money & wealth, and more importantly how the tax code can work for us and not against us.

Steve is a Wealth Preservation & Distribution Specialist and takes that title seriously. He was fortunate to begin his career in the financial industry serving as a bond-broker, working with CFO’s of banks & credit unions. This allowed him to experience and learn the institutional side of the markets, which provides tremendous wisdom to be shared into the consumer market. In 2005, Steve decided to launch his own firm and has now helped nearly 2000 families spread across the nation who have entrusted him with their financial wellbeing. Steve’s client base is diverse in both their professional backgrounds & financial needs. Steve has been actively serving his clients for nearly 20 years and proudly owns a record free of any consumer complaints. This is a direct result of the core values at Wisdom Financial.

"As fiduciaries, our job is to foster a relationship of trust, both legally and ethically. This is what drives us, so that our client and his or her best interests always come first. We then take it to the next level and employ full transparency for both our clients and the multitudes of financial institutions we work with. Our clients become our family and we could not be more grateful to serve and protect them."

"We look forward to inviting you to experience how our team can help you successfully navigate the years leading up to and for the complete duration of your retirement lifecycle. Our team will equip you with a personal, thorough & exclusive plan that is actively managed to ensure you continue to prosper throughout your retirement years. We call it the 'Peace of Mind Factor'"
-Steve Charlton

Originally from Chicago and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Chris has lived in Denver since 2002 and loves his career as a financial planner. He stays motivated by the satisfaction he finds in helping families create, understand, and implement a plan for reaching their financial goals and needs. As life changes the path to our goals, Chris and his team continually adapt and adjust to help maintain the most efficient and cost effective strategies to stay on course. Prior to his career in the financial services, Chris worked in the biotechnology industry as both an organic chemist and instrumentation engineer.

Insurance Licensed in: AL, AZ, CO, KS, LA, MT, WA, WI

What I love about Colorado:

I love being able to jump in the car and get into any number of outdoor activities. Whether it's snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, or a game of tennis or volleyball, I know there's something active I can get up to at the spur of the moment.

What I provide to my clients:

I pride myself on taking the time to fully understand my client's overall financial picture and goals before making any recommendations. In our practice, we work to provide holistic financial planning to our clients.

What I value:

I value time with family and free time! I enjoy taking time to decompress and relax at home with my wife, Kaati, and our dog, Doggis Doggins.

What I do for fun:

In my free time, I play the piano and bass guitar. I also enjoy travelling, especially to places where I can pursue my new passion of scuba diving.