Professional
Ben Smith chose to follow his passion and begin a career where his focus is placed on helping others. Ben has concentrated his efforts on building financial security for families in the Nashville and Clarksville communities, as well as military families at Fort Campbell, KY, and throughout the country.
Ben began his professional career in service to the country. While a student at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Ben was introduced to the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and chose to join the U.S. Army. In May, 2008, Ben completed his undergraduate degree with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army’s Quartermaster Corps.
Upon graduation, Ben completed Quartermaster Officer Basic Course and was assigned to the 82nd Sustainment Brigade at Fort Bragg. He held numerous leadership positions at Fort Bragg, including Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Battalion S2 OIC, and Battalion S3 OIC. Additionally, Ben completed the Basic Airborne Course and Aerial Delivery and Materials Officer Course (ADMOC) while stationed at Fort Bragg. In 2010-2011, Ben deployed with the 7th Transportation Battalion to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
In 2012, Ben attended the Combined Logistics Captains’ Career Course at Fort Lee, VA. Following graduation, he was assigned to 4th Brigade Combat Team (Currahee), 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, KY. Ben served as company commander for a Forward Support Company from 2012-2014. He was then selected to serve as the commander for the Brigade Support Battalion for three months to close down and inactivate the historic Currahee brigade. Finally, Ben served as the Brigade Support Operations Officer for 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Rakassan) before transitioning out of the military.
Awards
Ben received several awards during his service in the Army, including:
- Two Meritorious Service Medals
- Army Commendation Medal
- Army Achievement Medal
- Basic Airborne Badge
- Air Assault Badge
- Rigger Badge
- German Airborne wings
Years of Experience
Representing Northwestern Mutual since 2015.
Education
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania - Accounting (Bachelor of Science)
Lending a hand in my community.
As part of Northwestern Mutual, I'm proud to help accelerate the search for better childhood cancer treatments while supporting families undergoing treatment, and survivors from late effects. Here are some of the organizations we partner with:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
ALSF funds cancer research, raises awareness, and supports the families of children with cancer. Since 2012, Northwestern Mutual, its employees, and financial professionals like me have donated more than $20 million to support ALSF and fund over 400,000 research hours.
Beads of Courage
Beads of Courage is an art-in-medicine program that helps kids with cancer tell their unique treatment story through colorful beads that are symbols of their courage.
Personal
Ben and Sarah Smith met in 2009 while Ben was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. They quickly fell in love and married shortly thereafter.
From October of 2010 to November of 2013, Sarah gave birth to three beautiful children, Eden Bailey, Benjamin Josiah II, and Vincent Carlyle William. All three children were born in different states due to changing duty stations with the Army.
Ben Smith and his family are members of a local church in Clarksville, TN. Ben and Sarah have a strong Christian faith and are actively serving within their church.
Involvement in the community is also important to Ben. In 2015 he became a member of the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce and Clarksville Young Professionals. Ben and Sarah also support local charities and organizations that benefit our community.
Ben has always had a passion for U.S. history, specifically colonization through Civil War reconstruction. Ben has always made an effort to visit civil war battlefields in each state he has lived in and has visited over 55 battlefields throughout Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Ben has joined with several family members to conduct an extensive genealogical research of his family and has traced ancestors to Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany, France, and Hungary as far back as the 15th century.
Here are my areas of expertise
Financial Planning
Insurance Protection Strategies
Life Insurance Strategies
Retirement Planning & Income Strategies
Education Planning & Funding
Disability Planning
Multigenerational Planning
Estate Planning
How Northwestern Mutual helps you live the life you want.
When people feel better about their money, good things happen—they become more confident and feel more secure. For more than 160 years, Northwestern Mutual has helped people achieve the financial flexibility they need to live more and worry less.
Being a mutual company means Northwestern Mutual reports to its clients, not Wall Street. They don't believe in chasing fads or taking undue risk for short-term gains. Instead, they take a long-term approach—both in the way we help people plan to reach their goals, and in the way they do business. This has served their clients (and mine) well through all kinds of economic ups and downs, including wars, recessions, even the recent pandemic.
It's why I'm happy to be part of a company that's in it for the long-haul and prioritizes clients over profit.
