Benjamin Ryan Gardiner
Financial Advisor
Professional
Benny began his career with Northwestern Mutual in May of 2011 after earning his B.S. in History from Grand View University. He currently holds his Life, Health, Securities Industry Essentials, and FINRA Series 6 and 63 registrations.
Benny’s favorite part of his work is the opportunity to work with individuals and getting to know their priorities. Benny is focused on delivering financial security through in-depth conversations creating clarity and transparency around your finances.
Born and raised in Monterey, California, Benny currently lives in Ankeny, Iowa with his wife, Charisse, their three children Callan, Sawyer, and Eva, and two dogs. Benny is active in coaching multiple sports for his kids, as well as being an Outdoor Conservationist, and supporting Alex’s Lemonade Stand. In his free time, Benny enjoys spending time at home with his family, reading, cheering on the San Francisco 49ers, and taking his kids hunting and fishing.
Years of Experience
Representing Northwestern Mutual since 2011.
Education
Grand View University - History (Bachelor of Science)
Awards and Recognition
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Quality Award 2015
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- Award recognizing commitment to excellence in service to clients and industry
Personal
Benny Gardiner is a financial professional based out of West Des Moines, Iowa. Born and raised in Monterey, California, college baseball brought Benny to the Midwest. Earning the opportunity to play baseball at Grandview University allowed Benny to become fully immersed in the culture of Des Moines, Iowa.
In May of 2014, Benny married his wife Charisse. They have since welcomed their three children; Callan, Sawyer, and Eva. Benny and his family currently reside in Ankeny, Iowa where his daughter, Eva, is starting her journey with gymnastics and his sons, Callan and Sawyer play baseball with the Sticks in Waukee.
The Gardiners are loyal fans of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. Benny is an avid outdoorsman and a member of Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and Whitetail Unlimited. When not at home with his family, Benny and the kids are out hunting or scouting!
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.
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.
