Benson Wealth Management Honored on Forbes 2026 Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams List

Northwestern Mutual Central Iowa announced today that Benson Wealth Management has been recognized on Forbes’ prestigious 2026 Top Wealth Management Teams Best-in-State list. This commendation highlights the team's unwavering dedication to serving clients through a collaborative, team-based approach to financial planning. The honored team includes Founder and Private Wealth Advisor Douglas Benson Jr., Director of Advanced Financial Planning Charlie Kehr, Private Wealth Advisor Andrew Stumbo, and Private Wealth Advisor JD Smith.

Developed in partnership with SHOOK Research, this list evaluates teams based on a range of key performance indicators, such as total revenue, team size, assets under management and other quantitative metrics. A variety of qualitative factors are considered as well, including in-person interviews, service models and advisors' expertise.

In light of this esteemed recognition and to further enhance their client services, Benson Wealth Management is delighted to announce the expansion of their team. Private Wealth Advisors Jason Thrap and Trent Weatherman have joined as Partners, bringing over 30 years of combined experience to the firm.

Additionally, JD Smith and Derek Retherford have been promoted to Partners, fortifying the leadership team and underscoring Benson Wealth Management’s commitment to empowering families and businesses to confidently shape their financial independence and legacy through comprehensive planning.

"We are dedicated to building an exceptional team to best serve our growing clientele and their diverse needs with excellence, integrity, and personal connection," said Benson. "I am extremely proud of the work the team accomplished for our clients in 2025 and honored to be recognized by Forbes for our team efforts. I am incredibly excited for this team to grow, sharing deeper expertise, collaboration, and resources with and for our clients in 2026. Our goal is to enhance our clients’ experience and ensure we are even better positioned to serve them now and in the future."

A growing number of Northwestern Mutual's financial professionals are earning national acclaim for their client-centric commitment and performance within the industry. Last year alone, more than 800 were featured on prominent lists by Forbes and Barron’s.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionalswith a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With nearly $700 billion of total assetsi being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $38 billion in revenues, nearly $2.4 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2025 FORTUNE® 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2025.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.