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The Fiduciary Focus Blog

Benjamin Smith, CFA

Ben serves as a Principal for Guidance Point Retirement Services, LLC, focusing on bringing retirement plan and investment consulting services to clients in the region. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Investment Officer, directing the investment philosophy and retirement plan investment menu design for all the firm’s clients. Prior to working for Guidance Point Retirement Services, LLC, Ben worked for Acadia Trust, N.A., a subsidiary of Camden National Corporation, as Vice President, Portfolio Manager, based in Bangor, Maine. Ben assumed responsibility for and oversight of over $300mm in client portfolios, including individuals, families, retirement plans, endowments, foundations, businesses, and trusts. In addition, he served on the Company’s Investment Committee. He also chaired the Mutual Fund Committee and managed Retirement Plan Services for the company.
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Recent Posts

2020 Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers

Benjamin Smith, CFA 22 October, 2020
Guidance Point Retirement Services, LLC is pleased to announce that A.J. Walker, AIF® has been named to the 2020 edition of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers. The list recognizes the ...
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How the SECURE Act Impacts Guaranteed Retirement Income in Retirement Plans

Benjamin Smith, CFA 31 January, 2020
Our plan sponsor clients have been calling our team with increased frequency due to the passing of the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019). The biggest ...
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A.J. Walker named to The Retirement Advisor Council

Benjamin Smith, CFA 30 January, 2020
Guidance Point Retirement Services, LLC is pleased to announce that A.J. Walker, AIF® has been named to The Retirement Advisor Council. Formed in 2009, the Retirement Advisor Council is a national ...
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Guidance Point Broadens Their Investment Evaluation Process

Benjamin Smith, CFA 09 January, 2020
As of January 2020, our team has chosen to broaden our Investment Evaluation Process of investment managers to include the fi360 Fiduciary Score®. Why? We feel that as a Fiduciary to our clients, we ...
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Does My Retirement Plan Menu Offer Too Many Investment Choices? (HINT: It Probably Does!)

Benjamin Smith, CFA 06 November, 2019
Retirement plan fiduciaries have the important decision to make on how to design, implement, and monitor the investment lineup offered to participants. The number and what types of investment choices ...
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2019 Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors

Benjamin Smith, CFA 11 October, 2019
Guidance Point Retirement Services, LLC is pleased to announce that A.J. Walker, AIF® has been named to the 2019 edition of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers. The list recognizes the ...
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Are Index Funds Causing a Market Bubble?

Benjamin Smith, CFA 10 September, 2019
Over the tenure of our firm, our clients have been raising the question whether index funds in their allocation of investable dollars are a positive or a negative in their impacts to capital markets, ...
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4 Lessons We Learned from Attending the 2019 Fi360 Conference

Benjamin Smith, CFA 03 May, 2019
1) Financial Coaching is the next evolution in the Participant Experience One session we attended was titled "The Evolution of the Investment Lineup Spectrum." It was presented by Franklin Templeton ...
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3 Reasons Your Retirement Plan Should Offer Index Funds

Benjamin Smith, CFA 14 June, 2018
Investment portfolio construction is frequently debated specifically around utilizing active funds, index funds, or both. Within defined contribution employee-directed retirement plans, we believe it ...
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Capital Markets Review - First Quarter 2018

Benjamin Smith, CFA 12 April, 2018
First Quarter 2018 – We’re glad that’s over!1
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