Ben Harber > First Investors Registered Representative

"Be a light in the lives of the people you serve."

When I initially arrived at First Investors, I was a fresh graduate from Anderson University in Indiana, where leadership, resilience and grit were skills I had sharpened on the basketball court. Having a business background, I was eager to weave those skills into a focused, goal-driven business that would truly be a means to serve others.

From the beginning, my family and my faith have always provided the backbone of what drives me. And just like a solid investment portfolio needs a foundation, I want to be that supportive backbone for the people I serve.

Early in my career, I noticed that many folks tend to recoil from the subject of planning their own financial futures, not because they consider it unimportant, but because it feels especially foreign to them. My goal was to bridge that gap by breaking the fundamentals down for my clients, not only to help them understand (often by using props and drawings), but to get my clients excited about dreaming big and expecting great things.

The First Investors philosophy of "First in Service" is a noble posture, but when we unpack what that really means, we uncover an even more profound meaning. For example, I learned early on that since a client's trust is a very delicate gift, it is crucial to first build strong relationships with them built on friendship. I want clients to know that I'm committed to them, and that I make recommendations that revolve around them. In fact, I sometimes hear surprised clients say, "You mean, you're telling me not to roll over this money to you?" I reply, "It's in your best interest to leave it where it is. If I were a doctor, and I saw that your existing medication was doing the trick, I'd tell you to keep taking it!" My Division Manager gave me some wise advice early in my career when she said; "When you make a recommendation to a client, do so as if that person were your mother, your brother, or your aunt." That advice still resonates with me today as I map out strategies for my clients.

Every day is a fresh challenge for me. I always keep my eyes open for new ideas to implement. When deciding which "tools in the toolbox" to use to build a client's portfolio, I use quite a bit of creative thinking. My managers have been instrumental in helping me to look at a situation from many angles in order to maximize what is best for a client. They have given me support, positive encouragement, and creative freedom, which have helped me to cultivate and grow my business to where it is today.

Being from Indiana, I know that building a business in the financial services industry, the investment recommendations we give our clients, and farming have a great deal in common, primarily in three ways:

• First, you'll always reap what you sow. Good seeds (such as tenacity and a hunger to reach big goals) yield good crops; bad seeds (such as procrastination and low standards), yield bad crops.

• Second, a harvest often yields more than you sow, much like one single seed produces a crop, leading to multiple seeds. The momentum of that growth will develop over time.

• And third, you will often harvest in a different season than the one on which you sow. The harvest you're enjoying today is an effect of the seeds you've planted yesterday, and the seeds you plant today will provide tomorrow's benefit.

I look forward to the future cultivation of my client friendships and my business, as well as the continued growth of the first-class firm that is First Investors. I truly feel blessed by, and take pride in, a career marked by high energy, solid preparation, uplifting encouragement to others and a hunger for excellence.

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