Running Cohen Financial Management and carefully managing and investing our clients’ significant assets are responsibilities Ben takes very seriously. In addition to managing our discretionary investment portfolios, he is also dedicated to serving our clients as a financial advisor and planner.
When clients first meet Ben, they can expect him to be relatable, approachable and down-to-earth. Ben has a willingness and ability to articulate even the most complex financial concepts in a manner his clients can comfortably understand.
“The financial services field is the perfect fit for my distinctive combination of right- and left-brained thinking. I am a people person, but I have a serious analytical side as well. Mostly, I love the human connection,” Ben says.
Ben has more than 15 years of financial industry experience, further enhanced by the many years he was mentored by his father, Michael, a 50-year veteran of Wall Street. In 2020, Ben was named to the Financial Times Top 4001 list of advisors nationwide. He was also one of a select group of Raymond James advisors invited to participate in the Raymond James Global Top 50 event.3
As a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, Ben upholds a fiduciary standard and abides by the seven principles of being a CFP®, which are integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence.
Alongside his own deep planning experience, Ben uses sophisticated proprietary software from Raymond James called Goal Planning & Monitoring. It enables him to identify and enter your goals to assess appropriate asset allocation targets, spending or savings rates and the probability of achieving those goals. Ben’s interpretation of the data can help you understand how prepared you are for retirement and see the effects that today’s saving and investment decisions can have on your future lifestyle.
Ben is intensely focused on improving the quality of life for everyone he comes into contact with – our clients, team members and the community at large. “I believe that when our clients see the concrete value we could bring to their lives, it reinforces the confidence they have in themselves and inspires them to also do great things,” Ben says.
As a member of Raymond James’ NextGen Technology Advocates group, Ben is committed to using the latest technology as part of our practice to best serve our clients. He shares feedback directly with the firm’s decision makers to help influence Raymond James’ technology initiatives.
Ben began his career as a financial advisor in 2006 alongside his father at Bear Stearns, which became part of J.P. Morgan in 2008. He earned a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre with a minor in literature from Indiana University.
Before becoming a financial advisor, Ben performed onstage in Chicago and regionally, culminating with a role in the 2004 Broadway revival of “Gypsy” starring Bernadette Peters. His wife, Aurélia, currently the Director of Development for Chicago’s famous Lookingglass Theatre Company, is also a theatre producer, general manager and nonprofit consultant, which keeps the couple very involved in the arts in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Their son, Remy, is honored to make his Broadway debut as part of the production of Leopoldstadt.
Ben served for three years on the board of trustees for Writers Theatre, a nationally renowned institution in Glencoe, Illinois. He also served for years on the board of the Music Theatre Company of Highland Park. He volunteered with Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore at their event, “Broadway Barks,” an annual charity event in the Broadway community to find permanent homes for kill-shelter animals.
Ben’s background in professional theatre gives him a different perspective and camaraderie with the many clients in show business that he serves.
Originally from Deerfield, Illinois, Ben now lives in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago with his wife, Aurélia, and their children, Émile, Remy and Auggie. In his free time, Ben enjoys cooking with his wife, learning French, collecting bourbons, traveling, playing sports (specifically tennis, baseball and basketball), visiting new restaurants and, of course, attending the theatre.
Accolades:
- Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors 20201 – Benjamin Cohen
- Raymond James Global Top 50 20203 and 20234 – Benjamin Cohen
- Raymond James Pride Financial Advisors Network 2021 Ally Award5 – Benjamin Cohen
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, 
1The Financial Times 400 Top Financial Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times (FT) (April 2020). To qualify for the list, advisors had to have 10 years of experience and at least $300 million in assets under management (AUM) and no more than 60% of the AUM with institutional clients. The FT reaches out to some of the largest brokerages in the U.S. and asks them to provide a list of advisors who meet the minimum criteria outlined above. These advisors are then invited to apply for the ranking. Only advisors who submit an online application can be considered for the ranking. In 2020, roughly 1,040 applications were received and 400 were selected to the final list (38.5%). The 400 qualified advisers were then scored on six attributes: AUM, AUM growth rate, compliance record, years of experience, industry certifications, and online accessibility. AUM is the top factor, accounting for roughly 60% to 70% of the applicant’s score. Additionally, to provide a diversity of advisors, the FT placed a cap on the number of advisors from any one state that’s roughly correlated to the distribution of millionaires across the U.S. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its financial advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. The FT, Ignite Research and Money-Media, Inc. are not affiliated with Raymond James.
3The Raymond James 2020 Global Top 50 is an event that takes place in February 2020. Invitees are selected based on 2019 fiscal year production. There are approximately 50 attendees, though that number may vary based on those who are invited and available to attend the event. Attendance at this event may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. No fee is paid in exchange for being invited to this event.
4The Raymond James 2023 Global Top Advisors is a 2-day event that takes place in March 2023. The event brings together 62 of the highest producing advisors from across the firm. These top producing advisors were selected based on 2022 fiscal year production. The number of attendees vary based on those who are invited and available to attend the event. Attendance at this event may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. No fee is paid in exchange for being invited to this event.
5PFAN (Pride Financial Advisors Network) Ally Award
The 2021 Pride Financial Advisors Network Ally Award is an internal recognition given to an associate or financial advisor who does not identify as being part of the LGBT+ community, but actively supports and advocates for LGBT+ individual and issues. Submission requests go out to the Members of the Pride Financial Advisors Network (PFAN), the individuals with the most votes get reviewed by the PFAN Advisory Council Members and they choose the award finalist. In 2021, 2 advisors were nominated, and 1 advisor was chosen as the finalist on 6/29/2021. The recognition is not representative of any client's experience, is not an endorsement by Raymond James, and is not indicative of advisor's future performance. No fee is paid in exchange for this recognition.
The projections or other information generated by Goal Planning & Monitoring regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results and are not guarantees of future results. Goal Planning & Monitoring results may vary with each use and over time.
Raymond James is not affiliated with any organizations mentioned above.