Benchmark Financial

We just wanted to take a moment and say, Thank You!!

As of December 31, 2025, Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors has surpassed $1 billion in total assets under advisement - a milestone that reflects far more than markets or metrics. While we're proud of this achievement, we recognize that attaining this level reflects something more valuable than growth alone, it represents the confidence clients have placed in us and the partnerships we've built.

Since becoming an SEC registered RIA in 2017 our growth has not been by acquisitions but was fostered by other professionals introducing us to their clients and referrals from existing clients to their family members, friends and colleagues.

Throughout this journey, our growth has exceeded our expectations. From inception, we have been guided by two unwavering principles:

Our client’s needs, goals, and best interests are paramount.

Every decision we make is driven by the intention to create a positive, lasting impact on our client’s life and legacy.

These beliefs are not aspirational - they are operational. They shape how we advise, invest, hire, and grow.

As we look towards the future, our goal is to constantly improve to better serve our clients. We've grown our team strategically, adding seasoned professionals and creating dedicated advisory groups to deliver sophisticated, fiduciary guidance at every wealth level and life stage: from early-career professionals building wealth; to established accumulators; to retirees in distribution phase; to ultra-high net worth individuals and families.

This moment is both a celebration and a renewed commitment to serve with purpose, integrity, and care.

Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors

Congratulations to Roger Kalina on Earning the CEPA™ - Certified Exit Planning Advisor Designation!

Roger Kalina, CFP®, AIF®, CEPA™, ChFC®, CLU®

We are excited to announce that Roger has earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation!

Benchmark Financial is proud to announce that Roger Kalina recently earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) credential after completing the Exit Planning Institute’s intensive 5-day executive MBA-style program.

Roger joins a select group of business advisors who have received this credential and are a part of the Exit Planning Institute’s international community of CEPAs. The CEPA™ designation was created to provide a structured and comprehensive framework for exit planning. This exit planning certification equips advisors with the knowledge and tools needed to guide business owners through the complexities of exiting their businesses, making it highly relevant in today’s business landscape.

About the CEPA Program:
The Certified Exit Planning Advisor program was specifically designed for business advisors who work closely with owners of privately held companies. The organizing principle of the program is Master Planning, the alignment of the three legs of the stool (business, personal, financial), which is executed through the implementation of a process called the Value Acceleration Methodology™. Using an executive MBA-style format, the program includes a combination of lectures, group discussions, case studies, and individual exercises to introduce participants to these concepts and to reinforce skills. The program is taught by the Exit Planning Institute’s faculty of advisors, who are all sought after subject matter experts and authors. The CEPA program is the most widely accepted and endorsed professional exit planning program in the world

To receive the CEPA credential, Roger Kalina completed a 5-day program that involved approximately one hundred hours of pre-course study, thirty hours of classroom instruction, and the successful completion of a 3-hour proctored exam.

About the Exit Planning Institute:
The Exit Planning Institute delivers interactive education and training, performance-enhancing resources, and strategic tools designed to enhance the exit planning profession. Formed in 2005 to serve the educational and resource needs of wealth managers, financial planners, accountants, management consultants, attorneys, M&A advisors, commercial lenders, and other business advisors, the Institute is considered the standard trendsetter in the field of exit planning. It is the only organization that offers the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) program which qualifies for continuing educational credits with twelve major professional associations, making it the most widely accepted and endorsed professional exit planning program in the world.

The Exit Planning Institute serves as a platform for creating awareness, advisor collaboration, innovative learning, continuing education, defining methodology, research, thought leadership, and practice development. Certified Exit Planning Advisors help to identify, protect, build, harvest and manage wealth to assist business owners and their families through an ownership transition.

Please join us in congratulating Roger on this impressive achievement!