Benjamin Martinek
CFP®, EA, CSLP®, RICP®
Bona Fide Finance LLC
Financial Advisor
Benjamin Martinek
CFP®, EA, CSLP®, RICP®
Bona Fide Finance LLC
Financial Advisor
As a fee-only financial planner, my focus is to offer unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. - Benjamin Martinek, CFP®, EA, CSLP®, RICP®
Fee-Only Financial Planner located in Bismarck, ND - working virtually so that we are able to meet at various times with ease and convenience, regardless of location
Benjamin Martinek is a Bismarck, ND fee-only financial planner. Bona Fide Finance LLC provides comprehensive financial planning and single-engagement financial services to help young professionals and growing families organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent financial advisor, Benjamin Martinek is never paid a commission of any kind, and has a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
The fourth of nine children, Ben Martinek grew up in rural Indiana.
Early in life, he felt strongly moved to serve others and thus attended seminary, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and classical languages. Having once considered an academic career, he continued his philosophy studies and obtained a master’s degree. Upon realizing the challenges with the job market in academia, he sought other career paths, some of which included construction and truck driving–in fact, Ben and his wife Deb spent the first few years of their marriage as team over-the-road truck drivers, logging over 600,000 miles in the “lower 48,” visiting every metropolitan area and traveling over 90% of the Interstate in the US!—before deciding that financial planning should be the focus of his talents and career efforts. You can read more about their trucking adventures here.
Ben works hard, but he also relishes in the fruit of his labor. In addition to his studies pertaining to finance and philosophy, he also likes to garden, hike, make home improvements, and woodwork. He and his wife live in Bismarck, ND, are involved in their local Catholic parish and have two darling daughters, Edith and Virginia. Ben relaxes by grilling, smoking a pipe, canoeing the Missouri River, and sailing Lake Sakakawea.
Benjamin Martinek is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
Bona Fide Finance is the working man and woman’s financial planner:
we cater to young professionals and growing families between the ages of 25-45.
Philosophy Behind the Name
The name “Bona Fide Finance,” Latin for “in good faith,” is no accident. We do not know the future. Though many have tried mightily to penetrate this veil, all of us are limited in this regard. The best any of us can do, then, is be adequately prepared for the myriad options that may take place, keeping in mind at all times that as domesticated as our current living is, it still retains the element of “being wild.”
“The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait.”
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, pp 149-150
Thus, we seek to act in good faith, hoping for the best, but recognizing that we too are left alongside the client awaiting the unknown. At Bona Fide Finance, we accept that we cannot predict the future, but we also make the promise in good faith that each client will be best suited for what may come according to the standards of good finance and good sense.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Holistic Financial Planning
- Achieving FI
- Student Loan Repayment
- Tax Planning
Ideal Clients
- Early Retirees
- Growing Families
- Sudden Money Situations
- Academics
- Student Loan Borrowers
Working Together
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- No Product Sales
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Benjamin Martinek is a NAPFA-Registered Financial AdvisorThe National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Benjamin Martinek is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for VerificationCFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Benjamin Martinek is a Member of the XY Planning NetworkThe XY Planning Network is the leading organization of fee-only financial advisors who are focused on working with Generation X and Generation Y clients. Our mission is to connect consumers with best-in-class financial advisors who specialize in working with clients just like you.
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Benjamin Martinek is an Enrolled Agent with the IRS (Learn More)An enrolled agent is a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Enrolled agent status is the highest credential awarded by the IRS.
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Benjamin Martinek is a Certified Student Loan Professional (CSLP®)Financial Advisors having earned the Certified Student Loan Professional designation (CSLP®) understand the complexities of the student loan repayment options and have the advanced knowledge required provide to high quality student loan repayment planning advice within the scope of a holistic financial plan.
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Benjamin Martinek is a Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®)A professional designation for experienced financial advisors and investment managers who have passed coursework to become experts in retirement income planning. A Retirement Income Certified Professional® helps retirees and near-retirees develop and implement a plan for managing the financial assets they have accumulated for retirement and a set realistic budget to help meet life goals.
Contact Benjamin Martinek
Office Locations:
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319 Willow Ln
Bismarck, ND 58504
