A former teacher brings an educator’s perspective to Jackson Financial

Before opening his financial-services business in 2013, Benjamin Jackson spent seven years teaching business and mathematics. His move into financial planning changed the setting, but kept an interest in helping people understand decisions that shape their future.

Jackson grew up in Council, in Southwest Virginia, and earned a business administration degree from the University of Virginia's College at Wise in 2006. He now works from South Main Street in Blacksburg as the owner and financial planner at Jackson Financial, LLC, holding the Certified Financial Planner designation.

The practice focuses on retirement and protection strategies. Its planning work includes retirement accounts, workplace plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, college goals and insurance needs. Those subjects often overlap within a household, making explanation an important part of the service.

Jackson's background in the classroom gives the business a specific human starting point. The firm emphasizes helping clients understand financial concepts and products, including the choices involved in preparing for retirement. That is a statement about the planning process, rather than a guarantee of an investment result.

His local involvement also extends beyond the office. Jackson identifies service as an ambassador with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and membership in the Rotary Club of Blacksburg. Those connections place the practice within the community where its clients live and work.

For a person approaching retirement or trying to organize several financial priorities, the office offers a place to begin a discussion. Jackson's path from teaching to planning is central to that invitation: bring the questions, examine the choices and build a plan around the household's circumstances.