Benjamin Semmes, CFP®, QPFC
Vice President,
Financial Advisor
Direct:
(703) 556-8151(703) 556-8151
My Mission Statement
Comprehensive financial planning strategies and dedicated personal service to help you meet your life goals.
My Story and Services
Benjamin (Ben) Semmes joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in June of 2022 after 10 years with another firm. His focus is on providing a customized, goals-based planning approach for his clients that emphasizes the importance of risk management, tactical asset allocation, tax minimization strategies, and asset preservation. He is patient, informative, and transparent with his clients, firmly believing that a strong relationship with well-educated clients will foster the best investing decisions.
Ben grew up in the DC metro area, specifically Loudoun County, Virginia and now resides in Arlington. A die hard Capitals fan, car enthusiast and foodie. Ben finds balance in his life through dedication to exercise, playing golf and can be found coaching and playing lacrosse, running with his black lab named Oshie or sweating it out at the local gym.
Ben holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
Community involvement is an integral part of how I interact with clients and communities. I am enthusiastically involved with volunteering and fundraising for organizations such as The Potomac Conservancy. Let me show you how my professionalism and dedicated client service could benefit you and your family. Contact me at your earliest convenience.
Ben grew up in the DC metro area, specifically Loudoun County, Virginia and now resides in Arlington. A die hard Capitals fan, car enthusiast and foodie. Ben finds balance in his life through dedication to exercise, playing golf and can be found coaching and playing lacrosse, running with his black lab named Oshie or sweating it out at the local gym.
Ben holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) certification, a designation awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
Community involvement is an integral part of how I interact with clients and communities. I am enthusiastically involved with volunteering and fundraising for organizations such as The Potomac Conservancy. Let me show you how my professionalism and dedicated client service could benefit you and your family. Contact me at your earliest convenience.
Securities Agent: UT, IA, VA, ID, VT, TN, NE, CA, OH, KY, DE, CT, AZ, NY, NV, IL, GA, FL, DC, AL, PR, MA, LA, PA, OK, MT, MN, CO, WV, WI, VI, TX, NJ, AR, WA, SC, OR, NM, NH, NC, MI, ME, MD, IN, HI, MO; General Securities Representative; Investment Advisor Representative
NMLS#: 1101118
NMLS#: 1101118
Check the background of Our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck.*
Our Clients
I help people just like you, in every stage of life.
Whether you need help tackling college costs or taking full advantage of your stock options and retirement plan, I have solutions.
Whether you need help tackling college costs or taking full advantage of your stock options and retirement plan, I have solutions.
My clients include:
- Business owners (including family businesses)
- Corporate executives
- High net worth young investors
- Mid-career professionals and their families
- Nonprofit organizations
- People getting close to or already retired
My Process
Leveraging our vast resources—including intellectual capital, and dedicated personal service—we can work with you to create a personalized wealth strategy. Our 4 step approach to Wealth Management is formal yet flexible. Over time, we can adapt it to changing circumstances, helping you to achieve—and to preserve—your goals.
DISCOVER
Our relationship begins with a thorough understanding of you – your needs, your lifestyle and family, and your goals for the future.
CREATE
We work with you to develop a roadmap to help you achieve the outcomes you envision.
ACT
Next, we can help you implement investment, retirement, trust services*, lending, cash management and insurance solutions suited to your needs.
ADJUST
Achieving your goals requires vigilance and flexibility. We'll help you monitor your performance and recommend adjustments as life evolves, markets and tax laws shift, and priorities change.
Resources
Ben believes financial education leads to better insights into investment strategies and discipline, and ultimately, better long-term decisions. As a result, he is committed to providing you with important information about managing your wealth more effectively in today’s global markets.
Ben has assembled the following resources that reinforce the fundamental investment strategies and concepts of his practice. He's provided links to these materials, and hopes you’ll return often to learn more about the topics that impact your overall wealth.
Ben has assembled the following resources that reinforce the fundamental investment strategies and concepts of his practice. He's provided links to these materials, and hopes you’ll return often to learn more about the topics that impact your overall wealth.
Thoughts On The Market Podcast
With perspectives on the forces shaping the market, join Mike Wilson, Chief Investment Officer and Chief US Equity Strategist for Morgan Stanley, as he and his colleagues discuss a variety of viewpoints regarding the latest trends in the financial marketplace.
GIC: On The Markets Research Reports
Detailed market commentary from Morgan Stanley's thought leaders on topics such as global equities, fixed income, monetary policy and more.
Read This Month's Edition Here
GIC Weekly Report
The Global Investment Committee's Lisa Shalett headlines this weekly look at markets, asset class performance, and fixed income.
Read The Latest Report
Upcoming Firm Events
The Lessons in Leadership Virtual Event Series will continue throughout 2025.
Check back soon for details on upcoming events.
Location
1650 Tysons Blvd
Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
US
Direct:
(703) 556-8151(703) 556-8151
Wealth Management
Global Investment Office
Portfolio Insights
This is a video content
Retirement
Working with you to understand your life goals and develop a personalized wealth strategy. Today and for the years to come.
- 401(k) Rollovers
- IRA Plans
- Retirement income strategies
- Retirement plan participants
- Annuities
A Simple Six-Step Retirement Checkup
Article Image
Investing
Working closely with you to guide your wealth and investments through the most challenging market cycles.
- Asset Management
- Wealth Planning
- Traditional Investments
- Alternative Investments
- Impact Investing
Rational Investing in an Age of Uncertainty
Article Image
Family
Creating customized financial strategies for the challenges that today’s families face.
- Estate Planning Strategies
- 529 Plans / Education Savings Planning
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Special Needs Planning
- Trust Services
529 Plans: A Powerful Tool to Save for Education
Article Image
Business Planning
Helping you on key aspects of your business such as ownership, liquidity and developing opportunities.
- Succession Planning
- Business Planning
- Qualified Retirement Plans
Financial Planning for Life After Selling a Business
Article Image
Philanthropy
Making sure your philanthropic dollars are managed with the same high quality service as the rest of your wealth.
- Endowments
- Foundations
- Donor Advised Funds
- Impact Investing
Financial Wellness
Enhancing Financial Wellness enables your workforce to do their best work. Companies that invest in financial wellness have an opportunity to:
- Reduce employee stress,
- Improve retention and engagement, and
- Set themselves apart by offering comprehensive financial wellness benefits.
Ready to start a conversation? Contact Benjamin Semmes today.
CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
1Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.
2Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
3Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.
4Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
5Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
7Investing in the market entails the risk of market volatility. The value of all types of investments may increase or decrease over varying time periods. The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of sustainable or impact investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because sustainability and impact criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures | Morgan Stanley
1Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
For more information, please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Client Relationship Summary.
2Morgan Stanley offers a wide array of brokerage and advisory services to its clients, each of which may create a different type of relationship with different obligations to you. Please consult with your Financial Advisor to understand these differences or review our Understanding Your Brokerage and Investment Advisory Relationships brochure available at www.morganstanley.com/wealth-relationshipwithms/pdfs/understandingyourrelationship.pdf.
3Morgan Stanley’s investment advisory programs may require a minimum asset level and, depending on your specific investment objectives and financial position, may not be appropriate for you. Please see the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC program disclosure brochure (the “Morgan Stanley ADV”) for more information in the investment advisory programs available. The Morgan Stanley ADV is available at www.morganstanley.com/ADV.
4Alternative Investments are speculative and include a high degree of risk. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his/her investment. Alternative investments are appropriate only for qualified, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time.
5Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
6Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
7Investing in the market entails the risk of market volatility. The value of all types of investments may increase or decrease over varying time periods. The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of sustainable or impact investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because sustainability and impact criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.
Check the background of our Firm and Investment Professionals on FINRA's BrokerCheck*.
The information, products and services described here are intended only for individuals residing in states where this Financial Advisor is properly registered as described in this site.
Morgan Stanley reserves the right, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to retain and monitor all electronic communications. Morgan Stanley will not accept purchase or sale orders via any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. Morgan Stanley does not endorse and is not responsible and assumes no liability for content, products or services posted by third-parties on any Internet site, social media site and/or its messaging systems. All electronic communications are subject to terms available at the following link:
https://www.morganstanley.com/disclaimers/mswm-email.html. Any profiles and associated content are for U.S. residents only.
The securities/instruments, services, investments and investment strategies discussed in this material may not be appropriate for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment, investment strategy or service will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, strategies and services, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a Financial Advisor or Private Wealth Advisor. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice. It has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third-party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
The views, opinions or advice contained within third party websites or materials are solely those of the author, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, or its affiliates. The strategies and/or investments referenced may not be appropriate for all investors as the appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circumstances and objectives.
*References to length of service at Morgan Stanley include years at Morgan Stanley and predecessor firms.
CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field.
Awards Disclosures | Morgan Stanley
CRC 4665150 (8/2025)
