Our Associates

Growing up in Argentina, I was able to develop a comprehensive perspective on the overall connectedness of our global economy. Having the opportunity to study in Rome and through other travels, I have pushed myself to have a broader perspective when it comes to an investment philosophy. I graduated with bachelor degrees in both finance and international business from Temple University. My Career in investment consulting began in 1993.

I hold a Certificate in Financial Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, and I am part of a select group at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network designated as a Fundamental Choice Portfolio Manager.

In the community I serve on the Richmond Symphony Board, where I am the chair of the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) Committee. I currently serve on the 2020 Menuhin Competition Advisory Committee for the RSO. I also serve on the Board of FeedMore, an organization that provides healthy meals to Virginians who face hunger. I am a founding member and serve on the Board of Dancing Classrooms of Richmond, Virginia, an organization dedicated to raising confidence and self-esteem in children through the practice of social dance by providing after school programs in at risk area schools. I have served as President of the Virginia Center for Latin American Art, a non-profit created to provide art programs for children in at risk communities with a growing Latino population. I was the Vice Chair and founding member of the Corporate Network for the VAHCC the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

I enjoy all the great outdoor activities the Richmond area has to offer. You may find me on the roads cycling, running or mountain biking the trails or kayaking down the James River. I live in Midlothian with my wife Dr. Ana Raika, a practicing dentist since 2001, and we have three very busy boys: Navid, Ricardo and Alejandro.

The Fundamental Choice program is not appropriate for all investors. Please carefully review the Wells Fargo Advisors advisory disclosure document for a full description of our services. The minimum account size for this program is $50,000.

CA Insurance License 1978391, Resident State VA.

Working with a team that has over 50 years of experience in wealth management, I focus on incorporating the latest technology and risk management strategies to help build, preserve, manage and transition wealth for our clients. After constructing customized investment plans, we help review their investments and the tax landscape. Our goal is to make sure the investment strategy we devised is in line with our clients' personal goals.

I received my Bachelor of Science from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, and I also maintain the General Securities Representative (Series 7) and Uniform Combined State Law (Series 66) registrations. Originally from Louisiana and having lived in Germany, I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures as well as all the great outdoor activities that the Richmond area has to offer.

As an advisor and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, I strive to help clients with solutions to meet challenges in all areas of their lives. I am a part of a select group at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, which provides discretionary Private Investment Management (PIM®). My practice is narrowly focused on a select group of clients for whom I dedicate time to help ensure they receive the attention, care, and advice they deserve.

I moved to the independent advisor channel after 8 years with Wells Fargo Advisors. I began my investment adviser career with Edward Jones Investments, where I provided service for my clients for 7 years.

A native to the Richmond area, I grew up in the West End. I earned my Eagle Scout from Troop 776. I graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with military honors and as a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society for Economics. While at VMI, I was a member of The Cadet Investment Group where the cadets buy and sell equities and manage the portfolios they create using alumni money. I received a commission into the Army and served 4 years on active duty at Ft. Bragg, NC. Two years were spent serving with the 3/505th Parachute Infantry Regiment as Platoon Leader and a Company Executive Officer. I was then detailed over to the Finance Corps where I served as an Executive Officer for a Finance Company and then as a Comptroller for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.

I live in Midlothian with my wife, Julie, and two children, Max and Anne. In the community, I am an Assistant Scoutmaster for my son’s Scouts Troop. I devote most of my time to my children and wonderful wife, who is an attorney, as sharp as a knife, a MENSA member, and clearly my better half! As a family, we like to camp and travel. I enjoy road and mountain biking, a dedicated workout regimen at the Midlothian ACAC, teaching myself and my children guitar, off-roading with the RVA Rock Crawlers Jeep club, fishing on my john boat, hauling kids around the neighborhood on golf cart hay rides, and going to concerts and music festivals.

The PIM program is not appropriate for all investors. Please carefully review the Wells Fargo Advisors advisory disclosure document for a full description of our services. The minimum account size for this program is $50,000.

Ben Sillmon is a Director and Partner of River Hills Wealth Management. Ben is dedicated to building and preserving wealth for his clients, and he is committed to pursing his clients’ financial goals by understanding their needs and objectives, offering quality investment advice, and providing unparalleled personal service. He takes great pride in his commitment to building successful and lasting relationships.  In fact, getting to know his clients and their families over time and at a deep, personal level, yet always retaining that professional advisor relationship, is one of the things Ben finds most rewarding.

Entering the financial services industry in 1986, Ben’s professional financial experience has been both broad and technical and includes working for SunTrust Bank, Bank of America, and McGuireWoods, LLP.  He has also served as a tax manager for Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP, a regional CPA firm headquartered in Richmond, VA. Since Ben became a financial advisor in 2007, he’s focused on providing comprehensive investment and retirement planning services for affluent, high, and ultra-high net worth individuals, businesses, trusts, estates, and tax-exempt organizations.

As a result of Ben’s depth of experience, and with his clients’ permission, he comfortably works in conjunction with his clients’ other professional advisors, including their accountant or CPA and their attorney. In today’s world of complex tax, legal, and investment rules and regulations, this coordination between professionals has never been more important. Although Ben does not impose any additional fees for assisting his clients in this manner, he finds this collaboration works in the best interests of the clients.

Ben earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has also completed training from the Trust and Estate Tax School of the Cannon Financial Institute.

Ben and his wife, Vivian, live in Midlothian, Virginia. A lifelong resident of Chesterfield County, VA, Ben enjoys spending time with his family, working in the yard, reading, learning, and finding ways to keep from exercising.


Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network is not a tax or legal advisor. Be sure to consult with your own tax and legal advisors before taking any action that may have tax or legal consequences.

CA Insurance License 0M36276 Resident State VA.

A native of Richmond, Emily attended St. Catherine’s School and graduated from the College of William and Mary. She was the Treasury Manager and a commercial loan processor at Bank of Lancaster, now Virginia Commonwealth Bank, before moving to Greenville N.C. to be with her husband, who was completing his Ph.D. They moved back to Richmond at the end of 2019, and Emily started working with River Hills Wealth Management in February 2020.

Prior to joining River Hills, Emily was a Client Associate for Wells Fargo Advisors in Greenville for three years. She was selected to be a Point of Contact for the Client Associate Advisory Council from 2017 until her departure in 2019, a position hand - selected by local and regional management for Client Associates who have a solid understanding of Firm policies and great communication and relationships with other Client Associates.

Emily enjoys working with clients and getting to know them on a personal level. She finds satisfaction in a job well done while assisting clients in reaching their financial goals. Away from the office, Emily likes to spend her free time outdoors with her husband, Andrew, and their two rescue dogs, Minnie and Mason.

Cass Benkert serves as a Client Associate for the River Hills Wealth Management Team. She has been working in the financial services industry for over two decades, specializing in account administration, client communication, operations assistance, and creating a high-level client service experience. Best known for her friendliness and ability to juggle multiple tasks, Cass enjoys working with our clients to ensure all their needs are handled in a timely and efficient manner. Cass is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and moved to Virginia in 2006 with her family to pursue her career with Wells Fargo & Company’s Home Office. Cass and her husband Brian reside in Midlothian and their blended family consists of their 5 adult children who are all making their way in the world. In addition to the family are their 2 rescue cats Luna and Harley  and their rescue hound, Hank.