Then & Now: ‘Bus of opportunity’ leads Ben McLintock to Arvest

Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in the Feb. 3 issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “Then & Now” is a profile of a past member of the Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.

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Fear of the unknown often stops people from making career pivots.

That uncertainty has never been a deterrent for Ben McLintock. A California native, he has worked on the talent side of the television broadcast industry, has a pair of law degrees and has successfully transitioned his profession from the nonprofit field to a for-profit corporation.

“My dad calls it the ‘bus of opportunity,’” McLintock, 44, said in a recent interview. “And when the bus pulls up and the door opens and you get invited to get on, you’ve got to be ready to jump on. It may never come back around.”

For the past six years, McLintock has worked for Lowell-based Arvest Wealth Management (formerly Arvest Asset Management), the largest broker dealer in Northwest Arkansas, with 72 registered representatives in the region. His practice focuses on assisting customers and prospects with comprehensive wealth management, which includes financial planning, tax planning, trust and estate planning, risk management, asset protection and credit and banking matters.

McLintock said knowing the work he does helps people answer financial planning questions is most rewarding.

“Even though Arvest is a secular organization, being able to carry out my faith through my job every single day is something I feel fortunate and blessed to do,” he said.

McLintock has earned two promotions with Arvest, the most recent being earlier this year, when he transitioned into a new role as a senior wealth adviser for Arvest Benton County.

“It’s more of a [job] refinement as opposed to a dramatic departure from what I was already doing,” McLintock said.

McLintock spent 10 years working in Northwest Arkansas’ nonprofit sector before accepting a job with Arvest as a regional investment officer in the Springdale and Siloam Springs markets. He led the development efforts for Economic Opportunity Agency Inc. (EOA) in Washington County. Its mission is to eliminate poverty and help low-income households become economically self-sufficient. McLintock’s success there was recognized by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in 2009 when he was selected as a member of the publication’s Forty Under 40 class.

McLintock said one of the more intriguing aspects of his work with EOA was the area of planned giving through estate planning and more complex financial transactions. He was told that if he was serious about pursuing that as a career, he should pursue a law degree.

While working for EOA, McLintock earned his Juris Doctor in 2013 from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He also clerked part of that time (2011-2013) for the Harrington Miller Firm in Springdale, a job that played a role in McLintock pursuing an additional degree.

One of the firm’s partners, Michele “Micki” Harrington, told McLintock a tax law degree would help set him apart in the area of estate planning. After discussing the opportunity with his family, McLintock jumped right into it.

“I sat for the bar [exam] in Arkansas on a Tuesday and Wednesday in July 2013,” McLintock recalled. “The following Monday, I started the coursework at [University of] Alabama School of Law to get my masters of law in taxation.”

McLintock earned the degree in 2015. He later received the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 2017 and has carried the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation since 2009. He also holds the Series 7, Series 63 and Series 65 Securities licenses and an Arkansas insurance license.

McLintock said above all else, what’s most important in his career is not losing sight of family, friends and faith — and creating time to make memories with family. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children: son Gunnar, 24, and twin daughters Grace and Emily, 19.

One of the strongest memories, McLintock said, happened in May 2013. His son graduated from high school and McLintock graduated from law school. The ceremonies were two hours apart on the same day in Fayetteville.

“When my kids were very young, I feel very fortunate that I had people tell me, ‘These days never come again,’” McLintock said. “Make sure you make time to be present in their lives. Work will always be there, but your children will be children for only so long. Then they’re adults and out on their own.”