Richard Benkert is a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder of two companies.

​

After earning his undergraduate degree in Business–Finance, Richard completed his 2yr. MBA program in just 1 year. With ambitions of becoming an international corporate lawyer, he began law school shortly thereafter—but quickly discovered his true passion lay elsewhere. As Richard puts it, the most valuable lesson he learned in law school was that he didn’t want to be a lawyer.

 

Returning to St. Louis during the recession of 1981–82, Richard entered the emerging field of Financial Planning. It was there that he discovered the role of the Financial Product Wholesaler—professionals who represent their employer companies to financial advisors, helping them understand and integrate products such as mutual funds, annuities, life insurance and alternative investments into their practices.

 

Impressed by their professionalism and impact, Richard saw an opportunity. In 1988, he founded Planners Advisory, Inc., a search and placement firm specializing in recruiting top wholesalers and executives in the financial services industry. He continues to manage the firm today, with over 35 years of experience in the business.

 

When blockchain technology emerged, Richard immediately recognized parallels to another revolution he had lived through—the dawn of the internet in the 1990s. Intrigued, he began studying Bitcoin and blockchain applications, eventually building his first positions in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) in 2017. Over time, his portfolio expanded to include more than 60 digital assets.

 

As new companies began launching blockchain-based applications—often with their own proprietary tokens representing both utility and ownership—Richard noticed a familiar pattern. Many of these blockchain innovators reminded him of early internet companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. Just as early investors in those firms achieved life-changing wealth, he saw a similar potential in today’s blockchain-driven enterprises.

 

With this insight, Richard founded Digital Asset Advisors (DAA). His mission: to help others recognize and participate in the extraordinary opportunities emerging in blockchain and digital assets—while avoiding the learning curve he experienced himself.

 

Through DAA, Richard aims to educate and empower individuals to build their own thoughtfully managed digital asset portfolios—designed for long-term growth and potential income through mechanisms like staking—much like the wealth-building journeys of early internet investors.