Carolyn Kelly, CFP^®

PRINCIPAL, LEAD FINANCIAL ADVISOR

about me

Carolyn Kelly’s impeccable attention to detail, genuine curiosity, and positive nature have come to define her approach to financial planning and client service. No matter what their goals may be, Carolyn is ready to help answer the tough questions for her clients and is committed to providing clarity and confidence around their most important financial decisions.

Although she is a fan of horror on the big screen, Carolyn excels at quelling the fears of her clients in real life.  “Retirement is a big life change, and we all want to know exactly where our sources of income will be now that our employment income stream has stopped,” she says.  “Illustrating this for clients provides a tremendous sense of comfort because you know what the trade-offs will be.”

Carolyn joined our team as an Associate Advisor in 2013 and subsequently earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification on her way to becoming Lead Financial Advisor.  She previously worked as a Sales Assistant and Client Operations Manager for the Private Client Services Division of DZH Phillips LLP, a regional CPA firm.

Carolyn works collaboratively with estate, insurance, and tax professionals to help create effective financial plans.  She loves helping clients organize their financial lives, working with individuals and families who may be too busy with their own personal and professional lives to focus on this.

Carolyn graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She has used this degree to gain a better understanding of investor attitudes and behaviors, helping clients navigate their own roadblocks and keeping them on the pathway towards their goals.

A Bay Area native, Carolyn loves spending time with her extended family in Santa Rosa, Texas, and Nashville. She also enjoys taking advantage of the local scenery, parks, and trails, finding creative art projects, and continuing her search for the perfect enchilada!

Please click here for complete definitions of our professional designations.

real solutions for big decisions

We work best with mid-career executives and families navigating significant life transitions who want a fiduciary partner and CFP® professionals to turn financial complexity into a single, strategic view.

Whether you are managing an equity payout, stepping into a partnership promotion, moving through any stage of divorce, stepping up as a trustee after losing a loved one, or simply balancing multi-generational family needs, these milestones often bring scattered accounts and hidden tax complexities. We help you organize those moving parts into a unified, tax-optimized plan.

Typically managing $1M+ in investable assets, our clients look to our team of fiduciary CFP® advisors to simplify the noise. The success stories below showcase what that looks like in practice, giving you the clarity to move forward with confidence.