Kelly L. Palmer, CFA

If you want to know a little more…

I knew I should have ordered the nicer glass of red wine. After the initial shock, fear, and joy of a positive pregnancy test that was my next thought. The night before my husband and I went out to a delicious Italian meal and I decided to order the house red. Fast forward to the next day and the realization I wouldn’t get to enjoy (as much) guilt-free red wine while growing a baby, I cursed myself for the prior evening’s decision. So what does this have to do with financial planning? Let’s back up even further…

It was Summer of 2021 when I decided I needed a break. I worked extra hard for a decade and had no idea what I wanted to do for the next one. Something had to change. With the blessing of an extremely supportive spouse, and careful financial planning, I quit my job and made no professional plans. The next few weeks are a pleasant blur of rest and play. Whether it was a walk along Lake Michigan or a pool party in Las Vegas I was enjoying life. I knew I never wanted to feel stuck again and for me, that meant creating my path. I wanted, no, needed to be an entrepreneur.

In my first entrepreneurial venture, I set out to educate the world about financial advisers. I also had dreams of helping people find the perfect financial adviser which turned into lots of meetings with lots of advisers. By the way, I was also a few months pregnant at the time, still regretting the house red. After meeting some wonderful advisers, and others not so wonderful, I crafted my list of the “ideal financial adviser.” I searched and searched for this adviser but each person I came upon wasn’t quite it.

Thick in the haze of newborn life I was in a complete fog but also saw in complete clarity. It was me, all along, the ideal financial adviser I was seeking. I looked at my list outlining the “ideal financial adviser” and realized I had written my perfect job description. It was a job I was always meant to do. That’s why I couldn’t find anyone else to do it. I’d spent over a decade on the sidelines, supporting advisers in every way you could imagine but I was ready to enter the game. A few more middle-of-the-night brainstorm sessions later and The Wealthy Parent was born.

So why did I mention the wine? To me, being a wealthy parent means having the time, energy, and finances to do what brings you joy. Ordering a nice glass of red wine brings me joy and you better believe it’s an important part of my Wealthy Parent Plan.