Kelly Palmer, CFA, CFP®

Kelly Palmer, CFA, CFP®

Financial Planner

The Hour

  • Ask a financial advisor anything about investing in one hour
  • No commissions, products, or sales pitch
$350one time

The Plan

  • An 8 week program to achieve a strategic plan for your financial life
  • Get an 8+ page financial plan
  • $0 due now, pay after your 1st meeting
$4,500one time
Next Available: March 2027

The Ongoing

  • Ongoing support and accountability when you need it
  • Quarterly video calls & unlimited emails
  • Annual 2 page financial checkup
$500/ month
(billed $1,500 every three months)
0/1 spot available
Which service is right for me?

About Kelly

15
years of experience
365
The Hour meetings
15
The Plan engagements
4.98
average review

Bio

I put my decade of financial planning experience to the test in 2021 when I quit my job as a 30-something C-suite executive to take a real break. I must have had too much time on my hands because I soon found out I was getting a new job title, Mom. The birth of my son during that sabbatical inspired me to help more families make their dreams a financial reality. If you have spent too much time in personal finance Reddit rabbit holes, I’m here for you. Whether you want a clear early retirement plan, need to understand your stock compensation, are managing growing cash, or navigating an inheritance, I can help. I love supporting millennial parents, early retirees, and cool women with not just the numbers but also the honest and joyful conversations about money. *Scheduling Note* I am expecting baby #2 this Fall and will be on maternity leave starting October 2026. My calendar will be open again in March 2027 and I can't wait to connect with you then.

I Can Help You With

401k rollover
Budgeting
Charitable giving
Equity compensation
Estate planning
Getting started with investing
Insurance
Investing for kids
Portfolio review
Tax planning

I Enjoy Working With

Families with children
FI/RE
LGBTQ+ Community
Millennials / Gen Z
Pre-Retirees
Tech employees
Widowed Spouses
Young couples

Personal Stuff

Chicago, IL

I once survived a 9-hour flight with an 11-month-old so I could enjoy a beer and get this picture at Oktoberfest. This baby is now a "threenager" and still loves German polka music. Prost!

Education & Designations

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
Since 2025
Chartered Financial Analyst
Since 2018
Loyola University Chicago
B.S. Mathematics

Experience

The Wealthy Parent
Founder & Chief Wealth Officer
2023 – Present
Adviser Checkup
Founder & Principal
2022 – 2023
Professional Sabbatical
Daydreamer & New Mom
2021 – 2022
Zuckerman Investment Group
CCO & Director of Operations
2011 – 2021

Reviews

4.98 overall rating (123 reviews)
5
4
3
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1

Clients say

Kelly is consistently praised for her deep knowledge, thoughtful listening, and clear, practical guidance. Reviewers appreciate how she makes complex topics easy to understand while tailoring advice to their goals and circumstances. She helps clients with retirement, investing, taxes, estate planning, debt, and major life transitions. Clients also value her unbiased approach, patience, detailed follow up notes, and actionable next steps. Many say she builds confidence, reduces anxiety, and makes financial planning feel manageable without pressure or judgment.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews.

Reviewers mention

  • Retirement Planning
  • Investment Strategy
  • Tax Planning
  • Tax Efficient Withdrawals
  • Portfolio Allocation
  • Portfolio Diversification
  • Estate Planning
  • Financial Planning
  • Early Retirement
  • Debt Management
  • Budgeting
  • College Planning
  • Knowledgeable
  • Thoughtful
  • Friendly
  • Professional
  • Patient
  • Kind
  • Approachable
  • Personable
  • Compassionate
  • Empathetic
  • Honest
  • Transparent
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews.

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Kelly addressed all of our retirement planning ...

Kelly addressed all of our retirement planning questions thoughtfully, and we are confident in our next steps. I would highly recommend her to others seeking advice and guidance.

Suzanne M.
October 2026

Kelly is a joy to work with. We're very happy...

Kelly is a joy to work with. Even though she keeps everything going in a casual, conversational way, it's clear that everything she says and recommends is grounded in deep knowledge. Her follow-up reports and to-do lists (for herself as well) are thorough and precise—never anything boilerplate about them. We're very happy that we found Kelly as our advisor.

Anonymous
September 2026

Follow up meeting

This was my second meeting with Kelly. She is experienced, knowledgeable, and has very good insight into multigenerational planning. She has an ability to navigate a high level view of a financial picture, as well as transition to precise recommendations for investments, and their accompanying tax consequences.

Anonymous
September 2026

Friendly, professional, prepared

Kelly was friendly, professional and prepared. She sent me notes with a complete summary of our conversation and her recommendations for my portfolio. And she responded to my follow-up questions! I’m very likely to schedule another meeting with her.

Sarah R.
September 2026

The clarity and confidence we needed

Kelly gave us the clarity and confidence we needed to move forward with managing our investments independently. She listened carefully, worked through our specific questions, and offered practical, unbiased guidance without trying to sell us on anything. I especially valued having a knowledgeable second opinion on our house down payment reserve, long-term allocation, and inheritance plan. My husband said she was incredibly nice, our favorite advisor we’ve spoken with, and exactly as advertised. Her detailed recap email made the meeting even more valuable.

Anonymous from Illinois
August 2026

Highly recommend Kelly for any financial guidance!

Kelly has been my advisor over the last few years. She has been a guide to me and my family through big life events including career changes and investment opportunities. Her advice has been hugely impactful. She is not only extremely knowledgeable but she also conveys esoteric topics in a way that is easy to digest and kind. It is always a pleasure just to speak with her!

Melissa H.
August 2026

We had an hour-long meeting with Kelly. It went...

We had an hour-long meeting with Kelly. It went by fast, but we didn't feel rushed and got all our questions answered. Afterward, we received detailed meeting notes and really appreciate how they translate into clear, actionable tasks.

Anonymous
August 2026

Kelly is wonderful. She's an excellent listener...

Kelly is wonderful. She's an excellent listener and was clearly able to process what she was hearing in CFP terms. I'd recommend working with Kelly!

Anonymous from Florida
June 2026

Truly the best!

This was my second time meeting with Kelly (this was a 2-year checkup, if you will). I appreciate Kelly's honesty, transparency, and help. Truly love this service so much and am grateful to be able to get such awesome advice. I feel like I'm set for years at this point! Fingers crossed I can make a 5-year checkup appt down the road :)

Alexis L.
June 2026

Worth every penny, and then some

I wish we'd found Kelly years ago. Among other things, Kelly helped us avoid major mistakes that would have locked our savings into tax-advantaged accounts that weren't actually appropriate for us. She also helped us avoid overly concentrated investments and gave us a variety of practical advice for miscellaneous money questions we had.

Mark P.
May 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

You can ask anything related to investing or personal finance! We are here to help you put your money in the right places so you can reach your financial goals.

The Hour: You'll fill out a short intake form so we can learn about you and your goals for our meeting! In your Nectarine account, you can also enter your personal financial information (net worth and budget details) as well as upload files to your Secure File Vault. We also recommend that you have any necessary account login information ready.

The Plan and The Ongoing: You'll get access to a financial planning portal where you can share your numbers, link your accounts, and upload the requested documents (we'll share a list).

The Hour: Yes, you will receive an email summary with important takeaways and resources so you'll know what to do next.

The Plan: Yes, you will receive a 8+ page roadmap on your full financial picture with detailed information on the next steps. Your advisor will be available to help you implement any items.

Yes, you can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment. Just click the reschedule link in your confirmation email or in your Nectarine account.

Yes, the meeting can be recorded for your records and made available in your Nectarine account shortly after your meeting. You can request for the recording to be turned off at any time or message us or your advisor before your meeting to request that the recording is never turned on. You can also request for the recording to be permanently deleted at any time.

We are confident that you will have a great experience, but if it did not meet your expectations just let us know & we'll refund 100% of your money. We're trying to make you rich, not sell you junk!
The endorsements displayed on this Website have been provided by clients who have completed an engagement with an Advisor. No compensation was paid for any endorsement and the endorsements may not necessarily be representative of all Nectarine experiences.