Kelly Gwynn, CFP®: The Psychology of Financial Planning

Kelly Gwynn, CFP® is a Paraplanner for Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC in San Francisco, California. The firm is partnered with an accounting firm, which provides advantages.

“Many of our clients have an established relationship with the tax side of the firm, and we are able to go to market with trust already in place,” Kelly explained. “We have an edge, to service our clients even more holistically as a tax and financial planning team.”

The firm’s location comes with advantages as well. “Being in San Francisco, there are IPOs happening all the time, and new wealth being created, so we’ve been able to experience helping numerous individuals needing stock option planning around these events — we work with executives and early software engineers at these companies,” she said.

Why She Became a Financial Planner

When asked why she decided to become a financial planner, Kelly said, “I always valued financial freedom. My mom instilled a desire in me from an early age to be financially independent.”

She also said she likes to learn about people’s relationships with money. “I enjoy the psychology of financial planning and how different people think about money in different ways,” she explained. Kelly finds being a financial planner to be a very practical and rewarding profession. “I love the relationship aspect and being able to have a high impact on people and their lives,” she said.

Working Toward CFP® Certification

Recently earning her CFP® certification, Kelly describes the certification as “the stamp of approval that you are a legitimate, competent professional in your field — people see this as a sign that you can be trusted.” The credential is also a necessity for career growth and to advance at her firm, she added.