Evolution of Our Firm

A History

Kelly Financial Services, LLC, is an independent registered investment adviser (RIA), with its principal operating business — asset management and wealth preservation — now exceeding $500 million. Our firm is a fiduciary, wherein we put our clients’ interests ahead of our own, with a duty to preserve good faith and trust.

Since our founding, we have valued establishing long-term relationships with our clients. We help provide solutions to ultimately preserve and protect the desired lifestyle our clients deserve in retirement. And we believe that retirement is more than just money management and rote planning.

Our experience has taught us that growth in family, friends and faith play an integral part of one’s golden years and are the fruits of a lifetime of labor. We find that that is the definition of a satisfied client. We strive to help our clients attain this level of happiness — we’ve done so from day one.

The earliest iteration of our family-owned business can be traced back to 1993, when Bill Kelly began identifying insurance needs for his clients. An entrepreneur in the classic sense, and recognizing changes in the marketplace, Bill expanded his offerings to include investment management to meet the growing needs of his clients.

Soon, he was among the first financial advisors in the Greater Boston area to market his business on the radio. In 2006, the “Safe Money Strategies™” radio show was born on WRKO, a station that has been broadcasting continuously since 1937. Bill became a unique voice and spoke directly to his generation of Baby Boomers. His calm demeanor and steady timbre recalled Sunday dinners with his family, the value of his newspaper route, and growing up on a New England farm. He also addressed the retirement challenges to Boomers, America’s largest demographic group, 76 million strong. His eclectic blend of cultural and financial commentary became legendary —  must listening in the midst of weekend chores. His message resonated with his listeners. A plaque in our office commemorates the staggering number of calls he generated from people seeking inquiring about his services. It is worth a look.

Business was itself booming. Bill and his wife Kelly never lost sight of their vision: an integrated financial services company built upon, and dedicated to, a single but powerful concept: Sound advice combined with financial knowledge forged with family values. That core philosophy powered an engine of remarkable growth. In clients and team members.

Meanwhile, Bill also became a noted author and speaker. He penned the flagship “Safe Money Strategies Workbook” along with the companion volume “Retirement Survival for Seniors.” His breakfast, lunch and dinner seminars drew legions of his loyal listeners. New followers experienced firsthand his wit and wisdom. Something was going on. To say Bill’s impact was prolific would be an understatement: 50,000 radio calls received; 14,000 event attendees seated; and more than 40,000 books distributed.

The firm served thousands of clients who entrusted the team with their retirement needs and family wealth. All one individual at a time.

When Bill passed away unexpectedly in the fall of 2017, Kelly Kelly remained steadfast in her determination to continue their original mission of serving those in need of retirement advice. We have fully functioning offices in Braintree and Burlington, Massachusetts. The firm also continued to adopt its service delivery and evolve with the times. With a nod to the future, it began welcoming the next generation of retirees to provide custom solutions for their singular circumstances. This is being done in the same manner and with the same zest that Bill did with his generation.

Today’s company prides itself on a fusion of technology and people. Bill and Kelly’s daughter, Mary Madeline, is now a full-time member of the team. She joins the talented and friendly professionals who are using state-of-the-art technology to help clients make better informed decisions about their financial future. The firm is also expanding its planning practice, utilizing an ever-growing suite of products and services to meet the demands of a complex world. The advisors also facilitate relationships between clients and strategic partners in matters relating to estate planning and accounting, among others, to ensure a well-rounded approach to retirement planning.

And in carrying on with the grandest traditions of Bill Kelly, in 2019 we began offering financial literacy courses called “The Masters Series,” where we dive deeper into retirement issues to help educate clients and prospective clients and provide as much objective and actionable information as possible. And, finally, in the midst of a memorable year, 2020, we launched our own podcast called, appropriately so, “Kelly Advisor.” We are encouraged by the feedback we are receiving with these new initiatives, from our original clients and those new to our practice.

Bill’s spirit and vision continue to be sources of inspiration for all of us. We are mindful of one of his signature, folksy aphorisms that became a staple of his radio show and still has profound meaning now.

“When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When is the next best time? Today.”