Kelly Guadagnino Coaches Young Professionals on Wealth

Kelly Guadagnino is a senior wealth advisor at Modera Wealth Management and a 2026 Financial Planning Rising Star. She works with young professionals on spending, investing and planning for student loan repayment, equity compensation and first-home purchases.

Guadagnino built a planning model that focuses on the financial issues common in early-career stages: rapid income increases, student debt, housing decisions and growing households. Her practice combines ongoing financial planning with education so clients understand trade-offs among savings goals, equity awards and insurance needs.

Guadagnino said she prefers working with younger clients because many are earning more and accumulating assets quickly but do not have time to manage finances outside work. She also points to a lack of formal personal finance education and the prevalence of social media advice as reasons clients seek structured guidance.

A colleague described how Guadagnino guided a young physician leaving residency into a higher-earning role. Jeanne Bernardin, principal and wealth manager in Modera’s Boston office, recalled that Guadagnino explained changes in pay and benefits, outlined life and disability insurance needs, and created a plan that matched the client’s personal milestones.

Over the past year Guadagnino has led work to bring artificial intelligence into Modera’s processes and acts as a resource for other advisors on using those tools to improve client service and efficiency. She added that the aim is to let advisors spend more time on client-facing planning while routine tasks run faster.

Guadagnino holds an accounting degree from Elon University and holds CFP and CPA designations. She handles tax and estate planning strategies for clients when those issues arise and keeps updating her technical knowledge to support complex cases.

The Rising Star recognition cites Guadagnino’s focus on younger clients and on teaching financial literacy alongside advising. She said one of the most rewarding outcomes is giving clients peace of mind so they can concentrate on their careers while she manages financial details in the background.