Thomas “Skip” Kelley
Thomas “Skip” Kelley grew up in the shadow of Boston in the historic suburban town of Lexington, Massachusetts. His life changed dramatically when his parents bought a cottage colony along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee where he spent most of his youth and was further shaped by life in the humble town of Moultonborough, New Hampshire.
Skip displayed his work ethic early on working in the foodservice industry starting as a dishwasher at the tender age of 13 and becoming the manager while still in high school believing that would be his future vocation. In 1974 Skip put himself through the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics graduating in 1979 thus creating a lifelong Wildcat fan. That strong work ethic opened doors to a Fortune 500 company, where he achieved remarkable success in sales and marketing for two decades. In 1999, driven by his unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, Skip took a leap of faith and left the corporate world behind to forge his own path in finance and real estate.
In 2013 after personally experiencing a lifetime of the vagaries and realities of the financial markets he founded his practice on sturdy principles and no-nonsense strategies to help his clients. As a dually licensed fiduciary and holistic advisor Skip is driven to work in the best interests of his clients. He utilizes his experience in finance and real estate while working with market trading organizations, elder law attorneys and certified public accountants. He built Terra Firma Financial Advisory to work with real, hard-working people by providing them with financial education and direction using plain English and common sense. He also incorporated in-house tax strategy and preparation along with estate planning to assist our clients in all things related to retirement finance and legal standing conveniently under one roof.
His practice utilizes comprehensive income planning which is the only way he knows one can experience the peace of mind one deserves in retirement. Skip now enjoys working with clients and small businesses through one-on-one meetings, dinner seminars and workshops as well as educating the public through his radio and television shows.
Skip married his wife Kathleen in 1982 where they raised their family in Bedford, NH for 28 years. When the kids went to school Kath went back to work teaching health and phys ed at Bedford High School for a decade before graduating to grandmotherhood. The Kelley’s have three children, Duke, Ryder and Cody Rose who since graduating have all moved out west to follow their ski dreams out in Lake Tahoe. Cody Rose is the sole returnee who came back to work in finance with her dad. Skip and Kath are now blessed to reside back up in God’s country overlooking the lake once again and chasing their four grandkids.
As a big time, sports fan, it is only natural that he loves the Sox, Pats, Bruins and Celts along with his beloved Wildcats. A big supporter of children’s athletics, Skip has a long resume of coaching and sat on the board of several local leagues. Nothing is more important to Skip than the family and he relishes every moment, whether it’s boating, water skiing, snow skiing, hiking, golf or flying his little two-seater putt-putt Piper Colt.