An uncommon course to her goals, with Chelsea Cellamare
Chelsea Cellamare’s path to advising from corporate consulting came by way of the Raymond James home office.
Upon arriving at the Raymond James home office to support the Private Client Group, Chelsea Cellamare couldn’t have known what was beyond the horizon. As an avid sailor, this was familiar territory – you prepare as best you can, but the sea has its own ideas.
“I was taught early on that having a plan is ideal,” Cellamare says. “But the real wisdom comes from adjusting to changing conditions.”
As she grew into her role managing the pipeline of marketing materials about investment products and financial planning topics, Cellamare was largely unaware of other currents at work. In time, those currents would reveal themselves as “the three things” that changed her course forever.
Thing No. 1: She learned everything she could
After more than a decade as a corporate growth planning consultant – and an MBA graduate – Cellamare came to Raymond James as a confident denizen of the world of finance. However, leading a team charged with communicating some of the technically sophisticated topics at the firm, she wanted more than confidence, she wanted fluency – she wanted to close those knowledge gaps.
“I’m an all-in type of person,” Cellamare says. “I decided to get my licensing just to know the content and be as effective as possible.
So, she studied for and passed the SIE and Series 7 exams, bringing her closer to a goal she had not yet discovered.
Thing No. 2: She found a connection to her goals
As she supported advisors and their practices, Cellamare came to the realization Raymond James advisors are all their own business owners. This resonated with her.
“I always wanted to be a business owner,” she says, adding the management and independence aspects of entrepreneurship appealed to her. Though not enough to change her course heading, it got her thinking.
Thing No. 3: She discovered the human value
During Cellamare’s first year at Raymond James, her own family experienced the need for financial planning due to unexpected events. Naturally, she jumped in to help, using her knowledge to steady her family’s anxieties. This helped reveal her purpose.
“It hit me that financial advising was what I really wanted and needed to do,” she says. So, the wife and mother of two decided it was time for a well-planned course transition.
Cellamare soon began wearing two hats, managing her day-to-day responsibilities while pursuing a Certified Financial Planner™ designation. She even developed a home-office-to-advisor roadmap to help others seeking to follow a similar path.
When doubts about restarting her career and becoming a financial advisor gave her pause, Cellamare found encouragement in the Women Financial Advisors Network. They helped her reconceptualize what she was about to do as a culmination of her path.
“I learned I wasn’t actually starting over,” she says. “They told me I was simply building on the knowledge and experience from my previous job.” She also met other women whose paths to advising had not been linear, which brought added relief.
Setting sail on a new adventure
In October of 2022, Cellamare made the hard tack, leaving the home office to work full-time as a financial advisor in the Raymond James & Associates St. Petersburg branch and enrolling in the firm’s Advisor Mastery Program – AMP – to further develop her career.
“I remember turning out of my neighborhood thinking, ‘This is the first day of a new chapter,’” she says. As she drove to her branch, more excitement set in. “I could now pour all of my time and energy into what I truly believe is the best job in the world.”
Today, Cellamare feels honored to be able to help people plan for their futures.
“I love what I do,” she says. “And every day I acquire new knowledge, because each client is unique and elements are always changing.”
For those who enjoy learning, evolving and helping people, Cellamare strongly encourages financial advising.
“It’s the career that keeps giving,” she says. “You’ll also have endless opportunities to leave things better than you found them.”
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.
This piece was featured in Aspire Magazine, a biannual publication from the Women Financial Advisors Network. View the latest.
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