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Meet Forest Dutton, CFP®
Forest Dutton, CFP®,MSFP, MBA Owner and Financial Planner
Forest Dutton is the owner of Brightworks Financial Planning, LLC, and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner. He was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina but now calls Lexington home. He joined Brightworks Financial Planning following a short tenure working for an independent broker-dealer and entered financial services after many years as a physical therapist. As someone who always focused on putting the client first, the transition to being a fiduciary financial advisor was natural. "I strive to put the goals and aspirations of our clients first, while seeking to continually grow in my planning philosophy and industry knowledge to serve them better."
Forest is a lifelong student who seeks to bring that knowledge to bear on building enduring relationships with his clients and positioning them for success. He earned his MBA from USC's Moore School of Business with a certificate in business analytics and also holds a Master of Science in Financial Planning (MSFP) from the University of Georgia. He further demonstrated a commitment to learning by earning the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® mark. He is married to Amanda, and they have four children (Addison, Silas, Hannah Laine, and Benjamin). Forest and his family are active members of Columbia Presbyterian Church, and outside the office, he enjoys running, reading, golf, traveling with the family, staying active, and enjoying time outdoors.
Lori Nelson Client Service Coordinator
Lori Nelson is our client service coordinator. Although Lori is not a Columbia, South Carolina native, she has lived here for decades. Lori joined the Brightworks team in the spring of 2022 and brings with her 20 years of experience working in small business accounting and 401k plan administration. Lori believes everyone should have an understanding of personal finance as well as being a good steward of financial resources, big and small. She complements the work that Forest does as a financial advisor by making the Brightworks client experience smooth and efficient.
Lori received her BSBA degree in Accounting from the University of South Carolina, during which she completed a cooperative education experience as a federal auditor.
Lori is a current South Carolina Notary Public.