This article originally ran in The Atlanta Business Chronicle on December 7, 2007.

Young manager shines light on 'dark corners' 
by Karen Dean, Contributing Writer, Atlanta Business Chronicle

If education is the key to success, Lisa Brown is compiling quite a key chain.

Brown, the manager of financial planning at Brightworth LLC, an Atlanta-based private wealth counseling firm, recently added the Accredited Estate Planner designation through the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils to her list of certifications. Next on her education list is Certified Investment Management Analyst, a certificate she hopes to gain next year. That would add CIMA to the AEP, CFP (certified financial planner) and CLU (chartered life underwriter) abbreviations already tacked behind her name.

"It does seem like the whole alphabet is behind our names," Brown says, laughing. "But then, the more education you have, the more specific value you bring to clients."

At Brightworth, Brown works with high-net-worth clients with accounts of at least $1 million. But, as she points out, high-net-worth individuals share many of the same financial issues as those with less impressive dollar amounts to their names.

"Having a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean everything is in order," she said.

Something as simple as an outdated document could cause an estate to potentially owe millions of dollars in taxes. Shining a spotlight in the financial dark corners of every client's situation uncovers those oversights.

"We just have to roll up our sleeves and pick apart every detail of their financial situation and make sure every avenue is covered," Brown said. "But the most important part is working with the client to make sure they understand the details behind what is needed."

This evaluation process can take anywhere from six to 12 months, and Brown often works with a client's accountant, attorney or insurance agent, plugging whatever informational holes are in the plan. But once the details are complete, financial maintenance becomes a much simpler process.

As a finance and economics major at Le Moyne College, Brown pursued financial planning as a way to combine her interests in finance and human relations. She landed an intern position at The Ayco Company Ltd., a New-York based financial counseling firm, and after graduation joined the company full time.

It was her job with Ayco that eventually brought her to Atlanta, and she soon obtained her MBA, with a personal financial planning concentration, from Georgia State University. After a brief stint at SunTrust Investment Services Inc., Brown went to work for Brightworth in 2005.

Working with clients suits her, but Brown also trains and directs the financial planning staff at Brightworth's smaller, "boutique" firm.

"Clients love working with her," says Ron Padron, chief operating officer of Brightworth. "She brings not only the ability to develop financial strategies at a very detailed and comprehensive level, but also connects on a personal level with the clients. They have the utmost confidence in her -- she doesn't drop any balls."

In the future, Brown hopes to expand an area of particular interest, also a critical part of asset-building -- executive compensation planning.

"Analyzing stock options, pension plans and employee benefits plays a big role in effective planning," she said. "By having the right strategy and making the best elections, you can maximize benefits to their full potential, but it needs to be planned carefully."

For Brown, the many aspects of financial planning provide an ideal melding of her analytical and relationship strengths, and offer opportunities in a career that fits her personality.