Her Story
About Carla
Carla Forney is a financial advisor with LPL Financial in Lynnwood, Washington, where she helps clients build a solid financial foundation, fund future education costs, plan for a financially independent retirement, manage tax liabilities, and prepare for life's surprises. She began her career in July 1999 with Waddell and Reed, which was later acquired by LPL Financial, and has since established Forney Financial. Each day she meets with eight to twelve clients virtually, by phone, or in person while leading a team of four. Her practice is grounded in long-term relationships and open, two-way communication, and she has cultivated her client base in part through school districts and other community networks.
Although she holds no college degree, Forney took classes at the University of Colorado and Seattle Pacific University and completed licensing programs. Her success reflects hard work and the guidance of her mentor, Sherry Jenkins, who rescued her from the "orphan drawer" and later brought her onto her team. Her accomplishments include recognition as a Top 100 Female Advisor in 2025, Five Star Wealth Manager in 2023 and 2024, Fortune Magazine's Women and Wealth in 2024, and 5 Star Professional Women in 2023.
Beyond her practice, Forney is deeply committed to service. She belongs to the Mill Creek Women's Group and the 100 Great Women Who Care About Snohomish County, and she volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club. She supports scholarships at local high schools and colleges, established a nursing scholarship honoring a late colleague, and helps raise funds for a Hannibal, Missouri, nutrition center that supports Meals on Wheels and a food bank. During COVID, she led her office team in safely serving clients without a single case of the virus, an achievement she counts among her proudest.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carla
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my 27-year career and to the way I build client relationships, including through school districts and other community networks. My path began with the goal of becoming a cruise line director, but severe seasickness led me toward financial advising instead. Today I manage a team of four while meeting with eight to twelve clients each day. I am most proud of how our office pulled together during COVID. As an essential business, our team of roughly 20 to 23 people, including 10 advisors from the Waddell and Reed group, kept serving clients while putting safety first, and no one in the office contracted the virus. Teamwork is essential to running a successful business.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I was fortunate to have an excellent mentor, Sherry Jenkins. When my original advisor left the company, she pulled me out of the "orphan drawer" and helped me enter the field. After I completed my education, she hired me. Her guidance and belief in me shaped my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I built my career through the school of hard knocks. I took some college classes but have done everything without a degree, and that experience has taught me that determination and hard work can carry you far. That approach has led to recognition including Top 100 Female Advisor in 2025, Five Star Wealth Manager in 2023 and 2024, Fortune Magazine's Women and Wealth in 2024, and 5 Star Professional Women in 2023.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My greatest focus is being able to help each and every client who needs me. I also remain deeply supportive of my community.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Giving back to my community and sharing my story as an Influential Woman are the values that matter most to me. I volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, the Nutrition Center, and the 100 Great Women Who Care About Snohomish County group. I help with scholarships at local high schools and colleges, and I created a nursing scholarship in memory of a former employee who passed away from Lou Gehrig's disease. In my spare time, I am passionate about my Mill Creek women's group and about charity work, especially raising funds for a nutrition center in Hannibal, Missouri, which supports Meals on Wheels and a food bank.
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