I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, in a low-to-middle-income family. My family always had what they needed, but luxuries were rare. A trip to McDonald’s was a big deal.
I received an excellent education, attending Catholic grade school, Jesuit High School, the United States Military Academy, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and Virginia Tech, where I earned my MBA. Yet despite my education, there was one subject I was never taught: how to manage money and build lasting wealth.
That lesson became very real in December 1999. While working as a fiber-optic cable salesman for Lucent Technologies, I received a substantial bonus of more than $90,000. With little understanding of investing or financial planning, I put most of the money into risky stocks—including eToys, which went bankrupt in early 2001. I lost over six figures as a result of the dot-com crash of the early 2000’s.
Over the next several decades, I would earn several million dollars. But earning money and building wealth proved to be two very different things. In May 2016, shortly after turning 51, I faced a sobering reality: I had no savings and over $60,000 in credit-card debt.
That moment became a turning point.
Since then, I have worked for a Fortune 50 company while dedicating significant time to learning about personal finance, investing, wealth building, and financial planning. This experience has taught me an important lesson: financial success isn’t simply about how much money you make—it’s about what you do with it.
I have a passion to help others avoid the financial mistakes I’ve made. My goal is to educate young adults and families about money, investing, and financial planning so they can make informed decisions, build lasting wealth, and ultimately reach—and exceed—their financial goals.
My wife and I live in Concord, North Carolina. Outside of work, we enjoy traveling and spending time with our grandchildren.
