Certified Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach

As a child I was blessed with hard working parents who instilled a strong work ethic and values in my life. My father became an antique dealer and picker, after he retired from the Air Force, and my Mom and Dad would take my brother and me all over the country to buy and sell antiques and collectables. At eleven, my brother and I started our first business as comic book dealers. We bought and sold at all the flea markets, swap meets, and antique shows my parents worked at. We were required to manage our own revenue, expenditures, and merchandise and even now I still have an original inventory binder and a good size comic book collection.

At 15, my best friend and I started my next business. We created a mobile D.J. company called Musicmania. We purchased equipment, developed a marketing campaign, and booked jobs. We weren't getting rich, since much of our profit was reinvested in better equipment and record purchases. But we were doing something that we loved and it didn't feel like work to us. Our little company ended when we graduated high school and I joined the U.S. Army. That business adventure started what became a more than forty year career in the entertainment industry. We paid $5.00 to have a professional business card designed and I am sure I still have a few of those Musicmania cards in a box somewhere.

After serving in the Army, I spent the next twelve years living like most people, paycheck-to-paycheck.  I went to college, quit to become an actor, and returned to eventually graduate with a Bachelors and Masters degree. I paid my own way through college, often working 40 hours a week at various jobs and hustling to pay the bills and tuition. I got married, bought a house, financed too many cars, worked too many hours to build my career, sold my house to move out of state for a job, had a baby, and eventually got a divorce. You could say these were some difficult years, but not unlike the challenges most people face and I look at them as the formative years that helped shape my character.

In my early 30s I was offered a tenured college professor position and I moved again to start a different life. Teaching was not my dream job, but it was a chance to have a regular paycheck, with benefits, and get a handle on my finances. I remarried and was determined to not live a paycheck-to-paycheck life. So I focused on learning everything I could to have financial security. My wife and I set retirement and life goals, worked hard, saved and invested our money, and live a humble and enjoyable life. Did everything go perfectly as planned? No, there were many setbacks and life altering events, including the death of our newborn son. We survived, focused on our faith, adjusted our goals, and continued to change our family legacy. In less than twenty years, we found ourselves debt free and financially secure enough to both quit our lucrative corporate and teaching jobs and pursue careers we are passionate about. 

We haven't stopped working. My wife was elected to political office and took a large pay cut to serve the public in our community. She established a non-profit organization to empower and mentor young women to be successful in the business world. I've chosen to pursue volunteer service, ministry, and a passion to increase others financial literacy and wellness . I like making money, but financial security has freed us from making a paycheck the reason we go to work. A teacher's goal should be the success of their students. After over twenty-five years as a teacher, it's hard for me to give up that goal. So my teaching goal now is to coach others to attain financial peace and change their legacy.

I hope this gives you an idea of who I am and my heart to help others find a more joyful, financially freeing life. If you would like to talk more to see if we would be a good fit for coaching, send me a message, and tell me more about your financial goals and needs. I will get back to you soon to schedule a consultation.