I’m a guy who likes creating stuff and helping people improve their lives. I spend a lot of my time thinking and writing about how to be a better human and live a life of peace and purpose. I live in the hip, majestic, wonderful state of Maine with my high school sweetheart, two strong and talented daughters, two goofy dogs, and two indifferent cats.
Professionally, I’ve been known as the founder and publisher of Money Under 30, a personal finance education website I founded in 2006 and ran for nearly 20 years. (Please don’t judge it by its current state…it’s been fairly neglected in the hands of several different owners for many years and is no longer the quality website it once was). In its heyday, Money Under 30 provided free financial advice to millions of young adult readers each month. It earned recognition in dozens of national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and more. Eventually, I was fortunate enough to sell the website near its peak and use the resulting financial security to take personal time and dabble in other entrepreneurial ventures.
Being the reflective man than I am, I eventually realized that business-for-business’ sake is not meaningful to me. Money Under 30 was successful because I was passionate both about writing and about helping others avoid the financial mistakes I made in my early twenties. This fact didn’t become clear to me until after I bought into a franchise of investor-owned psychical therapy clinics. It was a promising opportunity with a decent company. But I was listening to other people’s ideas of what the next chapter in my career should be. I wasn’t listening to my own heart. In the 11th hour before signing a 10-year lease on a clinic space, I got a gut feeling that I was leading myself astray.
I knew I had the business savoir-faire, independent spirit, and appetite for risk required for entrepreneurship. But I now understood that using those skills — no matter how valuable and esteemed they are in this country — would not be fulfilling on their own. To find the meaning I was looking for, I knew I would need to make a direct impact in other people’s lives.
That’s why I’m now working toward my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Southern Maine. When I graduate (hopefully in December 2026), I’ll be a conditionally licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC). I plan to begin a private therapy practice serving adolescents and adults. Becoming a therapist has been on my shortlist of careers since college. I would’ve loved to pursue a PhD after my undergraduate studies, but it seemed like a financial impossibility back then. In the ensuing years, I’ve discovered the life-changing power of good therapy. Unfortunately, I’ve also watched in anguish as some people close to me, whom therapy may have helped, descended into despair.
For now, I am savoring student life. I am enjoying being present with my daughters, spending time in the natural beauty of Maine; drawing, and making music with my 90s/00s rock cover band, DadBod.
As I’m not on social media, this is where I’ll post any updates about myself, including any details about my future practice when I graduate and receive my license. Occasionally, I publish articles here when the inspiration to write strikes. You’re also welcome to contact me here if you don’t have my info.