What Makes Me Qualified to Be Your Personal Finance Expert?
I’ve worked in financial services marketing for nearly twenty years, within a leading financial institution, at the agency of record for a major regional bank, and as a freelance writer whose book of business includes the biggest names in financial services. I also hold a Master of Science degree in Marketing, have taught marketing courses at the graduate level.
Despite all those qualifications, my most valuable personal finance lessons came from the school of hard knocks.
My parents knew nothing about how to manage money—and taught me exactly that much about it. I’ve made just about every credit-related mistake possible. I’ve had more credit card debt than I earned in a year. I’ve struggled financially. I’ve also taken control of my financial life—with a lot of sacrifice. I’ve negotiated my way into earning more than double my salary—twice.
I also chose to walk away from it all and reinvented my career to spend more time with my child. In less than two years, I had built a client list of some of the biggest names in media and banking.
The sum total of these experiences shape how I view, speak and write about money. They’ve also led me to realize a truth many don’t understand when it comes to financial advice:
Personal finance isn’t really about money. It’s about how your financial reality makes you feel about your life.
Whether the project is a featured article, a news segment or a podcast interview, my intent is to inspire people to build a financial life that serves them, based on their values, fears, goals and dreams.