The reason behind the work.
Karen
My wife, partner, and chief skeptic-in-chief. Doctor of Physical Therapy. The reason the budget actually got followed!
The Girls
Dagny, our beautiful and spirited young lady, "8 going on 18" --and always daddy's princess; Freyja, our new baby and new inspiration to keep putting in work every day.
In 2016, my net worth was negative $150,000.
I'd done the "right" things. I left an insanely lucrative Managerial Associate position on Wall Street to commission in the Marine Corps in 2008 and get in the fight. I deployed twice to Helmand between 2010 and 2012. Earned the Combat Action Ribbon and decorations to match. Despite all this, why was I still broke, struggling every month?
The problem was that I thought personal finance and finance were two separate concepts. I knew DCF, Income Statements, and Financial Analysis cold. I'd modeled equity valuations for institutional products that generated $1.2 billion in net inflows. I held a Masters in Business Economics. But I was still broke. What gives?
None of it had translated to my bank account. I hadn't run the math for myself: to become wealthy, you must treat your personal finances just like a business manages their bottom line.
The fix was unsexy. Budget. Save. Invest.
In 2018, Karen and I made a decision: we would run our finances the way a Marine runs a planning cycle. Deliberate. Sequenced. Measurable.
We built a budget that hurt to look at. We started saving — what I'd come to call the War Chest. Then we deployed it: into our first cash-flowing rental property. Then another. Then another.
By 2023, our investments were earning more in a year than I had in any single year of military service.
Twenty years on paper.
- 2004
BS, Genetics + Wildlife Ecology
Education·University of Wisconsin–Madison - 2006
Managerial Associate
Industry·AIG Global Investment Group · Wall Street - 2007
MA Business Economics · MS Corp. Environmental Mgmt
Education·UC Santa Barbara - 2008
Commissioned · 2nd Lieutenant, USMC
Service·Assigned 1802 - Tank Officer - 2009 – 2016
Company Officer · Advisor-Trainer · FAO
Service·Helmand ×2, Japan, The World - 2014
MA International Security Studies
Education·Naval Postgraduate School - 2015
AA Japanese
Education·Defense Language Institute — Monterey - 2016 – 2018
Operations Officer, 2D Tank Battalion
Service·Operational Credibility • Professional Advancement - 2018
Executive Certificate, Applied Project Management
Education·Villanova University - 2018 – 2021
Senior Foreign Policy Analyst, MARFORPAC
Service·27 foreign partner programs · Indo-Pacific - 2021 – 2023
Senior Instructor of Economics
Service·United States Naval Academy · 750+ midshipmen - 2023
Retired · Major, USMC
Service·Founded The Military Wealth Coach - 2024
Principal, The Military Wealth Coach
Professional·A dream becomes reality - 2026
AFC® · Accredited Financial Counselor
Certification·SIE (FINRA) · Securities Industry Essentials
What is an AFC®?
An Accredited Financial Counselor® (AFC®) is a financial professional trained to meet individuals and families where they are — helping them build a strong foundation, change money behavior, and work toward lasting financial well-being.
The focus is education and counseling: budgeting, debt and credit, savings strategies, and the day-to-day decisions that build stability — not selling products or managing your investments. According to AFCPE®, the credential is held to rigorous, independently accredited standards, which is part of why it’s among the most respected marks in financial counseling.
Source: AFCPE® (afcpe.org). AFC® is a registered mark of AFCPE®.
“Marine Officers learn their role as leaders is based on Teach-Coach-Mentor, the exact same skillset employed by AFCs -- so I get to continue doing what I love, and am good at.
“Becoming an AFC® was really important to me because it validates our skills and cements our professionalism, and is essential to establishing trust even before our first call.”