The questions worth
asking before coffee.

I believe personal finance is personal — in the most literal sense. The internet is full of rules about what percentage you should save or which debt to attack first, and most of them are directionally right but practically useless until they're applied to a real income, a real family, and a real life.

My approach starts with the basics — where your money goes, where you want it to go, and what's standing between those two things — and builds from there. No system I hand you should feel like someone else's plan that you're borrowing. By the time we're done, it should feel unmistakably yours.

I don't agree with Dave Ramsey that debt should be avoided on principal. I believe in avoiding bad debt — high-interest consumer debt, car loans on cars you can't afford, credit cards treated like income. That kind of debt is a slow leak on your financial life.

Intentional debt is a different conversation. The goal isn't a debt-free life on principle; it's a life where debt is a tool you control, not a weight you're carrying. For many people, that means no debt. In my personal life, I fall somewhere in the middle. My wife and I have purchased all of our vehicles with cash, but we have a mortgage and several credit cards we pay off monthly. There's no one-size-fits-all rule

Here's roughly how I sort it out:

Debt worth using

• A mortgage on a home you can comfortably afford Long-term, low-interest, and an appreciating asset
• Credit cards paid in full every month You capture the rewards and protection without ever paying interest
• A loan on a car you could afford to buy in cash 'The market will beat the interest rate' is true, but it's not an excuse to buy something you can't afford

Debt to avoid

• Unecessary consumer debt Financing vacations, toys, or everyday purchases you couldn't afford otherwise
• Car loans on cars you can't actually afford A depreciating asset stretched over a payment that strains the rest of your plan
• Credit cards treated like income Spending tomorrow's money today

I'm not an investment advisor, so nothing here is personalized investment advice — just my general take, for whatever it's worth. In my opinion, low-cost index funds are the most sensible core holding for most people. They're simple, reliable, diversified, and accessible.

Most people aren't going to build lasting wealth by picking single stocks, chasing crypto, or trading derivatives. If that's the kind of advice you're looking for, I'm probably not the guy to help you plan your retirement. My philosophy is built around steady, long-term growth, not quick wins. That's exactly what low-cost index funds are built for.

Financial success is not a number. It's not hitting a $1M net worth, buying a nice house, or building a succesful business.

In my opinion, financial success happens the moment your money stops being a source of anxiety. It's knowing exactly what you can spend, what you're saving, and what you're building toward — without running the mental math every time you buy something. For most people, that shift happens before their net worth changes much at all. The clarity comes first. The numbers follow.

Honestly? Someone who wants to learn. I'm not looking for people chasing a hot stock tip or a shortcut to getting rich — I'm looking for people who have recognized they have some gaps in their financial literacy and/or an unhealthy relationship with money, and are ready to take control of their finances. The whole point is to walk away fully owning your finances, with no need for me.

You don't need a big income, a perfect credit score, or any of this figured out already. What matters is that you're willing to be honest about where you are, do the work between meetings, and believe that financial freedom is actually possible for you — because it is. If that sounds like you, I'd love to talk.

No — and that's on purpose. Licensed advisors are regulated to make product-specific calls: buy this fund, sell that stock, put this percent in bonds. I don't do any of that, which means I don't sell products and I don't earn a commission on anything I recommend.

What I do is help you build a budget, kill debt, and plan for retirement at a level you can actually act on. If you ever reach a point where you need product-specific advice, I'll point you toward a fee-only fiduciary — someone who, like me, doesn't get paid on the other side.

These things naturally come up in conversations around finances, and I'll cover the principles — Roth vs. Traditional IRA, how much life insurance you probably need, why everyone with kids needs a will. But I'm not a CPA or an attorney.

For filing taxes, buying insurance, or drafting documents, you'll want to work with a licensed specialist. My job is to make sure you walk in knowing exactly what to ask for.

That's exactly what I'm here for. I don't just hand you numbers; I walk you through the concepts behind them, from compound growth to how a present value calculation actually works, in plain language and at your pace.

The goal is for you to leave understanding the math well enough to make confident decisions on your own, long after our work together. If a concept isn't clicking, tell me and we'll come at it a different way until it does.

Genuinely, no. Plenty of people avoid opening their banking app for months because they're scared of what they'll see — that fear is normal, and there's nothing you could show me that would make me think less of you. I'm here to help, not judge.

The fact that you're even reading this puts you ahead of most people. The hardest step is recognizing you need help to change your relationship with money — and you've already taken it by being on this page.

Yes — and honestly, that's often where the biggest wins are. A clear payoff plan with a real date attached can change your whole relationship with money, even before a single dollar is paid off.

It might actually be more worth it. When every dollar matters, knowing exactly where each one goes is more important, not less. The lack of a plan kills your financial wellbeing and mental health a lot faster at $50,000/year than it does at $150,000/year.

If you're not sure the price makes sense for your income, let me know and we'll talk it through honestly. I geniunely want to help you acheive financial freedom, not drive your bank account lower than it already is.

Honestly, you don't. Dave, Caleb, and any number of other financial gurus give great advice and will probably tell you a lot of the same things I will. But the advice only works if you put it into practice, which is hard to do alone. If you're crusing along the Dave Ramsey baby steps, or feel like the 'Financial Audit' show has given you the financial literacy you were lacking, you may have no use for me! But if you're struggling to put the advice into practice, or just need more specific help with your situation, I think I have something valuable to offer you.

When you book a Square One package, we sit down with your actual numbers — bank statements, Venmo history, all of it — and build a plan that fits your life. There's a lot of good advice on the internet, I'm here to help you put it into practice.

This is outside what I can help with. Gambling — and any addiction for that matter — is a mental health issue, not a budgeting one, and it deserves care from a professional who's actually trained for it. A financial coach isn't that person.

If you're struggling, please reach out to someone who can help: in the U.S. you can call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700, 24/7 and confidential. Once you're on solid ground, I'd be glad to help you rebuild the financial side — but your wellbeing comes first.