The other day, I got a call from my daughter, who just started her first year of college in Tennessee. She was buzzing with excitement — telling me how much she was enjoying her first week of classes. She’s majoring in design with a minor in business, which fits her creative strengths perfectly. But what surprised her most was how much she was enjoying her marketing class.
That warmed my heart.
Marketing has always been my favorite part of business, too. It’s where logic meets creativity — where numbers and stories intersect. While I’m solid with spreadsheets and balance sheets, I’ve always had a creative side that marketing speaks to. It’s strategy, psychology, communication, and creativity rolled into one.
Side note: my uncle — my dad’s brother — was actually an illustrator who drew the very first mermaid for the Chicken of the Sea tuna brand. Pretty cool, right? I believe she’s still on the label today.
Our conversation eventually drifted toward personal finance. She asked me a simple question:
“Dad, what’s a good book I should read to learn about money and investing?”
And I didn’t have a good answer (I’ve been a financial advisor since 2002)
Sure, I know the big names — Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, and the rest. I’ve listened to hours of Dave’s podcast over the years. I even loosely follow his envelope budgeting system in my own life. But the all-cash method he champions always felt outdated to me. I knew my kids would never carry around stacks of envelopes — so I never tried to teach them that version of budgeting.
And that’s when it hit me: I didn’t have a single book to recommend because I’ve never fully aligned with any one personal finance philosophy.
Some offer great advice, absolutely. But I’ve always taken the “buffet approach” — grab what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
That’s life.
So instead of scrambling to recommend a book I don’t fully stand behind, I decided to write it myself.
This blog is part of that process. Over time, I’ll be writing a series of posts on the essential building blocks of personal finance and investing — written in plain language, for real people, without jargon or pretense.
My goal is to eventually compile these posts into a free, downloadable eBook. Something parents, grandparents, and mentors can share with the next generation — whether they’re just starting college, landing their first job, or figuring out how to save and invest smarter.
Because here’s what I’ve seen over the years: too many advisors talk over people’s heads. They throw around terms like “alpha,” “standard deviation,” or “tax loss harvesting” as if everyone took Finance 101. But most people haven’t. And they shouldn’t have to just to understand their own money.
I want this to be different. I want this to be useful.
SIDE NOTE: I am writing a 7 part series on how to create your own financial plan that can help you achieve the life of you dreams. → CLICK HERE to learn more.
Back to the book – here are just a few of the topics I’ll be covering:
- Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA
- ETFs vs. Mutual Funds
- Stocks & Bonds: What’s the Right Mix for You
- Dollar Cost Averaging
- Stocks vs. Bonds
- Small Business Retirement Plans
- Financial Planning Basics
- Living Beneath Your Means
- How Much Should You Be Saving?
- Emergency Funds — How Much Is Enough?
- How I Personally Budget
- Active vs. Passive Investing
- Understanding Index Funds
- Roth IRA Conversions
- Backdoor Roth IRAs
- Converting an inherited IRA in a Roth
- Timing the Market (and why you probably shouldn’t)
- Understanding Debt
- Best Ways to Start Investing
Each topic will get its own post, linked right here as I go. If you’re just starting out — or know someone who is — I hope this becomes a resource you can come back to again and again.
And if you’ve got questions you’d like me to answer or topics you’d like me to cover, I’d love to hear them.
As always, if you find any of this helpful, please share it with someone you care about. A little financial knowledge can go a long way — and it’s never too early (or too late) to get started.
