A Bit More About Me (and Us)

My very beautiful and very Scandinavian-looking family in our very Scandinavian-looking back yard.

We were in debt the minute we said, "I do." Actually, even before. My wife, Carly, had $20,000 in student loan debt at graduation. Six months before we got married, her 1993 Honda Civic (affectionately named Esteban) died. I was in South Africa for that whole year. She needed a car, so we bought one. Another $16,000. Thirty-six thousand dollars in the hole. Day one.

We got to work. We took Financial Peace University (FPU) through our church. Then, we took it a second time, doing it with our small group. We learned how to budget and knock out debt. We learned about our habits (good and bad). We learned about building a legacy of financial health for our kids.

During the first two years of marriage, we lived on my income and everything Carly made went to the car payment and Uncle Sam for that federal student loan. Now, both of our incomes were modest, to say the least. I worked a job in human services making $10/hr during training. TEN. And I had a college degree.

Eventually, I made it to $13, but it wasn't enough. So I got a job at Target, stocking and zoning shelves from 4-8am. We didn't eat out. We didn't pay for cable. We had dumb phones. We even moved into the basement of a convalescent house to live rent free by nursing residents from 10pm-7am. We did what we had to do. Eventually, I got a job with the State of Nebraska and got a raise to $15/hour. We weren't rich. But we spent carefully. And eighteen months later, we were debt free. 

There's more to our story, of course. And I'd love to tell it to you. But for now, I share this little glimpse of our journey to encourage you. If we could get out of debt and be financially healthy, you can, too.

And I can help.

In addition to the training I have from my own experience, I'm also a Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach. This means I've been taught by some of the best financial minds in America to equip and empower you to take control of your financial well-being. Whether you want to get healthy or stay healthy financially, I will give you the tools you need to succeed. Let's chat.

Now for the fun stuff. We have four kids and an English Goldendoodle named Mosley. We are proud Nebraskans (Go Big Red!) and enjoy living in Lincoln. We both lived overseas before marriage and, since, we've lived in two other states. Nebraska really is ​the good life. We work with a campus ministry serving college students at our alma mater, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Carly is the dreamer and designer of DIY home projects and James makes the dreams come true. We drive two minivans, which our children have affectionately named Daisy and Leonard. Someday we'll live country and own a hobby farm with chickens and goats and a garden big enough to feed our neighbors. Far out in the country. Really far. As long as we're no more than ten minutes from a Target.