Money and Inspiration
Welcome to a space where personal finance meets real life. Whether you are just starting out, trying to get out of debt, or building toward something bigger, this is a place to learn budgeting, saving and investing in plain language. I have spent more than twenty-five years in finance. I sit in a chief financial officer’s chair today, I was a licensed loan officer, and I own rental property in two states. What I write here is what I have actually done.
Money is not only about dollars and cents. It is about peace of mind, and about hope during hard times. I know something about hard times. My family has lived through years that no amount of planning could have prepared us for, and what I learned in them is the reason this site is not only about money. No matter where you are starting from, your journey begins here. Let’s take that first step together.
Choose your path below.

MANAGE MONEY

BUILDING WEALTH

INSPIRATION
Recent Posts

Blessings Come From the Worst of Times
Welcome to the Inspiration side of this site. I shared the short version of my story in the ABOUT section. I am 58 years old so there are a lot of stories to my life but this story is THE…

How My 18-Year-Old Daughter Got a Credit Card Without a Job—and How She Is Building Credit
My daughter started at LSU this fall. She is eighteen, she does not have a job nor has she ever held a job, and in September she was approved for a student credit card in her own name with a…

Weekly Notes — October 10, 2026
It has been a rough week of being sick. I have slept a ton but thankfully, prior to going down and out, Cerebras provided a teaching moment, and driving in to work Friday at 4:30 a.m. provided another as I…

Weekly Notes — October 3, 2026
I am working on this post mid-flight heading out to see my daughter for Family Weekend at LSU. The prices you see below are Thursday’s closing prices from October 1st. Once I touch down in Louisiana, we have a crazy…

Weekly Notes — September 26, 2026
The stock market had a quiet week. The Dow finished up 0.28 percent, the S&P 500 up 1.21 percent and the Nasdaq up 2.06 percent. Mortgage rates did not have a quiet week. I do not know if that is…

Which Home Loan Is Right for You? Conventional, FHA, VA and Jumbo
When people came to me interested in a home loan, many just wanted to know how much home they could qualify for. Some had an idea where they wanted to live and needed to know whether they could get into…
