At this point I’m not sure how much personal information I want to share here. I may come back and add more detail in the future, but for now I’ll share some basic information, the places I’ve lived, and some of my interests.
I grew up in South Jersey in the 80s and 90s and today I’m married with three kids. I’ve been working with the same company since finishing graduate school. I currently work “normal” hours, but I spent over a decade on a rotating shift schedule.
I enjoy traveling, although it’s more difficult with young children and, recently, with the pandemic. But we’re hoping to take some trips as soon as we can. I’ve always been into sports – playing baseball and football through high school. As an adult I’ve picked up running, completing a few half marathons and two 200 mile relays with some friends. My desire and ability to watch professional sports has fluctuated over the years, but I’m still a fan of the Phillies and Eagles.
Growing up I always hated reading. I think this was because it felt like meaningless work – being forced to read books I wasn’t necessarily interested in so I could regurgitate seemingly random information on a test. But as an adult I really enjoy reading. I tend to read mostly nonfiction books covering a variety of topics including a years-long project to read biographies of all the Presidents. Another avenue to expand my knowledge has been podcasts, which I only discover a couple years ago. There are many I listen to regularly, including several related to personal finance. These have driven a signifiant change in how I approach money and the future.
Where I’ve Lived
I lived in the same house from before I can remember until I went off to college. Since then I’ve lived in five states, two for only a few months each and three for significant periods of time. Each place I’ve lived has significantly shaped the person I am today. Here’s a little about each:
- South Jersey: I was born and raised in a small town in southern New Jersey, not too far from Philadelphia. Our neighborhood was fairly small and surrounded by farm land and forrest. I lived here until I left for college and have continued to travel back a few times a year to visit my parents.
- Massachusetts: I went to college just outside of Boston and ended up spending about seven years here. I completed a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and met my wife. We’ve also travelled back here quite a bit over the years.
- Arizona: I spent about seven months here with my future wife in 2002. I was doing research at the University of Arizona during graduate school. Arizona is vastly different than anywhere else I’ve lived. While we don’t have any interest in moving back, we definitely enjoyed the experience and met some great people. We took the opportunity to drive across the country when we moved out there and back. In all we travelled through 23 states on these roundtrips.
- South Carolina: In 2003 we moved to South Carolina, just outside of Charleston, for my first post-college job (I’m still with same company today). We never had any intention of staying in South Carolina long-term; the job was advertised as a three-year rotation with opportunities to transfer to other locations. It was a big change for us, but we took the leap and ended up staying for eleven years. The summers were often brutal, but the winters were nice, the job worked out well, and we made some good friends. But ultimately, the arrival of our first child and the desire to move back to the northeast won out and we moved to our current home in New York.
- Virginia: I lived in Portsmouth temporarily for work; three months in 2010 and back and forth from SC for about a year in 2012. This was a unique experience, living in an apartment paid for by the company and traveling back to SC frequently.
- New York: We moved to the Saratoga Springs area in late 2014 and expect to be here for the foreseeable future.
Some of My Interests
Podcasts: A couple of years ago I discovered the world of podcasts. After searching around and trying out a variety of podcasts, I settled on several I listen to regularly. The most impactful have been on the topic of personal finance, particularly related to the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement. I also spend a good amount of time listening to history related programs. See my Podcast Recommendations page for more details.
Personal Finance: I credit my overall conservatism and strong math skills with preventing any serious money mistakes for most of my life. But I’ve missed a lot of opportunities to optimize my performance. Like most people I never had any specific training in personal finance. Only recently have I discovered the vast information available to help me understand personal finance and make optimal decisions with my money. I’ve discovered there are many simple steps we can all take to put ourselves in a better financial position. See my Personal Finance page for more details.
MLB Ballparks: I’ve been to 29 Major League Ballparks – 20 current and 9 retired. When I was five years old my Dad took me to my first game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. I added several stadiums throughout my childhood and picked up the pace as an adult, with several multi-city baseball trips. See my MLB Ballparks page for more details.
Presidents: This is really part of a broader interest in history. I’m not sure exactly when or how it started, but I’m on a mission to read a biography of each U.S. President. I recently finished reading about James Garfield, the 20th President. See my Presidents Reading List page for more details.
Diet & Exercise: This is a somewhat reluctant interest, driven by necessity. Growing up I always played sports, so my exercise was pretty structured and I was able to stay healthy without worrying too much about my diet. As I’ve aged the exercise decreased and diet became important. I’ve tried many things over the years, but recently turned a corner (hopefully) resulting in 20+ pounds lost in the last four months. See my Diet and Exercise page for more details (coming soon).
Politics: I’m much more interested in the working of government and solving real policy issues than in the partisan bickering that seems to consume America today. I hope to use this blog to share some of my ideas and engage in a constructive discourse on the issues of the day. I’m fed up with the corruption of the two party system and align best with the principles of the Libertarian Party. See my Politics page for more details (coming soon).