I was born in 1971 in Vancouver, Canada, and went to Magee Secondary School in Kerrisdale. After graduating in 1989, I moved to Ottawa and received my Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Marketing and Finance from Carleton University (1993).

My first career job was in commercial banking with the Bank of Montreal but I soon accepted a position as the Credit Manager for Pimlico Apparel, a contract demin manufacturer for The Gap, Levis and Guess Jeans. Pimlico also had a division called International Denim (now ID Wear) serving the promotional products marketplace. It didn't take long and I was moved to the sales department.

Unexpectedly, I discovered that I qualify for US citizenship in 1998 and quickly put the wheels in motion to obtain my passport. Once complete, I moved to Los Angeles in August of that same year and accepted a position as the Regional Sales Manager for two large promotional products wholesalers located in Tennessee and Rhode Island respectively. My territory included the 13 western states so I travelled frequently.

With the dot.com bubble inflating quickly, I was offered a position as the Business Development Manager for MadeToOrder.com and moved to the Bay Area in January 2000. Three months later, the bubble burst and lay-offs quickly became the word of the day. After surviving 12 rounds, I was finally added to the list in September 2002 and I decided to take the opportunity to become self-employed at that point.

My first venture involved the liquidation of seller-financing business notes in the low-level M&A market. I wrote and published Strategies for Seller Financing in that business and distributed over 2000 copies to Business Brokers across the country. Although I found a lot of clients, it was a feast or famine business and I soon became frustrated with the lack of predictable income.

I obtained my notary commission in July 2003 and started a loan signing business. That was a huge success, yielding a higher income than I had ever earned before. But the occupation required extensive driving (850 miles per week) and a frantic schedule so I decided to get my real estate license and originate residential mortgage loans.

I've done exclusively loan origination since May 2004 and thoroughly enjoy helping people with their purchase and refinance transactions. I wrote Loans & Lenders; a Guide for Buyers & Borrowers that same year to help establish some credibility in the field. Then I started the "Beyond the Rate" podcast series and quickly realized the internet was the best place for me to devote my efforts. At latest count, the series has been downloaded over 14,000 times in 27 different countries.

The success of Beyond the Rate led me to continue recording podcasts and developing my online presence. That is the impetus of my new Financial Audio and Tactical Execution podcast series as well as this personal homepage. I will continue to add content as the future unfolds. Until then, thanks for visiting my site.