I was fortunate enough to attend Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  After college I entered the investment banking industry with an analyst position at Prudential Securities.

I learned quite a bit about finance during my time at Wharton and in investment banking. But upon starting my career, I had a pretty rude awakening of my lack of knowledge about personal finance. For several years after college I faced some stressful times making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, accumulating debt, and all while having no good planning in place for the future. I recognized that if I was unaware of basic financial concepts such as insurance, credit, savings, and tax planning… that many other people must be in the same boat as well. I saw firsthand that there was a lack of professional financial services providers focused on the folks that often need good help the most, and my companies have set about to change that.

Investment banking was an interesting experience, but I had a desire to make a much bigger difference on Main Street. After many years of building, we currently employ nearly 200 staff at our headquarters in Santa Ana, CA, where our mission is to help people overcome financial challenges. Now having worked hard to bring professional financial services to the underserved for over 10 years, my companies have been able to help tens of thousands of Americans with a variety of financial programs. Currently we assist clients with debt negotiation, tax resolution services, and providing financial information and advice. We are always looking to add more beneficial services in the future and invest in areas where we can do more.

My first company Debtmerica Relief is a nationwide negotiated debt resolution firm that I co-founded in 2006 with my partner and best friend, Harry Langenberg.  The Company has achieved much success since its humble beginnings, including being honored as both an INC 500 “Fastest Growing Privately-held Company” with a ranking of #184, and also as a “Best Place to Work” by the Orange County Business Journal.

Next was Optima Tax Relief, now the nation’s leading tax resolution firm. At Optima Tax Relief, the client comes first and this is reflected in our core values. We are also serious about taking good care of our staff, and our team enjoys a variety of employment benefits, company outings and shared experiences together. Over our history, we’ve also aimed to make a difference in our community, not only to help others, but to set a positive example to our staff, partners and neighbors. Every year, our whole team participates in hosting and supporting community events at the locations of a handful of local charities – these events are a staff favorite.

I’m also an investor and advisor to the following companies:

Evolve Vacation Rental Network – Evolve makes vacation rental easy for everyone. Our marketing and booking services eliminate hassle, guesswork and frustration for owners and travelers.

byUs – a revolutionary new platform for trusted recommendations.

Doctor Evidence – a specialty software platform and services company aimed to assist stakeholders from across the healthcare ecosystem to make evidence-based medicine decisions with the most relevant medical evidence.