Writing Expertise
• Ability to communicate the complex language of personal finance, investing, the law and other topics to consumer and professional audiences.
• Delivers professional, high-quality copy on deadline.
• Brainstorms creative content and article ideas.
• Delves deeply into complex topics through in-depth reporting.
Work Experience
• Freelance Writer, December 1999 to present.
Books and Guides
• Coming in 2007: Getting Out on Top: Transitioning From Trading To Retirement, Markeplace Books.
• Also Coming in 2007: Guides to Mutual Fund Investing and College Savings, Barnes & Noble.
• Contributor to Online Investing Hacks, published in June 2004 by O’Reilly & Associates.
• Author of The NAIC Mutual Fund Handbook, published by NAIC October 2003.
Magazine Writing
• Experience writing cover stories, features, monthly columns and shorts.
• National consumer magazines, including AARP: The Magazine, Satisfaction, Consumer's Digest and Nick, Jr., have published articles on investing and other topics.
• Associations and trade groups, including the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Investor’s Corp., have published articles on mutual fund and stock investing, financial planning and small business practice management techniques. The American Hospital Association's flagship magazine, Hospitals and Health Networks, has published articles, including a cover story in June 2007.
Web Writing
• Writes articles on consumer finance, personal finance, mutual funds and stock investing for sites including Bankrate.com (www.bankrate.com), Interest.com (www.interest.com), The Encyclopedia of Personal Finance (www.precision-info.com) BetterInvesting (www.betterinvesting.org) and Business Financial Publications (www.mutualadvisors.com).
• Writes practice management conceptual articles for Microsoft’s Work Essentials Web site.
User Documentation & Technical Review
• Technical review: Served as a technical editor and consultant on several Better Investing projects, including a mutual fund education CD-ROM and the development of Better Investing’s Standard & Poor’s Mutual Fund Data Service and Online Analysis Tools.
• User documentation: Converted exisiting educational material and created new material for large user documentation projects for Web-based and CD-ROM-based investing tools. Worked remotely with project managers and technical staff to critique, suggest improvements to and create educational content for these proprietary investing tools.
Education
• Certificate in Accounting, anticipated Fall 2008, Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pa.
• Certificate in Financial Planning, anticipated Fall 2010, Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pa.
• Furman University, Greenville, S.C., B.A. in English
Professional Affiliations
• American Society of Journalists and Authors
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Financial Planning Association
• Author’s Guild
• American Society of Business Publication Editors
• The Distinguished Service Award in Investment Education, 2004, awarded by the Investment Education Institute in honor of outstanding communications skills.
