From The Pentagon to Your Mortgage
"I lead without fear to build future leaders. I challenge the status quo and the concept of doing things the way they've always been done."
I didn't retire and then figure out what to do with my financial background. I channeled it directly into real estate investing while still in uniform, and then into mortgage lending once I separated. The transition wasn't a pivot; it was a direct application of the same skills I used every day for two decades.
I Have Skin in the Same Game.
When I review an investment property, I'm not analyzing it theoretically. I have personally completed 54 real estate transactions (33 purchases and 21 sales), which is how I maintain a portfolio of 12 active long-term rentals alongside 9 completed fix-and-flip projects. I've used my own VA home loan benefit twice. I've been on every side of the table: the active duty borrower, the investor-borrower, and now as the loan originator.
That means when we talk DSCR ratios, projected rent, ARV on a rehab, or portfolio loan structures, I understand the real-world implications, not just the underwriting guidelines. I know what a good deal looks like, what a risky one looks like, and how to structure financing to maximize your returns.
It also means I understand the frustration of needing a lender who actually gets it. I became that lender.
Why I Became a Loan Officer
After retiring, I wanted to do work that mattered, work that played to my actual strengths. Financial analysis, structured thinking, helping people navigate complex decisions under pressure: those are the things I did for 20 years. Mortgage lending is a direct application of all of them.
I have used my VA home loan benefit twice and DSCR loans to finance investment properties. That firsthand experience as a borrower -- not just as someone who processes files -- is what shapes how I think about each deal.
Lead Forward isn't just a tagline. It's how I've operated my entire life. Every mission, every deployment, every deal: you move forward with a plan.