Category Coaching in Boston
Hiking the 4,000 Footers NH: Video
In 2018 I started hiking the 48 tallest peaks in New Hampshire’s White mountains. There were many moments along the trail when I felt remarkably human, and I tried to include a few in this video, including every single summit, in order, with some fun thrown in. Thank you to the 4,000 footer community […]
Paying For Privilege
I hope to afford my conscience everyday. When we go to work, we’re paid an hourly wage. There’s also a moral wage – an invisible currency that pays for your peace of mind. You don’t receive it from an employer. The ‘universe’ doles out moral dollars to your soul for every good deed, charitable act, […]
Drunk Signature
Your nose hairs have burned to a crisp already. The apartment air is sour and the floors stick to the bottom of your shoes. You’re perched on the edge of the couch holding a clip-board. At the top of the page, illuminated by the window light, it reads: Representative Payee. Your client stirs in his […]
Race, Credit, Sour Cream
This room is way bigger than I expected. The hall is the size of a football field and full of crowded tables. Three hundred fifty people are there. Five of us sit at the front of the room and try not to let our hearts pound into the mics clipped to our shirts. We’re on […]
Two Evictions Ago
“Fuck.” I say it aloud whenever I find out. Motions to evict always feel like going to a higher defense condition – defcon four. In those cases, ‘shucks’ doesn’t really cut it, so I try to take evictions seriously and play my part. I can’t do anything about hoarding or domestic violence, but back-rent is […]
How Banks Talk To ‘Poor People’
The community told my CDC they wanted financial services, and my CDC hired me. It was clear from day one we needed regular workshops and trainings, because a startling amount of residents were still unbanked and operating in the informal economy. Thus, the first thing I did was ask people why they didn’t have bank […]
Three Steps to Better Cash Flow
Cash flow is my favorite subject by far. It’s also one of the most complicated to work with. As is my aim with every client, I want to translate financial language into useful ways of understanding your money. Take an interest in the cash entering and leaving your pocket and I swear opportunities will appear. […]
Recovery Road
My morning routine begins with an apple and a dose of humanity. Since I was thirteen years old, I hadn’t touched an apple due to an allergy. It took me over ten years to figure out the problem was in the skin. Now, I walk to the kitchen every morning bleary eyed and take a […]
Jet Ski Bribery
I am dismayed by debts I can’t erase on a daily basis, to the point where I wish for a magic wand to wave and make them all go away. Clients come to me bearing collection letters in their outstretched palms. I take them and read the fine print searching for loopholes – I know […]
Rent Track: A Review
Before recommending products to clients, I sometimes like to try them myself. Everyone in the world of personal finance knows credit is hugely important. Employment, housing, insurance, and even cell phone plans use credit scores to decide what you get and how much it costs you. So, when my organization decided to connect our affordable […]
Jeff Paddock
Suddenly-Human 