Why did you choose your profession?

I love teaching and seeing students trying their best to learn complex, valuable information that will help them in their careers. Also, the articles I publish at the intersection of income tax and financial planning are always challenging puzzles that I enjoy solving.

What is your favorite thing about being part of the Hurlow team?

Being a CPA for the first 5 years and an academic for the past 25 years of my career, I find that “watching from the sidelines” (as academics do) is no substitute for understanding real issues that clients have. The Hurlow team is always interested in finding solutions for how they can assist clients in reaching their goals.

What causes are you passionate about?

Participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for lower-income members of the community. I’ve taught VITA volunteers for 15 years and have been a tax return preparer/reviewer for 5 years. The three years before I came to IU, I worked every Saturday during tax season at a VITA site in Ferguson, Missouri. Now I prepare and review tax returns for VITA in Bloomington.

What do you love to do outside of work?

There’s nothing more enjoyable than hanging out with my wife Sheila and daughter Lilly because we all have the same sense of humor. I also love to play volleyball and tennis. I still root for all of Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams because I grew up there.

What is a fun fact about you?

I delivered the daily newspaper in Pittsburgh from age 7 to age 18. Why so long? I did the math and determined I made a lot more money per hour than a minimum wage job.