About Alex Morgan & Moneymatics

The Embarrassing Truth

At 28, I was earning $67,000 a year, and I had no idea how money actually worked.

I had a 401k I'd never touched because I didn't understand what to do with it. I had a savings account at a big bank earning 0.01% interest, and I felt responsible for having it. I carried a credit card balance from month to month without fully grasping what that 22% APR was actually costing me over time. I thought "investing" was something people did when they had "extra" money — not understanding that waiting for "extra" money meant it would never happen.

I was smart. I had a college degree. I'd taken an economics class. And I was completely, embarrassingly lost when it came to personal finance.

The Turning Point

A coworker named David casually asked me one day if I was getting my full 401k match. I didn't know what that meant, so I admitted I'd never touched my 401k settings.

He explained, gently, that my company matched 4% of my salary, dollar for dollar — and that I'd been contributing 0%. I had left approximately $6,000 in free compensation on the table over three years. Money my employer was offering me that I hadn't taken because I hadn't understood the system.

That was the moment I decided to actually figure this stuff out.

Two Years in the Financial Rabbit Hole

I spent the next two years reading everything I could. Books (Morgan Housel's The Psychology of Money changed how I think about wealth). Subreddits like r/personalfinance. The Bogleheads forum, which is full of genuinely knowledgeable people who helped me understand index fund investing. I ran the numbers on my debt. I opened a Roth IRA. I moved my savings to a high-yield account. I built my first real budget.

And here's what I noticed: the information was out there, but it was scattered, often jargon-heavy, and rarely written with warmth. Most financial sites felt like they were written at you, not for you. Half of them were trying to recommend a credit card or sell you a course.

What I wanted was a financially knowledgeable friend — someone who'd sit across from me at a coffee shop, explain what a Roth conversion is in plain English, and not try to sell me anything afterward.

That friend didn't exist. So I built it.

What Moneymatics Is

Moneymatics is financial education for people who earn decent money and want to make better decisions with it. Not people with MBAs. Not people who already know the difference between a traditional and Roth IRA. Regular people who are smart enough to figure this out — they just need someone to explain it clearly.

The name blends money + mathematics — because personal finance is ultimately a math problem, and the math isn't hard. What's hard is the emotional side, the habits, the inertia, the not-knowing-what-you-don't-know.

A few things I'm committed to here:

No product pitches disguised as advice. I don't earn affiliate commissions from recommending financial products. If I mention a specific account or fund, it's because I genuinely think it's good.
Real numbers for real salaries. Not tech-startup salaries. Not theoretical households. I write for people earning $45,000 to $120,000, which is most people.
Emotional honesty. Money is emotional. Debt is shameful for a lot of people. Investment losses feel personal. I want to acknowledge that, not pretend it away.
Appropriate humility. I'm not a licensed financial planner. I'm someone who did the research and wants to share what I learned. I'll be clear about what I know confidently and where you should consult a professional.

Where I Am Now

I'm still a work in progress — financially and otherwise. I have an emergency fund, a fully-funded Roth IRA, a diversified 401k, and no credit card debt. It took me about three years from that conversation with David to get there.

I'm not retired, I'm not rich, and I'm not here to tell you I have it all figured out. I'm just a few steps ahead on the path, and I'm turning around to show you the way.

The Legal Stuff

Moneymatics provides financial education content only. Nothing on this site is personalized financial advice. I'm not a registered investment advisor, a licensed financial planner, or a tax professional. For decisions that significantly impact your financial life — especially around investments, taxes, and retirement — please consult a qualified professional.