Writing
Upon Further Investigation
I’ve always been curious about why we do the things we do, especially when our behavior doesn’t make much sense, even to ourselves.
Sometimes the investigation begins with something deeply personal: grief, a complicated family relationship, or an old belief that refuses to loosen its grip. Other times, it begins with a garage sale, an encounter with a stranger, a conversation with my father, or something ridiculous I’ve caught myself doing.
I’m fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves, the ones we inherit, and what happens when we begin questioning them. I’m equally interested in the ordinary things we overlook, the unexpected connections we make, and the surprising places curiosity can take us.
From Fraud Prevention to the Human Side of Scams
After decades working in banking, payments, and fraud prevention, I’ve become increasingly concerned about the human cost of scams.
For much of my career, the focus was on detecting fraud, stopping criminals, and protecting institutions and businesses from financial loss. Now I’m also looking at what happens to the people targeted.
Scammers deliberately exploit trust, fear, urgency, love, and our need for connection. I believe we need a broader response: stopping fraudulent texts, calls, emails, and messages before they ever reach people, helping individuals recognize manipulation, and making sure those who are harmed receive meaningful support rather than blame.
These questions are becoming an important part of my writing and the conversations I want to encourage around scam prevention, human behavior, and victim support.
Stories, Questions, and Unexpected Discoveries
My essays move between personal experience and broader questions about human behavior. I write about family, grief, identity, relationships, creativity, the Parts of ourselves we don’t always understand, and the ways our experiences shape how we move through the world.
Sometimes my subjects are deeply serious. Sometimes they’re absurd. Frequently, they’re both.
I write to explore rather than to deliver tidy conclusions. My essays are personal, occasionally irreverent, sometimes uncomfortable, and often surprising, at least to me.
I don’t always arrive at an answer. Sometimes the investigation just leads to a better question.
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I publish my essays at Upon Further Investigation, where I follow these questions wherever they lead and invite readers to bring their own experiences and perspectives into the conversation.
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