I have been born, raised, and currently live in Fairfield county with my loving wife and son. I am a first generation American as my parents have both immigrated to this great county from Portugal looking to offer themselves and, more importantly, their future children a better life. I thank them for overcoming the large fear of leaving the only place they have ever known to travel a foreign land, unable to speak the language and with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their determination to start a new life. With that determination and hard work they carved out a life for themselves and raised my brother and I while finally enjoying retirement and their grandchildren. One of my favorite quotes comes from Abraham Lincoln when asked by a reporter "What is the one thing you wish you could have given your children?" Lincoln's response, "The one thing I wish I could have given my children would be to experience the trials and tribulations I experienced which made me the man I am today". Growing up first generation I came to know many of those. I started working full time at age 15 to save up money for my first car and have never stopped working since. I worked 2 jobs to get myself through college in which I graduated with a degree in Finance and now I work many hours doing what I love and that is helping people make intelligent choices about mortgage financing.