Why I Started The Maven

Finding common ground in a divided world

Twenty years ago, I realized how bad I was with money. Instead of hiring a financial advisor like a normal person, I started writing about it. I didn’t know anything about personal finance, so I started reading books, listening to podcasts (yes, they existed), and interviewing financial pros. I shared my failures and small wins, and it resonated with other young people trying to figure out how to manage money.

That blog was Money Crashers. I wrote and edited it from 2006 to 2012. I sold the rights in 2009, tempted by steady income and unsure of what I had. The new owners had a strong vision, and today, it’s one of the top personal finance sites on the internet. My best friend still says I’m secretly mad I sold it, and maybe he’s right. But, everything happens for a reason, right?

That writing experience woke up something I’d suppressed from childhood. As a kid, I wanted to be a journalist, not an astronaut or a firefighter like others, but someone who told stories, asked questions, and explained what was going on in the world. I was the nerd who actually liked clipping newspaper articles for homework assignments. Journalism wasn’t the path I ended up taking as a full-time career, but writing regularly for Money Crashers gave me a taste of that childhood passion.

After I left Money Crashers, I wrote sporadically on Medium and published guest articles on various publications, but the demands of becoming a parent to three children and a demanding digital marketing career dominated my time and energy. When I posted my writings on my social feeds, they received a generally positive reception with many friends and family expressing their appreciation for my writing voice and perspective. I started realizing I was regretful that I had abandoned writing regularly, and I knew that I needed to start another writing project.

The rise of social media and AI, the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6th insurrection, and the recent political violence have created an atmosphere of intense polarization and division in this country. We’ve lost the art of debating each other with civility. We’re comfortable staying within the confines of our digital echo chambers, and we surround ourselves with likeminded friends and coworkers.

We’re flooded with disinformation, but we’re starving for truth. With the rise of generative AI, it’s becoming harder to know what is real. Spreading lies and conspiracies has become a political strategy and a tool of foreign adversaries to turn us against each other. And because of that, we’ve lost the ability to respectfully disagree, to find nuance, and to trust each other.

The Maven is a response to those problems. Our mission is ambitious, and we’ll need your help to achieve it:

Reconnect a divided world by pursuing truth, amplifying diverse perspectives, and fostering productive conversations rooted in empathy, integrity, and curiosity.

We’ll provide our opinions and analysis on current events, but not in a way that sparks anger and fear. We’ll provide perspective and understanding about topics that matter to you, but we won’t pick a side for the sake of likes and clicks. We’ll look for the meaning and context behind complex issues and amplify diverse perspectives.

Let’s return to a world where finding common ground is a virtue, not a sin. Let’s take back control of our attention spans from the people and algorithms that seek to divide us. Let’s stop viewing people that we disagree with as enemies and view them as fellow humans and citizens who are equally valued in the eyes of God. I believe we can do it, but it won’t happen overnight. It will take intentionality and diligence.

Are you with me? If so, take the first step to reconnecting our divided world and subscribe to The Maven today. You’ll receive honest, thoughtful articles in your inbox every week from regular people like you and me.