He received his B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Washington, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Davis. He is the recipient UC-Davis Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (1991), the Teaching Award for Outstanding Graduate Students (1991), the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award (1997), and the UCCS Outstanding Teaching Award (1999). His current research focuses on the reform of social welfare policies in the United States, models of domestic inequality dynamics, and financial implications of inheritance tax reform. Beyond this, he serves as an active consultant in the hedge fund industry.