Peter Mateja

I'm a midwesterner who migrated out to Silicon Valley 5 years ago, with family in tow. We loved the Bay Area, and never expected we'd actually live here (though we'd dreamed about it). Opportunity knocked when I was offered a dream job as a software engineer at Google! Fast forward 5 years, and life is pretty sweet. We have financial breathing room for the 1st time in our lives, and we're able to save a good chunk of our income despite the huge cost of housing. However, I've also realized that I want even more financial independence than will be offered by passive investing with retirement accounts and savings in the markets. In my spare time, I split my time between my family and pursuing several hobbies, including backpacking, aviation (single engine, fixed wing) and playing/collecting/designing board games.