He is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where he earned a B.S.B.A. in finance (1982), an M.B.A. with a finance emphasis (1983), and a Ph.D. in finance (1988). His Ph.D. dissertation was one of ten finalists in the 19th Annual National Tax Association - Tax Institute of America Dissertation Awards Program. His research focuses on investments, and has been published in the Journal of Finance, Financial Management, Financial Analysts Journal, and the Journal of Financial Education, among others.