Dr. James Smiling PhD

I'm a mathematics education professor at UNC Pembroke and the founder of Debt Clarity Tools (debtclaritytools.com) — a platform I built to help everyday people understand and eliminate debt using real math, not motivation. My background is in STEM-Mathematics Education. I earned my PhD from NC State University, where my research focused on how people learn complex quantitative reasoning. I've spent years teaching math at the university level, and I became increasingly frustrated that the personal finance world was filled with hype, vague advice, and emotional appeals — but almost no actual mathematical clarity. So I built something different. Debt Clarity Tools offers free, math-powered calculators that help users see exactly what their debt costs them, when they'll be debt-free, and ...