Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
All content for Penny Forward is the property of Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
Accessible Finance Made Simple: Andrew Babin on HaloFi and Voice-Controlled Money Management
Penny Forward
32 minutes
2 weeks ago
Accessible Finance Made Simple: Andrew Babin on HaloFi and Voice-Controlled Money Management
Chris Peterson and Liz Botner sit down with Andrew Babin, co-developer of HaloFi, a new voice-controlled money management app designed with accessibility in mind. Andrew shares his journey with Stargardt’s disease, his unexpected path from construction to finance, and how his experiences inspired the creation of HaloFi—a tool merging AI and voice technology to make financial management more inclusive. The conversation explores how AI-driven voice interfaces are transforming accessibility in finance, what it takes to break into the financial industry without prior experience, and how to persevere through personal and professional obstacles with determination and creativity.
Contact Info
Guest:
Andrew Babin, Co-developer of HaloFi
📧 andrew@halofiapp.com
🌐 halofiapp.com
Organization:
Penny Forward
🌐 pennyforward.com
Production Partner:
Aftersight (formerly Audio Information Network of Colorado)
📞 (720) 712-8856
✉️ feedback@aftersight.org
🌐 aftersight.org
Producer: Jonathan Price
Show Credits
Hosted by Chris Peterson and Liz Botner
Produced by Chris Peterson and Liz Botner
Audio editing and post-production by Jonathan Price
Music composed and performed by André Louis
Distributed in partnership with Aftersight
Penny Forward is a nonprofit providing accessible financial education programs by and for people who are blind.
Chapter Markers
00:00 – Introduction and welcome back
01:10 – Andrew’s early life and Stargardt’s diagnosis
03:25 – From construction to finance: a career pivot
05:50 – Breaking into finance during the COVID era
07:30 – Navigating work and independence with vision loss
09:45 – Lessons in perseverance and enthusiasm
11:00 – The idea behind HaloFi
14:00 – Overcoming barriers in finance exams and accessibility
16:20 – Building inclusive technology from the ground up
18:40 – HaloFi demo and functionality walkthrough
23:50 – Future features and AI-driven financial actions
26:30 – Launch timeline and how to join the waitlist
28:15 – How to contact Andrew and follow the project
30:00 – Partnership announcement with Aftersight
30:36 – Closing remarks and credits
Penny Forward
Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
