Catherine Shaffer

A freelance writer with a background in science and biotechnology.

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Member for: 21 weeks 2 days
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Homepage: Catherine's Homepage

I am a second generation tightwad with interests in simple living, wise investing and healing the culture through responsible stewardship of our resources. My husband and I have always been financially precocious, having purchased our first home and opened retirement accounts at the age of twenty-four. Since then, we've managed to build up a respectable nest egg through saving, budgeting, and investing in both real estate and the stock market. I'm looking forward to sharing some of our experiences (and mistakes). I also coauthored a series of consumer advocacy articles about mortgages for Fidelity--sadly playing the role of Cassandra regarding the perils of variable rate mortgages, teaser mortgage rates, hidden closing costs, and many other mortgage pitfalls.

I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Michigan State University and a Master's in Biological Chemistry from the University of Michigan. After graduation, I worked several years in the pharmaceutical industry before quitting to stay home full time with my son. When I was ready to work again, I began working as a freelance writer, beginning with fiction and later moving into science writing and journalism. My work has appeared in numerous magazines and web zines such as Genetic Engineering News, Drug Discovery and Development, Drug Discovery Today, The Ann Arbor Observer, The Detroit Free Press, Wired News, Biocompare, Bioperform, Pharmacy Practice News, Nature, and many more. I continue to write and publish in the Science Fiction genre, as well. My hobbies include sewing, knitting, running, playing the violin (which I took up in 2002), and cooking.