Biography
Curtis Brennan is the lead editorial reviewer at Big Daddy Loans, where he signs off on every money page, state hub, and research report before publication. He holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business in 2003.
After graduating, Curtis joined a regional accounting firm in Denver as a staff accountant focused on individual and small-business tax. Over nine years he built a specialty in household balance-sheet analysis — debt loads, net-worth tracking, and the tax consequences of consumer debt decisions — that gave him a practitioner's eye for financial disclosures long before he moved into planning.
In 2012 Curtis completed the CFP® certification and transitioned to fee-only financial planning, joining an independent RIA in Colorado Springs that served teachers, first responders, and other middle-income households. His planning caseload routinely involved clients who had used payday or installment loans during income gaps, which gave him direct insight into where lender disclosures mislead and where alternatives are underused. He held that role for nine years before moving to editorial work.
Curtis joined Big Daddy Loans in 2024 as Editorial Reviewer. His job on every page is precise: verify that APR figures are calculated correctly, that cost comparisons use consistent assumptions, and that no statement about debt repayment overpromises what a product can deliver.
Credentials
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
- CFP Board certified · Active since 2012
- BS Accounting
- University of Denver, Daniels College of Business · 2003
- CPA license
- Colorado-licensed CPA (inactive) · Active 2004–2015
- Years of experience
- 9 years in CPA household finance practice · 9 years in CFP® fee-only planning
Areas of expertise
- Consumer APR calculation — verifying TILA-compliant APR math and finance-charge disclosure accuracy
- Household debt management — installment schedules, debt-to-income impact, repayment strategy tradeoffs
- Small-dollar lending economics — true cost of rollovers, fee-to-APR conversion, state-level rate variation
- Tax implications of consumer debt — cancellation-of-debt income, IRS Form 1099-C, state tax treatment
- Fee-only financial planning — fiduciary standard, conflict-free advice, middle-income household planning
Articles reviewed by Curtis
Curtis signed off as reviewer on:
- Payday Loans Online — Compare 23+ State-Licensed Lenders (2026)
- 15 Payday Loan Alternatives Ranked by Cost
- Payday Loans in Texas: Laws, Rates, Limits & Alternatives
- 50-State Payday Loan Cost Index 2026
- What is a Payday Loan? Plain-English Explainer
Conflict of interest disclosure
Contact
For editorial review questions, contact [email protected].