Clever Dude founded CleverDude.com in June 2006 while working as a technical analyst in the Washington, D.C. area. A Penn State graduate, he built the site as a side project alongside a white-collar career that included earning a master’s degree and multiple promotions.
In five years he wrote nearly 1,300 articles on personal finance and life lessons drawn from his own experience. The blog grew from a hobby into a recognized early voice in the personal-finance community and generated meaningful revenue. He sold the site in 2010, continued as a guest contributor through 2015, and returned in 2023 after further career advances, paying off his home, and extensive travel.
Family or Marriage • Finances & Money
As more bloggers quit their day jobs and become full-time web authors, I'm becoming more envious of their positions. Granted, I fully appreciate the difficulty of the switch, especially when it comes to the loss of stability (for most of them) as … [Read more...] about Could I be a full-time blogger?
I just posted about how I witnessed the decline of my truck's value firsthand, but now I'll put a positive spin on things. Almost a year ago, we bought a used 2005 MINI Cooper. This was just after ridding ourselves of a crappy 2005 Chevrolet Malibu … [Read more...] about Witnessing the Rising Value of Small Cars Firsthand
July was a better month than June 2008 with regards to traffic numbers, and CleverDude.com continues to achieve year-over-year increases. Also, I've just beaten all of 2007's traffic with 5 months left in 2008! And that counts the literal … [Read more...] about Thanks for the Hits! July 2008 Traffic and Referral Numbers
This morning, I heard the radio announcer say that people are switching from refilling their gas tanks when the needle hit 3/4 of a tank remaining to waiting as long as possible to take advantage of lowering gas prices. Well, that makes … [Read more...] about Will Dropping Gas Prices = Stranded Drivers?
Family or Marriage • Finances & Money
Well we're back from our mini-vacation! Where did we go? Where do you think? Back to see our families in Pennsylvania, just like we've done about 50 other times this spring and summer. However, this trip was different because we took 2 extra days off … [Read more...] about Mmm-Mmm Fatty Goodness
Banking • Credit • Debt • Finances & Money
Quick definition for you Credit Card Arbitrage: The act of taking low interest rate balance transfers from your credit card company in cash and investing it into money-making ventures like CDs, money market accounts and (gasp!) even the stock … [Read more...] about Citibank WANTS me to use their money to make more money!
Here's a brief article about a maintenance man in New York who lived in the back of a shed...but earned a $100,000 salary. I don't say I blame him, but the odd thing was at the end of the story: The worker is being charged $2,500 for the time he … [Read more...] about Earn a Six-Figure Salary? Then Live in a Shed!
Yes, we have 3 cars. But two are paid-off: A 2005 MINI Cooper and a 130,000 mile 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. And yes, there's only 2 of us. And finally, yes, I ride the metro to work so I drive MUCH less than I did when I drove to work (not since 2006 … [Read more...] about Buying into an Auto Illusion
