Christopher Smith is a writer who covers investing, banking, insurance, and making extra money. He joined Clark.com in 2020. He has more than 14 years of writing experience. Christopher has always been interested in personal finance. When he was in elementary school, he would read the Sports and Money section of the newspaper at the breakfast table every morning, tracking the prices of his favorite stocks. He joined the investment club at school and even chose to make his fourth-grade presentation about the stock market. When he’s not working, he spends most of his time with his wife, a first-generation Colombian immigrant and a Physician Assistant. He also likes college football, NFTs, rock climbing and good restaurants. You can reach Christopher at [email protected].

More posts by Christopher Smith

Unusual temporary inflation usually isn't that bad for the economy, although retirees relying on social security can get hurt.
How Retirees Can Combat Inflation Investing & Retirement December 1st, 2021
Inflation rose to 6.2% in October, the highest level that United States consumers have experienced since 1990. Since inflation erodes…
Are Women Better Investors Than Men?
Are Women Better Investors Than Men? Investing & Retirement November 23rd, 2021
Close your eyes and picture the person in your life you'd ask if you needed investment advice. If that person…
Swimply allows you to rent your pool to other people for money.
Swimply Pool Rental Review: How It Works Make Money November 15th, 2021
Perhaps you've paid to stay at someone's house or fetched a ride by using one of the modern sharing economy…
The IRS increased the max 401(k) contribution for 2022 to $20,500.
IRS Announces 401(k) Contribution Limit Increase for 2022 Investing & Retirement November 5th, 2021
The Internal Revenue Service has announced that individuals will be allowed to contribute up to $20,500 to their 401(k) plans…
Raise allows users to buy and sell gift cards at a discount.
Raise Review: Buy & Sell Gift Cards Make Money November 4th, 2021
Do you want cash for gift cards you're not going to use? Or do you want a discount on a…
Buy and sell used gift cards with CardCash.
CardCash Review: How Big Are the Discounts? Make Money November 2nd, 2021
Do you have a stack of gift cards you received for a holiday or birthday but don't plan to use?…
MTurk Review: How to Make Money Online With Amazon Mechanical Turk
MTurk Review: How to Make Money Online With Amazon Mechanical Turk Jobs October 21st, 2021
If you've looked into ways to make money online, you've almost certainly come across Amazon Mechanical Turk. MTurk is perhaps…
Taking surveys for money can be a nice hobby, but the best online survey sites don't pay very much money.
Legit Online Surveys for Money: What I Earned Make Money October 19th, 2021
Completing online surveys for money sounds like a decent idea. At least it did to me before I spent time…
MyPoints is a survey and rewards site operated by Prodege that pays you with gift cards.
MyPoints Review: Online Surveys, Shopping Rewards Make Money October 13th, 2021
Do you like shopping with coupons and earning rewards? How about answering surveys for money? MyPoints, a rewards site that…
Klarna Review: How Does It Work?
Klarna Review: How Does It Work? Money & Credit October 12th, 2021
Need to shop but want to spread out your payments? Want to sample a product you find online before deciding…
Affirm's buy now, pay later service works with some of the nation's largest retailers.
Affirm Review: How Does It Work? Money & Credit October 2nd, 2021
Shopping online is more popular than ever; When COVID-19 hit the United States, millions of consumers turned to the internet…
Pay in 4 is PayPal's version of buy now, pay later. I'll explain how Pay in 4 works and whether it's legit.
How PayPal’s Pay in 4 Installment Plan Works Money & Credit October 1st, 2021
Online shopping and "buy now, pay later" are becoming more entrenched in American consumer culture. PayPal has moved to establish…
Clickworker review: Is Clickworker safe and legit, and how much money can you make with Clickworker?
Clickworker Review: How Much Money Can You Make? Make Money September 29th, 2021
If you're trying to make money online, half the challenge is sifting through the virtual mountain of potential opportunities to…
Walmart no longer offers layaway as a payment option. Instead, it has partnered with installment loan company Affirm.
Walmart Ditches Layaway in Favor of Affirm Money & Credit September 28th, 2021
Walmart will not offer layaway this year, ditching the popular interest-free payment plan in favor of Affirm. A prominent "buy…
Afterpay is a buy now, pay later service charges 0% interest.
How Does Afterpay Work? Money & Credit September 23rd, 2021
What if you could buy furniture, clothes or other household items by paying just 25% upfront? That's the basic premise…
Opinion Outpost Review: Is This Survey Site Legit?
Opinion Outpost Review: Is This Survey Site Legit? Make Money September 17th, 2021
If you want to make money by answering surveys online, Opinion Outpost is an option that will most likely turn…
InboxDollars review
InboxDollars Review: How Much Money Can You Make? Make Money September 9th, 2021
Do you dream about making money online at any time of the day while you relax by the pool or…
Honeygain review
Honeygain Review: Is This a Safe Option for Passive Income? Make Money September 1st, 2021
Honeygain's slogan is "Passive Income -- Effortlessly." That's pretty catchy and could be quite the lure. But what is Honeygain…
Wells Fargo decided to allow current customers to maintain personal lines of credit one month after the bank announced that it was shuttering all personal lines of credit.
Wells Fargo To Maintain Some Lines of Credit After Criticism Banks & Banking August 23rd, 2021
Wells Fargo announced in July that it was shuttering all personal lines of credit. This week, CNBC reported that the…
Swagbucks review
Swagbucks Review: How Much Money Can You Make? Make Money August 19th, 2021
If you're searching for ways to make money online, you've probably come across Swagbucks. The online rewards portal awards you…
Learn how to make money online as a teen as we explore the best online jobs for teens.
16 Ways To Make Money Online as a Teenager Make Money August 17th, 2021
Thanks to a booming digital economy, online jobs for teens are plentiful. If you're a teenager who wants to learn…
The best passive income ideas still take work, time and money.
23 Best Passive Income Ideas To Build Wealth Investing & Retirement August 11th, 2021
Passive income can help you achieve financial freedom and live the life of your dreams. Who doesn't want to get…
Cricket and Acorns have partnered to offer customers free investment money.
There’s a New Way To Invest Money: With Your Cell Phone Bill Budgeting & Saving August 9th, 2021
There's a new corporate partnership that can help consumers get a boost in their efforts to save and invest. If…
Robinhood's stock price soared dramatically less than a week after the fintech company announced its IPO.
What’s Happening With Robinhood’s Stock? Investing & Retirement August 6th, 2021
Robinhood's stock has sent investors and short-term traders into a frenzy less than one week after its IPO. Trading under…
Learn how to make quick money in one day with a list of ideas from Clark Howard.
Need Money: How To Make Quick Money in One Day Jobs August 3rd, 2021
Maybe you need money now, but your paycheck isn't hitting your bank account today. Or maybe you're just interested in…
The Dividend Aristocrats are some of the best dividend stocks because they've raised their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.
What Are Dividend Stocks and Should You Invest in Them? Investing & Retirement July 28th, 2021
Is building a dividend portfolio a good idea, and what are the best dividend stocks? In this article, I'll tell…
Money expert Clark Howard doesn't like investing in individual stocks.
Clark’s Take: Should You Invest in Stocks at All? Investing & Retirement July 12th, 2021
Money expert Clark Howard isn't a fan of investing in individual stocks. Clark thinks putting an outsized percentage of your…
Wells Fargo just stopped offering a personal line of credit to any of its customers.
Wells Fargo Is Closing All Personal Lines of Credit Banks & Banking July 11th, 2021
In a move that surely will make a negative impact on the credit score of some of its customers, Wells…
Use a compound interest calculator to figure out how much money you'll be able to make on your savings and investments.
How To Calculate Compound Interest Investing & Retirement July 9th, 2021
Whoever came up with the phrase, "It takes money to make money," was probably a big fan of compound interest.…
ETF vs. mutual fund may seem trivial but comes with serious tax implications.
ETF vs. Mutual Fund: Which Investment Is Better? Investing & Retirement July 1st, 2021
The difference between an ETF vs. a mutual fund may seem trivial, as both are available as part of professionally-managed…