Riley Clendenin

Riley Clendenin, a passionate guitarist who loves teaching, is on a mission to boost the Financial IQ of Millennials and Gen Z alongside his dad. Growing up in a family that valued both creativity and financial savvy, Riley learned early on that managing money wisely is a superpower—one that opens doors to freedom, opportunity, and peace of mind. Through engaging stories, practical advice, and real-world insights, Riley helps his generation build strong financial foundations without sacrificing the joy of living in the moment. Riley’s goal is simple: make money management approachable, relatable, and empowering for today’s young adults.

Swipe, Reject, Repeat— 11 Ways Dating Apps Are Destroying Your Chances And Your Soul

June 24, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

Constant swiping is rewiring how we see love, connection, and our own worth.

It starts out feeling like a game—quick, exciting, full of potential. But after a few dozen matches, unread messages, ghostings, and awkward meetups, the dopamine rush fades and the emotional fatigue sets in. Dating apps promised to bring people closer, but more often than not, they leave users feeling lonelier than ever. They’ve changed how we date, but they’ve also changed how we value ourselves and each other.

Modern romance has become a scrollable buffet of potential partners, making it easier to be picky and harder to connect. People ghost with zero explanation. Swipes replace conversations. Algorithms judge compatibility better than instincts. It’s a marketplace mindset, and it’s messing with how people build relationships. What feels like progress on the surface is actually sabotaging connection under the hood. These 11 points break down exactly how dating apps are quietly wrecking your love life—and why it’s not just bad for dating, but bad for your soul.

Era of Awkward— 10 Everyday Moments That Reveal We’re Forgetting How to Connect

June 24, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

We’re all online but lonelier than ever—and it shows in the little things.

Holding eye contact feels like a lost art. Striking up small talk seems more terrifying than skydiving. And somehow, asking a stranger for help in public has started to feel like a breach of social protocol. These moments used to be part of everyday life, but now they spark tension, hesitation, and that all-too-familiar awkwardness that makes people pull out their phones or pretend they’re busy.

It’s not that we’ve lost the ability to connect—we’ve just gotten rusty. Technology, isolation, and modern habits have quietly reshaped how we relate to each other. Genuine interactions feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable, and it’s starting to show in subtle but telling ways. These ten moments expose how disconnected we’ve become and how badly we need to re-learn the basics of being human together.

Before Smartphones— 13 Things Kids Today Will Never Understand

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

A world existed where boredom couldn’t be cured with a screen tap.

There was a time when kids had to survive long car rides without cartoons, make actual plans instead of just texting “here,” and memorize phone numbers like their lives depended on it. Childhood wasn’t about charging devices or updating apps—it was full of quirky routines and strange limitations that now feel like relics from another planet. For anyone born before the 2000s, it all made sense. But for today’s kids? It might as well be ancient history.

These little rituals shaped how people interacted, waited, played, and even got lost. While smartphones have certainly made life more efficient, they’ve quietly erased the need for a lot of everyday skills and habits that once defined youth. The sense of freedom came with a bit of danger, and the fun was often found in figuring things out without a screen. These 13 things were completely normal back then—but to modern kids, they sound borderline ridiculous.

Why No One Cooks Anymore—10 Fast Food Trends Changing Our Kitchens Forever

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

Drive-thru culture is rewriting the rules of home-cooked meals.

The smell of something simmering on the stove used to feel like the heartbeat of home. But now, the buzz of food delivery alerts and late-night snack runs has taken its place. Cooking—once a daily ritual—is starting to feel like a nostalgic memory. And it’s not because people don’t like food. It’s because the way we get it has completely transformed, and fast food trends are winning the convenience war.

With digital menus, lightning-fast delivery apps, and crave-worthy options on every corner, many people are ditching the cutting board and reaching for their phones instead. Fast food isn’t just about burgers and fries anymore—it’s gourmet milkshakes, vegan burritos, sushi bowls, and breakfast sandwiches delivered in minutes. These shifts are shaping how people eat, think about food, and even design their kitchens. These ten fast food trends are doing more than adding pounds—they’re changing the way we live, shop, and spend time together.

The Productivity Lie—9 ‘Hacks’ That Are Actually Making You Less Efficient

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

Trying to do more is often the exact reason you’re getting less done.

Productivity hacks used to sound like magic tricks—wake up earlier, drink more water, write to-do lists in three colors, and suddenly, your day would unfold like a dream. But somewhere along the way, these tips became gospel, and instead of helping, they started to backfire. What once felt like useful guidance has quietly morphed into a race to optimize every waking moment. And ironically, that obsession with doing more is making it harder to actually finish anything that matters.

These days, people are juggling planners, productivity apps, life hacks, and endless advice videos—all promising to streamline life and unlock potential. But it’s easy to get caught in a cycle where you’re always planning but rarely doing. You might even be working harder while accomplishing less. Not every productivity tip is a scam, but a lot of them create a false sense of progress that distracts you from real focus and flow. If your brain feels scattered and your to-do list only grows, it might be time to ditch the hacks and take a more honest look at what’s actually working. These nine popular tricks might just be slowing you down.

The Lost Art of Conversation—10 Reasons No One Knows How to Talk Anymore

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

Everyone’s talking, but no one’s really connecting anymore.

People have never had more ways to communicate, yet somehow, meaningful conversation is slipping through the cracks. Quick texts, comment threads, and voice notes are replacing genuine back-and-forth dialogue. Screens keep us connected, but they’ve also trained us to speak in headlines, scroll mid-sentence, and listen with only half an ear. As a result, something as simple as sitting down for a real, uninterrupted chat now feels almost radical.

Conversation used to be a skill, a kind of shared ritual. Now it’s something people avoid, rush through, or stumble over awkwardly. Many can’t tolerate silence, disagreement, or even basic small talk without reaching for a device. Attention spans are shorter, and face-to-face exchanges feel rare, even among close friends. The lost art of conversation isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about something deeper we’re all starting to miss. These ten shifts explain why meaningful talk is becoming a lost language.

Clickbait Overload— 10 Ways Social Media Is Warping Your Reality

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

Constant exposure to exaggerated headlines is rewiring how you think and feel.

Scrolling through your feed, it’s easy to get sucked into a headline that promises to shock, outrage, or blow your mind. These aren’t just harmless distractions—they’re carefully designed hooks built to hijack your attention. The more you see them, the more your brain starts expecting drama in every story, even when real life is far more nuanced.

Social media isn’t just feeding you information—it’s shaping how you perceive the world. Over time, it distorts your sense of proportion, making every topic feel like a crisis and every post a personal attack. It’s not just tiring—it’s changing how we think, connect, and react. These ten effects highlight just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Thanks for Nothing—12 Maddening Company Moves That Cause the Best Workers to Leave

June 23, 2025 by Riley Clendenin

High-performing employees don’t quit jobs—they quit the tone-deaf decisions that make their work unbearable.

Great employees usually don’t walk away because of a bad day or a stressful week. What really sends them packing are those maddening company choices that chip away at their motivation and insult their intelligence. It’s not about laziness or disloyalty—it’s about watching a place that once inspired them turn into a checklist of red flags. These people care, sometimes more than they should, which is exactly why they leave when leadership keeps missing the mark.

Smart companies know that talent is fragile. But some businesses still treat their top workers like replaceable cogs instead of people with goals, opinions, and limits. They push just a little too far, promise too much and deliver too little, or create a work culture that drains more than it supports. If you’ve ever felt the sting of being overlooked, overworked, or completely misunderstood at your job, these 12 maddening moves will probably sound familiar—and explain why the best people don’t stick around forever.