Matthew Lesko Net Worth

What is Matthew Lesko's Net Worth?

Matthew Lesko is an American author and television personality who has a net worth of $2 million. Matthew Lesko is known for his books and television infomercials telling people how they can allegedly get free money from the United States government. Due to his signature range of colorful suits covered with question marks, he has been dubbed the Question Mark Guy.

Early Life and Education

Matthew Lesko was born on May 11, 1943, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He has Slovak ancestry. For his higher education, Lesko went to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from which he earned his bachelor's degree. Upon his graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy and went on to serve as a navigator aboard the USS Oxford in the South China Sea during the Vietnam War. After returning from his service, Lesko attended graduate school at American University in Washington, DC, and obtained his Master of Business Administration degree.

Career Beginnings

Lesko began his career designing computerized information systems. In 1975, he quit that job and co-founded the information business Washington Researchers with his wife, Leila. The company got off to a slow start, but it eventually picked up steam by sending out a professional newsletter instructing corporate clients about government programs. By 1979, Washington Researchers employed around 30 people in its DC office. Lesko subsequently began publishing directories of government information sources, such as the Researcher's Guide to Washington, and conducting seminars on how to access information from the government.

Books

Through his company, Information USA, Lesko published numerous reference books advising people on how to get free money from the United States government. Among his first books were "Getting Yours: The Complete Guide to Government Money" and "Information US." In 1994, Lesko published the first book in his signature "Free Money" series, entitled "Free College Money, Term Papers, and Sex Ed." Subsequent titles in the series include "Free Health Care, Free Medical Information, and Free Prescription Drugs" (1995); "Free Stuff for Busy Moms!" (1999); "Free Money and Help for Women Entrepreneurs" (2000); "Free Money to Pay Your Bills" (2003); "Free Money to Quit Your Job" (2004); and "Free Money for Entrepreneurs" (2005). Lesko has also published such books as "Lesko's Info-Power," "Gobs and Gobs of Free Stuff," and "American Benefits for Seniors: Getting the Most Out of Your Retirement."

(Photo by CHARLES BJORGEN/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Television Appearances

Lesko gained additional notoriety for his appearances hawking his brand on television. He starred in several commercials and infomercials wearing a range of colorful suits covered in question marks while promoting his products in a high-speed, high-pitched voice. The question mark motif extended to his transportation, as well, appearing on his family cars and his scooter. Because of this, Lesko earned the sobriquet the Question Mark Guy. Lesko also gave many interviews wearing his signature suits, showing up everywhere from local morning shows to the bright lights of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Criticism

Lesko has been roundly derided for making misleading and exaggerated claims in his books and advertisements. In 2004, a report by the New York State Consumer Protection Board stated that most of the grants mentioned in Lesko's books are, in fact, public assistance programs that many people are not even eligible for. Moreover, the CPB claimed that he misrepresented examples of people who had benefited from government programs. In 2005, Lesko was named in Bernard Goldberg's book "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America." Later, in a 2007 interview with the Washington Post, Lesko admitted that he cobbled his books together by lifting from government guides to grants and loans. He conceded that he plagiarized the entirety of his first book, and later added, "I get stuff for free and I sell it for as much as I can get."

Personal Life

Matthew's wife, Wendy Schaetzel Lesko, has founded a number of youth activism non-profits, such as Students Practicing and Respecting Knowledge, Youth Activism Project, and her most recent, Youth Infusion. Matthew and Wendy have two sons, Morgan and Max. In Max's NYTimes wedding announcement, his father was described as the "founder of Information U.S.A., a company based in Rockville, Md., that educates the public on alternative sources of funding and free services in America."

Real Estate

In August 1989, Matthew paid $358,200 for a home in Kensington, Maryland. He continues to own this home, and today it is worth around $1.3 million.

In March 2018, Matthew and Wendy paid $399,000 for a condo in Washington, D.C. that today is worth around $500,000.

In 2004, a 4-acre property in Aspen, Colorado, changed title from Wendy Schaetzel's mother, Imogen, to Wendy and her mother together. Wendy's mother died in 2014. That same year, the undeveloped plot of land was put on the market for $2.75 million. In sold in October 2015 for $1.7 million.

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