diff --git a/lib/cert-info.js b/lib/cert-info.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50bd31c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/cert-info.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var certInfo = module.exports;
+
+// this is really memory expensive to do
+// (about half of a megabyte of loaded code)
+certInfo._pemToBinAb  = function (pem) {
+  var b64 = pem.replace(/(-----(BEGIN|END) CERTIFICATE-----|[\n\r])/g, '');
+  var buf = Buffer(b64, 'base64');
+  var ab = new Uint8Array(buf).buffer;          // WORKS
+  //var ab = buf.buffer                         // Doesn't work
+
+  return ab;
+};
+certInfo.getCertInfo = function (pem) {
+  var ab = module.exports._pemToBinAb(pem);
+  var merge = require("node.extend");
+
+  var common = require("asn1js/org/pkijs/common");
+  var _asn1js = require("asn1js");
+  var _pkijs = require("pkijs");
+  var _x509schema = require("pkijs/org/pkijs/x509_schema");
+
+  // #region Merging function/object declarations for ASN1js and PKIjs
+  var asn1js = merge(true, _asn1js, common);
+
+  var x509schema = merge(true, _x509schema, asn1js);
+
+  var pkijs_1 = merge(true, _pkijs, asn1js);
+  var pkijs = merge(true, pkijs_1, x509schema);
+
+  var asn1 = pkijs.org.pkijs.fromBER(ab);
+  var certSimpl = new pkijs.org.pkijs.simpl.CERT({ schema: asn1.result });
+
+  return certSimpl;
+};
+
+certInfo.getCertInfoFromFile = function (pemFile) {
+  return require('fs').readFileSync(pemFile, 'ascii');
+};
+
+certInfo.testGetCertInfo = function () {
+  var path = require('path');
+  var pemFile = path.join(__dirname, '..', 'tests', 'example.cert.pem');
+  return certInfo.getCertInfo(certInfo.getCertInfoFromFile(pemFile));
+};
+
+if (require.main === module) {
+  var c = certInfo.testGetCertInfo();
+
+  console.log('');
+
+  console.log(c.notBefore.value);
+  console.log(Date(c.notBefore.value).valueOf());
+
+  console.log('');
+
+  console.log(c.notAfter.value);
+  console.log(Date(c.notAfter.value).valueOf());
+
+  console.log('');
+}
diff --git a/lib/core.js b/lib/core.js
index f3be4fb..e6b673e 100644
--- a/lib/core.js
+++ b/lib/core.js
@@ -222,6 +222,10 @@ function writeCertificateAsync(args, defaults, handlers) {
 
     return writeRenewalConfig(args);
   }).then(function () {
+    var getCertInfo = require('./cert-info').getCertInfo;
+
+    // TODO on memory-constrained systems this is a bad idea
+    var certInfo = getCertInfo(result.cert);
 
     return {
       certPath: certPath
@@ -240,7 +244,8 @@ function writeCertificateAsync(args, defaults, handlers) {
       // especially this one... might be cert only, might be fullchain
     , cert: result.cert
 
-    , issuedAt: Date.now()
+    , issuedAt: Date(certInfo.notBefore.value).valueOf() // Date.now()
+    , expiresAt: Date(certInfo.notAfter.value).valueOf()
     , lifetime: defaults.lifetime || handlers.lifetime
     };
   });
diff --git a/tests/example.cert.pem b/tests/example.cert.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9470c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/example.cert.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----