A Gift Worth Reading

When I was in third grade, my mom worked at a small diner near our house. Every morning before school, I’d walk there for breakfast and read the sports section of the Canton Repository. That habit stuck with me, and soon I was arriving early to school just to read the newspaper in the library.

I wasn’t the best student, but if they had quizzed me on what was going on in the world, I’d like to think I’d have aced the test.

Newspapers became such a big part of my routine that, even when I was pinching pennies, I always made room in the budget for subscriptions. While I was living in Long Beach, California, in a small studio apartment above a garage on an alley, I subscribed to multiple newspapers. One of them was a printed edition of an out-of-town newspaper: the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

For me, reading the newspaper wasn’t just about staying informed—it became a cornerstone of how I approach life. It helped me make better decisions and, ultimately, live a more fulfilling life.

That’s why, when a friend’s daughter was graduating from college, Rachel and I were brainstorming gift ideas. We decided on cash, but I also suggested a digital subscription to a major newspaper. I was hoping it would provide her with valuable insights to help guide her in life’s big decisions.

If I had to recommend three articles to help Laura make smarter, more informed choices in her next phase of life, here’s what I’d choose:

Learn the Secret Ingredients to Doubling Your Money–Time: In his New York Times article, Jeff Sommer interviews Charlie D. Ellis about his new book, Rethinking Investing: A Very Short Guide to Very Long-Term Investing. The key takeaway? Ignore the fear-driven headlines and focus on the long-term. If you invest with decades in mind, today’s threats to the stock market won’t matter much. Instead, we should focus on “the remarkable record of compounded, reinvested stock returns over many decades.”

The article offers striking data about compounding: If you had invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 sixty years ago and reinvested all your dividends, you’d have nearly $390,000 today. That’s the exponential power of time at work.

Discover the Quiet Power of Walking: In his Athletic article, Rustin Dodd writes about how Bruce Bochy, a Major League Baseball manager and a lifelong walker, discovered the value of walking. His long, peaceful walks gave him time to think—about lineup decisions, game strategy, and tough conversations with players.

After a tough loss to Milwaukee, while managing San Francisco, he decided to take a four-mile walk back to the team’s hotel. When he arrived, he realized how much better he felt. Walking became his routine and allowed him to explore many cities and neighborhoods of San Francisco during his career.

But Bochy is not alone. Steve Jobs, the former Apple CEO, held walking meetings. It has been said that Ernest Hemingway walked along the Seine in Paris to find relief from writer’s block.

Build a Financial Life That Actually Makes Sense: Jonathan Clements is one of the clearest, most practical voices in personal finance. I’ve followed his columns in The Wall Street Journal for years, and his advice has helped shape how I handle money.

In Want to Bolster Your Finances? Follow These 25 Principles—a standout piece from his book The Best of Jonathan Clements: Classic Columns on Money and Life—he touches on everything from investing to insurance to home ownership. One line always stuck with me:

“Don’t invest in a vacuum. If you are dutifully saving for a long and active retirement, it makes no sense to smoke, drink heavily, and never exercise.”

It’s a great reminder that financial health doesn’t mean much if your physical health is falling apart.

This article doesn’t just tell you what to do with your money; but it shows you how to think about your money.

Newspapers taught me how to think and how to make better decisions. I hope Laura finds the same value in her subscription. And if one day she finds herself walking to clear her head, investing for the long haul, or quoting a finance column to a friend—I’ll know that gift was exactly what she needed.