Rest in peace Jonathan. It was a privilege to read you all these many years. I know you only through your writing, and yet, I feel a loss of a friend, and a true, decent and brilliant writer.
Elaine, thank you for this update during this difficult time for your family. I too have Jonathan to thank for his guidance these past 25 years. (His book was the first financial book I ever purchased. The advice I gleaned from it has served me well all this time. My thoughts and best wishes are with you, Jonathan and his family.
Hi Eileen, thanks for the pin idea! It's great to have a goal; it will keep me on track this upcoming winter. I too hope to keep going for at least another 20 years too.
Moshe, thank you for the interesting question: I am a recent retiree (6 months) and my favorite purchase has been a Concept 2 Rowing machine: I had been using a rowing machine at my school, but for my retirement, my wife bought me my own. I use it 5 - 6 days a week (5k distance each time) and at 62, I feel more fit and strong than when I was 40. I watch a soccer or basketball game and the 25 minutes fly by. Here is an article that gives me inspiration: https://peterattiamd.com/93-year-old-rowing-champion/ . I also enjoy live music, and had a great time with my family going to various concerts this past year.
I will admit that I have not travelled much (although I hope to change that now that I have retired from work), but one place I would recommend would be to attend a concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA. For those of you who enjoy live music, this has been my favorite place to see a concert. There are great views of the Bay Area, especially once the sun goes down. The anticipation before the main act begins is always a great feeling. The experience is even better if you plan ahead and book a room within walking distance of the theater. My favorite is the Graduate Hotel on Durant Street. Thanks for the question Jonathan.
I too still have my copy of 25 Myths You’ve Got to Avoid- If You Want To Manage Your Money Right; Jonathan, please know that you have helped so many people with your intellect, insight, and advice. I wish you and your family the best during this time.
Thank you for the article Allison. As a fellow educator, I often tell people that are interested in teaching that having a defined benefit pension is one of the most enticing things about the profession. And that a couple who are both educators and both contribute to a 403B should be okay financially in retirement. As I get ready to retire this year, I am hopeful that my pension should cover close to 80% of my expenses in retirement, with the rest covered by my wife's social security benefit, since teachers in California do not receive SS. Best of luck to both of you in your retirement.
When I married my current wife in 1991, we were both working. I was a teacher and she worked for the county government. Our first child was born in 1994 and our second in 1996. We both continued to work and it was doable because our mother in law provided day care for our children at a very reasonable rate (bless her heart, she loved her grandkids) and we were both very frugal with our spending. When our third child was born in 2001, and my oldest was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, my wife and I decided that we would have her stay at home to raise the kids. We were the rare family that did this and I agree with Sal C., it was because of the choices we made. I became an administrator and raised my salary, and we grew comfortable with the financial choices that made it possible for us to get by on one salary. We went on camping vacations, kept our two cars until they could not run, and delayed upgrades to the house. I feel that our children were fortunate to have their mom around to volunteer at their school, take them and their friends on playdates, and be able to chaperone on their field trips. I believe that many of my colleagues would have preferred to have one parent stay at home, but most of them chose to have a two income family. Who is to say which way was better. Thank you for the article Richard and the conversation.
I think our definition of enough changes as we age. When I was a young man having "enough" was the amount of money necessary to experience life, like having enough money to see U2 in concert, to take a girl out on a nice date, to buy a house, to take the family on vacation, to pay for tuition, etc... Now that I am older, I spend much more time thinking about having enough, so that I don't have to worry about money after I decide to retire from work.(12 months, but who's counting :)
Thank you Mike for the recommendations. I enjoy listening to Down the Middle. It is a monthly podcast that is both informative and easy to understand. It is from a management firm called Creative Planning and hosted by the president of the firm and this up and coming financial writer.
Comments
Rest in peace Jonathan. It was a privilege to read you all these many years. I know you only through your writing, and yet, I feel a loss of a friend, and a true, decent and brilliant writer.
Post: Farewell Friends
Link to comment from September 23, 2025
Elaine, thank you for this update during this difficult time for your family. I too have Jonathan to thank for his guidance these past 25 years. (His book was the first financial book I ever purchased. The advice I gleaned from it has served me well all this time. My thoughts and best wishes are with you, Jonathan and his family.
Post: Jonathan and website update
Link to comment from September 21, 2025
Hi Eileen, thanks for the pin idea! It's great to have a goal; it will keep me on track this upcoming winter. I too hope to keep going for at least another 20 years too.
Post: What Purchases Have Been Worth It?
Link to comment from February 23, 2025
Moshe, thank you for the interesting question: I am a recent retiree (6 months) and my favorite purchase has been a Concept 2 Rowing machine: I had been using a rowing machine at my school, but for my retirement, my wife bought me my own. I use it 5 - 6 days a week (5k distance each time) and at 62, I feel more fit and strong than when I was 40. I watch a soccer or basketball game and the 25 minutes fly by. Here is an article that gives me inspiration: https://peterattiamd.com/93-year-old-rowing-champion/ . I also enjoy live music, and had a great time with my family going to various concerts this past year.
Post: What Purchases Have Been Worth It?
Link to comment from February 17, 2025
I will admit that I have not travelled much (although I hope to change that now that I have retired from work), but one place I would recommend would be to attend a concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA. For those of you who enjoy live music, this has been my favorite place to see a concert. There are great views of the Bay Area, especially once the sun goes down. The anticipation before the main act begins is always a great feeling. The experience is even better if you plan ahead and book a room within walking distance of the theater. My favorite is the Graduate Hotel on Durant Street. Thanks for the question Jonathan.
Post: First Place
Link to comment from September 6, 2024
I too still have my copy of 25 Myths You’ve Got to Avoid- If You Want To Manage Your Money Right; Jonathan, please know that you have helped so many people with your intellect, insight, and advice. I wish you and your family the best during this time.
Post: The C Word
Link to comment from June 15, 2024
Thank you for the article Allison. As a fellow educator, I often tell people that are interested in teaching that having a defined benefit pension is one of the most enticing things about the profession. And that a couple who are both educators and both contribute to a 403B should be okay financially in retirement. As I get ready to retire this year, I am hopeful that my pension should cover close to 80% of my expenses in retirement, with the rest covered by my wife's social security benefit, since teachers in California do not receive SS. Best of luck to both of you in your retirement.
Post: My Money Education
Link to comment from October 24, 2023
When I married my current wife in 1991, we were both working. I was a teacher and she worked for the county government. Our first child was born in 1994 and our second in 1996. We both continued to work and it was doable because our mother in law provided day care for our children at a very reasonable rate (bless her heart, she loved her grandkids) and we were both very frugal with our spending. When our third child was born in 2001, and my oldest was diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, my wife and I decided that we would have her stay at home to raise the kids. We were the rare family that did this and I agree with Sal C., it was because of the choices we made. I became an administrator and raised my salary, and we grew comfortable with the financial choices that made it possible for us to get by on one salary. We went on camping vacations, kept our two cars until they could not run, and delayed upgrades to the house. I feel that our children were fortunate to have their mom around to volunteer at their school, take them and their friends on playdates, and be able to chaperone on their field trips. I believe that many of my colleagues would have preferred to have one parent stay at home, but most of them chose to have a two income family. Who is to say which way was better. Thank you for the article Richard and the conversation.
Post: Two Paychecks Needed
Link to comment from October 17, 2023
I think our definition of enough changes as we age. When I was a young man having "enough" was the amount of money necessary to experience life, like having enough money to see U2 in concert, to take a girl out on a nice date, to buy a house, to take the family on vacation, to pay for tuition, etc... Now that I am older, I spend much more time thinking about having enough, so that I don't have to worry about money after I decide to retire from work.(12 months, but who's counting :)
Post: How would you define “enough”?
Link to comment from May 6, 2023
Thank you Mike for the recommendations. I enjoy listening to Down the Middle. It is a monthly podcast that is both informative and easy to understand. It is from a management firm called Creative Planning and hosted by the president of the firm and this up and coming financial writer.
Post: Listen Up
Link to comment from May 12, 2022