Happiness

Costa Rica is a beautiful country, but even more beautiful are its people: Kind, welcoming and almost always smiling. Joey and I had never visited before, and we couldn’t wait to discover a country that so many had spoken fondly about.
Among the excursions we’d booked was a white-water rafting trip. Our guide Carlos who was in his twenties expertly navigated the rapids, ensuring each stretch of river was as exhilarating as the last. Between the bursts of adrenaline,

THE OTHER DAY, WHILE walking to my mailbox, I noticed a summer class schedule for a private gifted youth academy lying on the ground. I assumed it belonged to one of my neighbors, who has elementary-aged children.
Their interest in extra academics didn’t surprise me. Many families move to this area because of its excellent schools. Parents here clearly value education. On any given day, it’s common to hear children practicing the piano or violin as you walk through the neighborhood.

The Kindle version of Jonathan’s Money & Me has appeared in my Kindle Online Amazon library a few minutes into the early hours of 5/26/2026. I am looking forward to reading it.

I WAS 48 years old when the judgement was final and the papers were signed. My former wife and I split our net worth 50/50. There were no arguments over household items like furniture; I didn’t care about that stuff. Pam gladly accepted my proposal that she keep the house, and all its equity, in exchange for me keeping an offsetting amount of the IRAs and my 401(k), a very good move for my future self.

I was reading a 3/6/2026 article on Advisor Perspectives about the most-read articles of February 2026. That article had noted that Allan Roth’s article titled ” Money, Investing & Happiness” as the blog’s most-read article of last month.
In that article Mr. Roth wrote “Johnathan Clements did more research on the subject of money and happiness than anyone I’m aware of. He asserted that we should use our money to purchase experiences,

ACCORDING TO THE World Happiness Report, Finland ranks as the happiest nation in the world, a title it’s held for eight years in a row.
Each time this report is updated, it makes the news for a day or two but then fades. That’s for good reason, I think. As much as Finland might be a nice place, it isn’t necessarily practical to suggest that anyone pick up and move.
The good news, though,

FOR DECADES, RESEARCHERS have been looking at the link between money and happiness. The findings? In short, it’s a mixed bag.
To be sure, there are ways that money can boost happiness, and below are some ideas to consider. But there are also obstacles to contend with. We’ll look first at the obstacles before turning to the recommendations. 
The most significant challenge is the fact that—to a great extent—our happiness level is hard-wired into us.

The old adage “money can’t buy you happiness” is a concise articulation of a simple truth: there are much more important things in life than the accumulation of riches. A reminder of the shortcomings of wealth can be a positive step toward embracing other, more meaningful uses of our time rather than focusing on the value of one’s portfolio and constant low-level worry about the markets. And, after all, we all love a little list.
So what are these intrinsic values,

I’m heading back to my vacation home today for a short break, maybe ten days or so. My grandkids and family will follow in a few days, and we’ll all be together for Halloween.
Over the last few years, my holiday neighbourhood and the local community have built something special: a two-day Halloween festival that’s snowballed into quite the event. There’s a fancy dress parade, a ghoulish disco party, and a spectacular fireworks display launched from the harbour by professional pyrotechnicians.

WE LOST A brilliant mind and generous writer, Jonathan Clements, whose words guided thousands on life, finance, and happiness. Even as he faced the unimaginable, he continued sharing wisdom with clarity, humor, and humanity.
I wanted to take some time and dig into Jonathan’s earliest posts on HumbleDollar. Posts that even the most loyal readers may not have read. With that, I also summarized some main takeaways and learnings that can help us all better navigate our own complex lives.

Thank you Peter for posting on August 29, 2025
Looking Back on Jonathan Clements’ Best Moments

I stole the idea for this essay from our very own Mr Quinn and in particular from a short reply I gave him. Sorry about that, Richard.
Have you ever thought about how your view of wealth shifts depending on who’s around you? I have, and my experience with two different homes offers a peek into the complex world of social comparison. I’ve found that contentment isn’t about what you have, but the context you see it in.

I like earning money. I like having it. I like giving it away. Still, it’s worth asking: How important is money?
Yes, money can pay for the necessities we all need—food, shelter, transport—and more of it has the potential to buy us a better life. The necessities are obviously (ahem) necessary. But what about the frills that more money can buy us?
That discretionary spending has the potential to bring big smiles. Still, it’s hard to imagine that these frills would do much to offset,

I have decided to post this as a separate post, not to distract from Jonathan’s post today, but to further explore the concept of what makes not an individual, but a country happy. If a country is happier as a whole it seems intuitive that the individuals in said country would be happier as well.
I have received some of my highest negative net rating in the past for posting these facts on Humble Dollar but since I am a glutton for punishment will post these facts again:
Every year World Population Review ranks the happiest countries.

AMERICA’S HAPPINESS plunged during the pandemic. I’d assumed that survey result was an aberration, and perhaps that’ll still prove to be the case. But recovery sure hasn’t come quickly.
There was no General Social Survey in 2020, when COVID-19 struck. But the following year’s survey found that just 19% of Americans described themselves as very happy—the lowest reading since the survey was first conducted in 1972. The “very happy” group rose to 25% in 2022,