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 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 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,

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.

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.

Think about the four or five happiest retirees you know. Do they have anything in common? For instance, they might share some of these attributes:

Enough wealth
Sufficient monthly income from a pension, income annuities and Social Security
Companionship
Friends and family nearby
Good health
Strong faith
Activities that give them a sense of purpose

Or is it simply that these folks are innately happy people?

“I am thinking of you today because it is Christmas, and I wish you happiness. And tomorrow, because it will be the day after Christmas, I shall still wish you happiness.
I may not be able to tell you about this every day, because I may be far away or we may be very busy, but that makes no difference—because my thoughts and my wishes will be with you just the same.
Whatever joy or success comes to you will make me glad.

Jonathan was interviewed by Christine Benz on The Long View podcast produced by Morningstar which can be found anywhere podcast are found or here:
Jonathan Clements: ‘Life Is Full of Small Pleasures’ | Morningstar

I never thought about becoming ultra rich. I just wanted enough money to feel financially secure and not have to think about stretching every dollar. I reached my goal, but found that the most important thing money can provide is personal freedom. However, earning or having a lot of money is not liberating to everyone.
it’s all too easy for us to fall into the trap of spending too little money. Once we have worked hard or smart for many years to create income,

I thought it might be interesting to ponder the things about our lives we are perfectly content with and would not change regardless of money.
If you received an unexpected inheritance of $20 million, would you move to a different house/location?  Would you drive a different vehicle?  Would you eat or dress differently?  I don’t think I would.  I’m living exactly where and how I want to live.  Of course, this is easy to say now.