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Dear Humble Dollar community,
My beloved husband, Jonathan, is currently in end-of-life hospice care. While he shared with you that I would be administering the website, I am choosing to forgo this task with his blessing. Going forward, the site will be administered by Bogdan Sheremeta, who has authored several recent forum posts and who has many more to come.
In the months ahead, all subscribers will begin receiving the Humble Dollar newsletter from the following email address: newsletter@humbledollar.com (rather than from Jonathan’s personal email). Some subscribers will receive the newsletter beginning this week. The idea is to gradually introduce this change to ensure that all subscribers receive the email. So please look for sender Humble Dollar.
Jonathan so wants Humber Dollar to live on. In fact, he has written a series of reflective posts that will appear at various times during the next 16 months. But it is up to all of you to continue to participate in the Forum, share your personal finance wisdom, and so much more. Bogdan will now moderate all comments and preserve Jonathan’s spirit, integrity and values while sharing more about himself, his personal finance journey, and his expertise.
Death, be not proud
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
By John Donne
Thank you Elaine for the update. I have since heard Jonathon passed. Sincere condolences.
I found Jonathon reading the WSJ years ago. I emailed him a few times with comments and questions and he always responded. He encouraged me to invest in index funds and keep investing expenses low. Thanks to his advice and encouragement I am happily retired with ample funds for me and my family to enjoy life.
life well done Jonathon! You made a difference! I will pay it forward and encourage others to invest wisely the way Jonathon encouraged me.
Elaine has posted an update here:
https://humbledollar.com/forum/farewell-friends/
Thanks Jonathan for your gift of this site and your wisdom to us all.
& thanks Elaine for sharing him with us in the past year or so.
Be sure his legacy is immense.
Thank you, Jonathan, for sharing your expertise and wisdom. You are a model of dignity.
I am very saddened to hear this update about Jonathan. As much as we all admire his knowledge and writing about personal finance, I most admire the brave and dignified way he (and you) has handled this terrible diagnosis. We all know people who have faced terminal health “decrees” and each of them (and their family and friends around them) handles these differently. I truly appreciate the open and positive way Jonathan and you have continued to make this community part of his legacy and I have no doubt that we will continue to keep this amazing site vibrant and growing in the future. Wishing no more pain for Jonathan and continued strength for you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
I am writing this through tears. Jonathan is a tremendous person, and his writing has helped me gain so much knowledge, to no end.
if love and thoughts could only help you, Elaine dear, you should have all the strength of both that I can give. Your sorrow during all this time—and now—is in my heart and all my prayers and thoughts are with you and Jonathan’s family. You must be so proud to be Jonathan’s wife.
I’m very sorry to hear of the hospice care that Jonathan is now in. May God Bless and Keep Jonathan out of pain. Thank you Jonathan as I loved your Humble Dollar. I will continue to read the articles.
To the family and Elaine my prayers to all of you. I’ve gone through this as my Dad passed of cancer. Take one day at a time. Live in the now! May God Bless all of you.
take care Greg Winnipeg, Mb Canada
I’ve followed Jonathan since his WSJ days and always had tremendous respect for his knowledge and sensibility. However, since his diagnosis, I’ve gained an even greater admiration for him as a person. Elaine, I wish you and the kids comfort during this challenging time and mostly I wish Jonathan peace and no more pain.
Sad, I think we all wanted Jonathan to be around forever, having always benefited from his wisdom & writing. In my opinion, he is one of the best personal finance writers as he always made concepts, even complex ones, clear, concise & easy to read/understand while always engaging the reader.
Hi Elaine,
I hope you know that you, Jonathan, Hannah and Henry (mentioned often in his writing), brothers, his Mom, family and close friends are in the thoughts of many reader friends around the world that Jonathan has made by his sharing of himself and his wonderful writing and good advice through the years. As his enjoyable writing emphasized the truly “personal” part of personal finance as opposed to trends, most of his writing is truly timeless and will continue to help generations of people over time. His kindness, humor and caring for others are traits you have seen personally, but they are certainly in evidence in his writing. I hope you take some comfort that in addition to your wonderful memories of good times, you will always have his words to turn to and inspire you as well. Prayers and wishes for peace and strength to you all.
Our thoughts are with you. Wishing peace to the entire family.
And a special salute to you, Elaine, for your strength and courage in this terrible time. There is no greater gift than to shepherd a loved one through his final stages of life. Be sure to take care of yourself as you take care of your husband.
Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my family. We are eternally grateful for all of the advice and counsel you’ve given us over the years. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Godspeed
Hi Elaine, I am keeping Jonathan and your family in our thoughts during this difficult time! Jonathan is an amazing person and we appreciate everything he has done!
I started reading Jonathan several decades ago. I’m now 76 and retired 12 years. Most of the success I’ve had in planning for and living in retirement can be attributed to Jonathan’s advice, guidance and writing over the years. What a superb person. Wishing him and his family great peace.
Jonathan, you will continue to have huge impact on so many through your articles. Thanks for everything you have done. We are fortunate to have known you. Wishing you peace.
Thank you for sharing this sad news. I too have been a fan of Jonathan’s writing since his WSJ days and like countless others on this site and elsewhere have greatly benefited from his wisdom and ability to make sometimes complex topics easy to understand. He has indeed made a difference and will be missed. All my best to you and your family during this difficult time.
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.
I appreciate the commitment to this forum. Jonathan will live on in the hearts and minds of all participants. Know that there are many of us out here who feel deeply for you both. I hope that you are able to weather this sorrowful time and the immediate future will at least be free of any added complications and difficulties for you.
Jonathan. Your words live on. God bless.
You’re both in my thoughts.
Like others I want to add my thoughts and prayers for you and your family. I have followed Jonathan since his WSJ days. He has given me many hours of countless enjoyment. When I think of a word about this site he created, humanity is what comes to mind. People talking about their successes, areas they came up short and just daily musings. He has made an impact on many people’s life. There is not much higher compliment that can be paid.God bless.
Harold
I have never contributed to the forum, but have greatly benefited from these pages… Through these pages I met our financial planner who has benefited our family greatly. For this I am so grateful to Jonathan. Praying for your peace and understanding in these difficult times for the Clements family.
Thank you Elaine for your courage and support during this difficult time. Give our best to Jonathan, and let him know all our prayers and hearts are with him and you and the family. Please make sure you let Jonathan know we appreciate everything he has done for the Humble community, we will miss him dearly. Peace and God Bless.
I was late to discover HD, coming on board when the NYT wrote an article on Jonathan back in July of 2024 but have found it a wonderful source of information and “real life” experiences. My heart is heavy reading this update — I wish peace for the whole family.
Thanks Elaine for the up date. I was a always an enlightening experience reading Jonathan’s books and especially his posts. I will miss his unique way passing along information.
I have thanked Jonathan on several occasions for his wisdom and insight. His body of work (and that of a rarefied few others) gave me the confidence to oversee my own finances profitably, avoid traps, and get to retirement in good shape. Foremost, Jonathan’s integrity and good will toward his readers are unquestioned. Thank you, Elaine, for keeping the flame alive and for your role in Jonathan’s professional success. I will keep your family in my prayers.
Elaine, thank you for the update. May God comfort you and your family. I appreciate this Forum and Jonathan greatly.
I am eternally grateful to Jonathan for all he has contributed to my life but I also want to thank you Elaine for helping to keep HD going. I was very saddened by Jonathan’s news last May and I think of him and his family on a daily basis. Wishing you courage and strength during this difficult time.
Elaine, thank you for taking the time to provide this update during this difficult time for your family. I have the utmost respect for Jonathan’s work and share his desire that the Humble Dollar community spirit endures.
Thank you Elaine for this update. May God give you peace during this difficult time. Thank you Jonathan for everything you did with HumbleDollar.
Thanks again, Jonathan.
The most meaningful way that we can live on after we’re gone is to impact the lives of others. I very much hope that you can take solace in knowing that Jonathan has had a positive impact on the lives of literally thousands of people. Your family is in my thoughts.
So sad to hear this. Several years ago, Jonathan generously spoke with my daughter (an aspiring journalist) for well over an hour to assist her with a grad school project. He’s always been a top bloke in my mind since then – and a great role model for my daughter. Wishing his entire family well.
Honesty is the strongest virtue and Johnath humbly extolled that virtue as a special financial advisor and advocate for honesty in finance. God bless him and prayers and strength to carry on that legacy. Thank you Elaine.
Bereft of words, Elaine and family, but full of thoughts and well wishes for you.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Jonathan, and your family. I am grateful for Humble Dollar and Jonathan’s timeless insights on finance and life…and a place where we can exchange thoughts and ideas. Many of my morning walks have been spent reflecting on Jonathan’s deeper questions about life. Thank you, Jonathan. (And thank you for your generous future posts.)
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for your strength in such a trying time. Please convey my gratitude to Jonathan for his successful life’s work providing thoughtful, sensible, and practical financial education and advice to so many of us.
Many aspire to leave the world a better place through our life in it. Jonathan showed so many of us the incredible power of humility, simplicity & diligence. Thank you for your heroic guidance.
Elaine,
Thank you for the update. May God give you peace and comfort during this difficult time. I always enjoy the newsletter and hope that it will continue with the same spirit and content.
Jerry
Jonathan, your generosity, caring and sharing have made and will continue to make a difference in my life and many others. Blessings and grace to you and your family. Pamela
Elaine, thank you for the update. Jonathan’s legacy will live on through this forum and the knowledge and wisdom he has imparted over the years. Please thank him for all of us.
Wishing you, Jonathan and your family peace during this difficult time in your lives.
Elaine,
I want to thank you for updating us during such a difficult time for you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
I am terribly sorry to hear this news. His wisdom and love will live on.
So sorry to hear this, Elaine. Jonathan has helped so many people, and his dedication during this difficult time is an amazing example of his kind and giving spirit. Sad but thankful, like everyone else whose life has been made better through his giving. Prayers to you and your family.
Thank you, Ms. Clements, for this update. Thank you, Jonathan, for enriching my life, and that of so many, with your wisdom.
I’m sorry to hear of Jonathan’s latest status. Please let him know that I’m another of the many who have benefited from his guidance over so many years.
I am so sorry to hear this news.
Jonathan’s wisdom and insights have been a tremendous blessing to so many people over the years. He will be deeply missed by this wonderful community he founded.
His wisdom will live on in our minds through the words he wrote. His strength of character and purpose will endure in our hearts because of the unselfishness and courage he showed after he was diagnosed with cancer. And his voice will continue to be heard through the legacy of straightforward advice he gave to all of us, which he would want us to freely share with other individuals who need and can benefit from what he taught his readers throughout his life.
I pray he will experience little pain in his last days, and for a peaceful passing.
Jonathan – Thank you for touching the lives of so so many in such a deeply profound way. Myself included.
So sorry. I feel that humble dollar was always more about wisdom than money and that is because of Jonathan.
Jonathan,
So sorry to receive that news. You have touched so many. Thanks.
So sorry to hear this very few people have had the ability to reach so many on such an important subject. You are one of them.
Godspeed
Jonathan you made a difference. Thanks.
I am so sorry. I am grateful to Jonathan for sharing his wisdom over the years. My thoughts are with you and Jonathan and his family.
I am at a complete loss for words other than “Thanks Jonathan”
I knew this announcement would come, and dreaded it. Please take all these positive comments and find a way to convey them to Jonathan. He’s made a difference in countless lives.
Thank you Jonathan for the decades of financial wisdom you imparted. The lives of many thousands of people are better because of you.
I’m so very sorry to read this. I learned so much from Jonathan’s writings over the past decade or so. My thoughts are with you, Jonathan and his family.
Elaine,
You and Jonathan and his children are in our thoughts. We all have learned so much from Jonathan. Not just about finance, but how to live a good life, and facing our demise with the ultimate in dignity.
David
Very sad. He’s the best!
Jonathan’s path is a life well lived. The ripples of his writing and example has impacted me and countless others for the good.
Thank you,
Bill
Prayers for both you and Jonathan in this phase of “life”. Thanks for letting us all know. My financial journey has come so far and improved so much through reading Jonathan’s articles and those of others. Humble Dollar is a great site and I am glad it will live on.
We love you Jonathan. Condolences to you Elaine. Jonathan’s final journey showed us how much we will all miss him.
Thanks Elaine for this update. I imagine that it would be one of the most difficult things someone might have to write.
Thoughts with you all.
Thank you. Sad to hear of Jonathan’s entry into hospice care.
Elaine, thanks for this. My words are inadequate to express the sadness I feel for you and your family. Vicky and I count ourselves lucky to have met you and Jonathan and share some time together. Thanks for taking care of our friend.
I’m sorry, Elaine. Thank you for providing an update during this difficult time. I join with thousands of others in the HumbleDollar community as I reflect back on the positive impact Jonathan has had on me personally.
We love you, Jonathan!
Please know you, Jonathan, and your family are in our thoughts. He is someone for whom I have so much respect and gratitude, despite never having met. He has contributed greatly to many through his work.
Thank you, Elaine. I am so sorry for this sadness for you, his mother, his children and the rest of his family. Jonathan has given every last bit of himself to improve so many lives, and so many will miss him dearly.
Elaine, this is such painful news. Jonathan has helped countless people all over the world with his financial wisdom, and in more recent times, with his example of how to face the end of life.
I’m forever grateful for the financial wisdom I’ve gained from him, and especially for the honor he allowed me of writing a few pieces here. I learned more from Jonathan’s editing than I can say. Any time I write anything these days, I feel Jonathan on my shoulder telling me to cut the unnecessary verbiage and make it lean, mean, and clear.
Jonathan is a giant in the world of finance—and beyond. It’s been a privilege to know him.
I am so very sorry to read this. My sympathy to him, to you, and to the rest of his family. I only discovered HumbleDollar a few years ago, but it has become an important part of my day. I, too, hope it continues. Also, thanks to Bogdan for taking on a difficult and often thankless task.
I never knew your husband personally, other than through his writing and a few personal emails we exchanged. Some gently chastised me for going off topic in an article, while another expressed interest in my background and shared stories about his family history. My eyes filled with tears thinking of the loss you’re facing. My heart goes out to you, Jonathan, and your family.
Oh Elaine, Chris and I think of your family as friends. We hope that you and Jonathan can feel our love. I’m certain many in the HumbleDollar feel the same.
Dan and Chris
Jonathan and HD have made a huge positive impact on so many people over the years including me for which we are so grateful.
I will always remember the first time we met for breakfast in Orleans, Cape Cod. I learned a lot about HD then.
Please let him know how much he is appreciated.
Elaine, there are no words. My prayers continue to be with you and the family. Jonathan has been a teacher to me and so many others. I am so grateful to him. And to you for sharing him with us. Chris
I have dreaded the arrival of this moment. His medical journey has roughly paralleled that of one of my best friends. Please tell him how grateful I and probably everyone else who reads or writes on this site are. My condolences to you and your family!