You probably won’t find his name on a flashy skyscraper or a high-frequency trading algorithm. Honestly, that’s exactly how he wanted it. For a generation of investors, Jonathan Clements Wall Street Journal columns weren't just financial advice; they were a sanity check in a world gone mad with greed. He was the guy who told you that beating the market was a fool’s errand and that, frankly, your biggest financial enemy is the person staring back at you in the mirror.
Jonathan Clements died in September 2025 at age 62, leaving behind a legacy that looks a lot different than the typical Wall Street "guru" narrative. No "get rich quick" schemes. No "hot stock" tips. Just 1,009 columns of pure, unadulterated common sense.
He didn't just write about money. He wrote about how money—or the lack of it—dictates the shape of a human life.
The "Getting Going" Era: Fighting the Hype
When Clements started his "Getting Going" column at the Journal in 1994, the investment world was obsessed with "star" fund managers. Think Peter Lynch or Bill Miller. Everyone wanted to find the next genius who could double their money overnight.
Clements took one look at that circus and basically said, "No thanks."
He became an early and relentless advocate for index funds. Back then, calling yourself an indexer was almost a radical act. It was boring. It was "average." But Jonathan saw the data. He knew that after you stripped away the high fees and the ego, most professionals couldn't beat a simple S&P 500 index fund over the long haul.
"Jonathan did more than nearly anyone who didn't work at Vanguard to bring index funds to the masses," the New York Times noted in his obituary.
His colleague Jason Zweig once remarked that Jonathan never once misled his readers. In 13 years of writing that column, he filtered out the propaganda. He didn't care if a brokerage firm was a big advertiser for the Journal. If their products were junk, he'd say so.
Why Humility is a Superpower
Most people think they’re smarter than the market. Jonathan’s whole philosophy was built on the idea that we’re actually kinda dumb when it comes to money. We’re wired to buy high when we’re excited and sell low when we’re scared.
He didn’t claim to have a crystal ball. In fact, he often said his only "superpower" was believing he had no investment ability at all. By admitting he didn't know what the market would do tomorrow, he freed himself to just buy everything—through broad index funds—and wait. It’s a simple strategy, but it’s incredibly hard to execute because our egos get in the way.
Beyond the Journal: The HumbleDollar Years
After leaving the Journal in 2008 (and a stint at Citigroup that he was always very candid about), Jonathan founded HumbleDollar. This wasn't just another finance blog. It was a community.
He moved away from just "actionable" advice and started digging into the "why." Why do we save? What is the money actually for?
He pushed back against the idea of "finding your passion" in your 20s. Instead, he suggested taking the high-paying, maybe-less-fulfilling job early on. Why? Because that paycheck builds the foundation of "human capital" that buys you the freedom to do what you actually love in your 40s and 50s.
The Final Lesson: Living with a Deadline
In May 2024, Jonathan was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Most people would have gone quiet. Jonathan did the opposite. He invited his readers along for the ride.
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He wrote about the "hard work" of dying—the unsexy stuff like updating beneficiary designations, consolidating credit cards (he went from four down to one), and making sure his wife, Elaine, wouldn't be buried in paperwork when he was gone.
Even at the end, he was teaching. He shared that he had no regrets about his frugal lifestyle. He didn't wish he'd bought a Ferrari. He felt gratitude for the coffee, the runs, and the time with his grandkids. It was the ultimate validation of everything he'd written for decades: money is just a tool to buy time and peace of mind.
The Jonathan Clements "Getting Going" Initiative
Jonathan didn't want a statue. He wanted to help people who usually get ignored by Wall Street. Before he passed, he launched the Getting Going on Savings Initiative.
The program provides $1,000 grants to young adults from low-income backgrounds in Boston to seed their first Roth IRAs. It’s a partnership with the Bogle Center and researchers from MIT and Harvard.
It’s the most "Jonathan" project imaginable. No fancy offices. Just putting money directly into the hands of kids to help them start the habit of saving. He knew that a thousand dollars at age 18, left alone for 50 years, is a life-changing sum.
Practical Lessons from the Clements Playbook
If you want to manage your money the way Jonathan did, it basically boils down to a few core moves. Forget the complex spreadsheets for a second.
- Embrace the "Boring": Stop looking for the next Nvidia. Put your money in low-cost, globally diversified index funds and leave it alone.
- Fix Your Behavior: The "market" isn't your problem. Your urge to "do something" during a crash is the problem. Automate your savings so you don't have to make decisions.
- Focus on the "Big Three": You can't control the Federal Reserve, but you can control your savings rate, your investment costs, and your taxes. Focus there.
- Delay Gratification: He was a huge fan of waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security. It’s not "fun," but it’s the best longevity insurance you can buy.
- Simplify Everything: If your financial life is too complex for your spouse to manage alone in an afternoon, it’s too complex. Period.
Jonathan Clements changed the way millions of people think about their bank accounts. He took a subject that is usually dry, intimidating, or sleazy and made it human. He taught us that the goal isn't to be the richest person in the graveyard, but to have enough to lead a life you're actually proud of.
Next Steps for Your Portfolio:
Take a look at your current investment accounts. Are you paying more than 0.20% in expense ratios for any of your funds? If so, consider swapping them for low-cost total market index funds. Then, check your beneficiaries. It takes five minutes, but as Jonathan proved in his final months, it’s one of the greatest gifts you can leave your family.