Episode 82, Jonathan Clements, Jason Zweig, and Christine Benz are guests on this special podcast, host Rick Ferri
May 27, 2025·53 min
Three leading personal finance journalists and experts discuss the Jonathan Clements Getting Going on Savings Initiative, launched in response to the founder's terminal cancer diagnosis. Rather than accepting a traditional memorial journalism award, Clements proposed funding Roth IRAs ($1,000 each) for disadvantaged young people to test whether seed capital plus point-of-purchase financial education can spark lifelong saving habits. Partnering with MIT-based J-PAL (led by Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo), the initiative is structured as a rigorous randomized control trial in Boston, with plans to expand nationally. The episode explores program mechanics, behavioral economics evidence, and how three decades of professional relationships enabled rapid execution. Book proceeds and Bogle Center donations fund the program, while academic publication ensures findings can guide policy globally.
