For the latest ASJA Direct Podcast, I was thrilled to speak with Richard Eisenberg. Go Here for the Podcast.
He is the Managing Editor of Nextavenue.org, a site from PBS for people 50+, where is also editor of its Money and Work & Purpose channels and a regular blogger. He is also a freelance book reviewer for People magazine. He is the author of two books: How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis and The Money Book of Personal Finance.
Interview
EE: In your publishing roles, did you ever have a mentor? If so, who was it, and what did you learn from him/her?
RE: My mentor was Frank Lalli, the editor of Money magazine when I worked there as an editor.writer. I learned from him to be fearless, to look for ways to do things that had not been done before (that led me to create Money‘s now-franchise Best Places to Live in America story) and to always be fair, even when doing an expose.
EE: Who would you most like to meet and have a conversation with (living or dead)? What would you ask this person?
RE: I’d most like to meet Henry Luce (co-founder of Time) and I’d ask him: What do you think of the state of journalism today?
EE: What is your favorite book and why?
RE: The Phantom Tollbooth for its clever wordplay.
EE: When you write do you listen to music, podcasts, or just the sound of silence? What is your writing process?
RE: When I write, I prefer the room to be quiet. My dog, Joey, often has other ideas, however.
EE: What does working for Next Avenue teach you about dealing with your own kids/family?
RE: Working for Next Avenue teaches me about the importance of setting priorities, offering personal finance advice to my grown sons (whether they take it is a different matter) and making time (nights, weekends, vacations) to enjoy being with my kids and family— or, in the case of my sons who live across the continent, talking with them by phone, text or FaceTime.
EE: What are the Writer’s Guidelines for Next Avenue?
RE: Next Avenue articles are typically 800 to 1,000 words. They are written for men and women in their 50s and 60s and written in a friendly, conversational tone. Many of the articles are service pieces with actionable advice; some are essays or personal pieces.
Follow Rich/Next Avenue:
Next Avenue site URL: https://www.nextavenue.org
Your Next Avenue podcast: https://
Twitter handle: @richeis315
Next Avenue Twitter handle: @NextAvenue
Linkedin: https://www.
Facebook: https://www.
I love that he mentioned about priorities and goal setting so you can spend more time with the people you love. People often forget that balance when it comes to reaching for their goals.
Sounds like a great interview. I agree about setting priorities and making time for the family.
This is advice from someone who really knows his field! I think everyone should be educated on finances at some point in their life…better early than late though!!
So glad you got this amazing opportunity! He really had a lot of amazing advice to offer us!
I love what he said about the importance of setting priorities and offering personal finance advice to his grown kids. I think it is so important.
Wow! Frank Lalli – what an inspiring mentor for Richard to have. You are so lucky to have interviewed someone so accomplished.
Wow, how exciting and what a great interview. I love how he says he likes it quiet when he writes but his dog often has other ideas. LOL, I know that feeling!
Thanks for focusing on the site. I had never heard of it. I am always looking for advice from a good source!
Interesting interview! He sounds like he really enjoys his job. I like what he said about his dog having other ideas than being quiet while he tries to work – sounds about right! I have the same issue around here, X 3 – with 3 dogs who bark at every noise they hear or sight they see outside!
My son loves The Phantom Tollbooth too. It’s probably his favorite book for the same reason.
Oh wow, that is an absolutely amazing interview. Finance is something we all need to be aware of and make sure we are top of finances.
Never heard of Next Avenue, but sounds like a great resource for those in their 50s and 60s.
This is such a cool interview! I will have to check out Next Avenue for sure. I haven’t heard of it before.
Very interesting podcast! I’m over 50 and wasn’t aware of NextAvenue, but I am definitely going to check it out! Heading over there now…
He looks very interesting. I will have to check this out. Publishing has always been a favorite subject of mine.
This is my age group so I am going to go and check out his website and see what he has to offer. Thanks for the introduction!
I clicked over to visit Next Avenue and took a look around. They have some excellent articles. What a great site!
This was a good interview and sounds like he is very knowledgeable in his field. PBS always does wonderful work and helps out older people.
Great interview! I enjoyed learning how Next Avenue helps to deal with family. Communication love!
I think it’s so important to have a mentor no matter where you are in life.
I prefer quiet when I write also. It’s always interesting to learn the person behind the words. Sounds very relatable!
I like that the Phantom Tollbooth is his favorite book. It feels so unpretencious.
He is very down to earth.
Great interview and it’s good to know about him. Like him, I prefer the room to be quiet too when I write. I can think better that way.
I can actually write in the midst of noise, but that’s because my first job in publishing was at Woman’s World magazine where I had 7 deadlines a week.
This sounds like a great interview. I love learning about other people through interviews like this.
Thanks for reading.
This is such great information. We all need to be hyperaware of our finances. That’s especially important as we age.
You are exactly right, and Next Avenue does such a great job with that and the business aspect of aging as well.