Retiring at 50: Could You Follow This Woman's Extreme Savings Plan?

Here's the story of Marlene Konkoly, who found creative ways to spend less and save more so she can retire at 50. This story is the first in our series about Extreme Savers.

    Americans may be living longer, but our retirement plans aren’t keeping up. Which means people are living longer with smaller bank accounts. But Marlene Konkoly will retire at age 50. How did she do it? She contributes a whopping 45 percent of the gross annual income she earns as a procurement officer for an automotive finance company to her retirement—all while owning a home and remaining debt-free. Konkoly is actually well ahead of the retirement savings curve compared to many of her fellow Americans. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, fewer than half of Americans even know how much money they would need to retire. And nearly a third of employees who had access to a defined contribution plan such as a 401(k) did not …

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New Kind of Walgreens Opens Downtown

Located in the former Borders building, the store features pharmacy, beauty, groceries, wine and beer, sushi, smoothies and more.

  A new kind of Walgreens opened in Downtown Crossing this week—a “flagship” store featuring a pharmacy section with both classic and express options as well as other departments offering fresh food, wine and beer, sushi, coffee, a smoothie bar and beauty supplies with interactive displays. Located at the corner of School and Washington streets in the former Borders building, the new Walgreens involved a complete renovation of the site, which many years ago housed the Five Cents Savings Bank. “Walgreens is thrilled to provide a flagship location—unlike any traditional drugstore—in the thriving and resilient Downtown Crossing neighborhood,” Mark Wagner, Walgreens president of operations and community management, said in a statement. “We are…

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Whole Foods Exec Says Capitalism Under Attack

John Mackey made the remarks while promoting his book, Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business, at a Boston Chamber event.

  The author of a book about capitalism — who is also a Whole Foods Market executive — says business is under attack in the United States. John Mackey, a co-chief executive for the high-end grocer, spoke to the Boston Chamber of Commerce last week, saying businesses are maligned, according to a Boston Globe business article. “The latest Gallup poll shows big business enjoys only a 19 percent approval rating,” he told an audience at the Seaport World Trade Center. “Yet business is fundamentally good and has created more value in the world than any other institution.” Mackey and Raj Sisodia are co-authors of the book “Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business.”  The book, $17.82 through Amazon, argues that capitalism …

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Steve Backman

7:15 am on Sunday, March 3, 2013

If a business wants communities to value it deeply, needs to pay attention to more than consumer value. It need to become a community partner and ultimately a social enterprise. Hard to say much specifically without reading the book.   more ›

BAPA Gets Lesson in Funny Business [VIDEO]

JP business owners played a game of “Pass the Clap” at the most recent meeting of the JP Business and Professional Association.

Times are tough for business owners. Everyone is pinching pennies, and everyone wants solutions. A local comic/business professional told the members of the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association one solution involves more joking around. Allan Telio, vice president of business development for MyEnergy.com and improv comedian on the side, led a presentation to at a Wednesday meeting of the business association at JP Seafood Cafe. He introduced a game called “Pass the Clap.” “No, no, it’s not what you’re thinking,” he said. During the team-building exercise (depicted in the video), members of the group stand in a circle. Two people begin by clapping simultaneously toward one another, and the person to the right turns to the …

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Thanksgiving: What's Open/Closed in Jamaica Plain

Most retail stores and supermarkets will close for the holiday.

Here's a handy list of what's open (and closed) during the holiday:

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JP Centre Yoga Studio Opens

The brightly-lit studio occupied ample space on the third floor above City Feed. It is one of the few area studios to offer hot yoga.

The afternoon before JP Centre Yoga Studio opened, JP Patch took a tour and had a talk with cofounders Sejal Shah and Daniel Max. The new studio occupies a well-lit space on the third floor above City Feed on Centre Street.   JP Patch: JP has quite an ecosystem of yoga classes and studios. Why did you decide to join it? Daniel Max: It combines my two passions: yoga and JP. Sejal Shah: [JP] feels like a home, like it has everything I need....there's defintely enough demand for everyone. It's just a new option for people in the area.   What trends are you seeing in yoga? Max: It's evolving. It's speaking to a lot of different people in a lot of different ways. Shah: "I have the perspective of someone sitting at a computer for eight hours a …

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Sold!: Homes Purchased in Jamaica Plain This Week

A sampling of homes purchased in Jamaica Plain this past week.

Properties highlighted sold in Jamaica Plain in the last week. Flip through the photo gallery to see if you have new neighbors (and how much they paid!) Realtors: Add your photos of recently sold homes to this gallery! It's easy—just sign into your Jamaica Plain Patch account (or sign into JP Patch using your Facebook account). Click the "Upload Photos & Videos" button below the photos and follow the directions. The property's address, sale price, listing agent and other details can be included in the photo's caption.

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Residents: South Huntington Developers Made Big Political Donations

Neighborhood advocates are pointing out that the developers behind large apartment complexes for 161 and 105A S. Huntington Ave. made bundled contributions to local politicians as the projects are moving through the approval process.

[Editor's note: The following is a press release from neighborhood advocates, some of whom serve on the JP Neighborhood Council. It is not an official position of the JP Neighborhood Council, however, as the original post wrongly indicated. JP Patch is getting in touch with developers to get their side and will post more information when available. It is not against the law to make such contributions. Also, a sentence incorrectly characterizing City Council Matt O'Malley's district has been removed.] Residents in Jamaica Plain reacted with outrage at news that the developers of two large luxury housing projects slated for South Huntington Avenue, each of which has encountered overwhelming opposition from the community, went on spending …

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City Partially Approves 196-Unit Apartment Complex at Former Home for Little Wanderers

South Huntington took a step toward getting a four- and five-story apartment complex that two of JP's neighborhood groups vehemently opposed. The Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the project on Thursday. The city must also approve zoning variances.

Near-unanimous opposition from JP neighborhood groups wasn't enough to stop the city from granting a key step to approval of a giant new apartment complex for 161 S. Huntington. The Boston Redevelopment Authority gave the 196-unit apartment complex the green light on Thursday, according to a Tweet from the development agency. The project would create a four- and five-story building on the grounds of the former Home for Little Wanderers. All the children have been moved out to the agency's new campus in Walpole. The project still must clear the Zoning Board of Appeals, where a hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13. Just last week the JP Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee voted 14-0 to deny zoning relief to the developers. Without …

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Roslindale Patch, Sister Site to Jamaica Plain Patch, Is Live!

Roslindale Patch, the ninth Patch site in Boston, is live. It's a hub for news and community in the neighborhood next door to JP.