Demystifying the Language of Finance

Jonathan Burton, now an editor at MarketWatch, traces his interest in journalism to writing for the student newspaper at Lewis & Clark.
Credit: Jonathan Burton

When Jonathan Burton BA ’83 joined the staff of MarketWatch in 2003, the news outlet was less than 10 years old and operated as one of the first online media companies dedicated to breaking down financial information for the general public. After its launch, the site underwent rapid change. In 2005, it was acquired by Dow Jones & Company and then in 2007 by News Corp, making it part of the publishing family that includes the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s.

Burton was already well into his journalism career when he was brought on to serve as an editor overseeing MarketWatch’s coverage of mutual funds. After graduating from Lewis & Clark as an English major, he moved to his hometown of Los Angeles and later to New York City, finding a journalistic niche as a reporter focused on Southeast Asia. When the demands of international travel became untenable with a young family, Burton looked for the next step in his professional life. 

“As it happened, I was interested in the psychology of money,” he says. “I had a real interest in investing and the stock market. That’s where the opportunities in media presented themselves, and it was a natural fit for me. I got to direct my career in a different way that kept me on the path of helping people.”

The ideal of being of service took hold during Burton’s college days at Lewis & Clark: “It was the right place for me at the right time,” he says. “There was a friendliness and openness, as well as a real sense of inclusion and encouragement that I appreciated.”

Early on, he became involved with the student-run newspaper, the Pioneer Log (now the Mossy Log), where Burton quips he was “able to find a voice that didn’t crack.” He began writing tongue-in-cheek political columns for the newspaper and then transitioned to overseeing the opinion section. Eventually, he took on the head role of editor in chief. 

At Lewis & Clark, Burton learned to appreciate the expansiveness of language and all the ways it can be used to communicate information. “I enjoyed creating something out of a blank sheet of paper, whether it was a newspaper article or a poem or a short story.”

Today, he is based in San Francisco and serves as the commentary editor at MarketWatch, where he works with contributors to cover a wide range of issues that have connections to money and investing. The stories Burton works on might deal with strategic advice for late-in-life investors, the economic implications of the presidential candidates, or the financial fine print of new health care policies. No two days on the job are alike, which Burton sees as a positive. 

I’m a big believer in bringing issues down to the kitchen-table level and asking, ‘How can I best explain this to you in the way that you’ll understand?’”

“When it comes to finances, there’s a conversational approach to bigger, complex issues that can and should be conveyed to readers,” he says. “I’m a big believer in bringing issues down to the kitchen-table level and asking, ‘How can I best explain this to you in the way that you’ll understand?’”