Comment: Most of the presented sources are authored by the subject himself. Please see WP:GNG and WP:RS and introduce references accordingly. Hitro talk 09:39, 11 July 2021 (UTC)
Jerrold J. Mundis (March 3, 1941-April 4, 2020) was an author, speaker and counselor known for helping people gain a happier and more prosperous relationship with money, including getting out of debt and increasing income. He was also a teacher of professional and avocational writing[1] and the author of a book about writer's block.[2]
Mundis was an author of both fiction and non-fiction, including ghostwritten books, and some 100 short stories, essays and articles in publications in the New York Times Magazine, Harper's Weekly and American Heritage.[3] He wrote under his own name as well as a number of pseudonyms, most notably Eric Corder, Robert Calder and Julia Withers.
Mundis was born March 3, 1941, in Chicago, IL. He attended Beloit College, 1959-61 and received a B.A. in 1963 from New York University. He became an editor at The New York Times and was a member of the Authors Guild, PEN American Center, and Poets & Writers. He was listed in Contemporary Authors and the Directory of American Poets & Fiction Writers. Some of his books were selected for The Book-of-the-Month Club.
Novels and Non-Fiction
Mundis wrote 17 novels, including his celebrated "Gerhardt's Children." The New York Times said about the book, "It is a tricky narrative to bring off, involving as it does many centrifugal lives, but Mr. Mundis brings it off."[4]
Under the pseudonym Eric Corder,[5] his "Shame and Glory" saga[6] about American slave trade included the books, "Slave Ship," "Slave," "The Long Tattoo," "Hell Bottom," and "Running Dogs." As Eric Corder, he also wrote a non-fiction book, "Prelude to Civil War: Kansas-Missouri, 1854-61" [7] recounting the Bleeding Kansas affair from both the Proslavery and Free Soil points of view, beginning with the famous Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
Several titles by Mundis were about canines including "The Dogs,"[8] "The Guard Dog: Maximum Protection for You, Your Home, and Your Business," and "The Dog Book," an appreciation of the animals that he edited featuring writing by Doris Lessing, E.B. White, Edward Hoagland, William Cowper, John Burroughs, and John Steinbeck. [9] Mundis was interviewed about his novel "The Dogs" under the pseudonym Robert Calder on Terry Gross on Fresh Air May 26, 1976[10][11]
Mundis was perhaps was most known for his 13 books of nonfiction, including "How To Get Out Of Debt, Stay Out Of Debt & Live Prosperously,"[12] "Earn what You Deserve: How to Stop Underearning & Start Thriving,"[13][14] and "Making Peace With Money."
Debt management expertise
Mundis spoke regularly on debt and personal money privately and for many professional societies and associations.
His clientele ranged from the US Customs and Border Protection to the National Education Association, Unity Church, as well as private individuals across the United States. A recovered debtor himself, he was intimately familiar with the success of the Debtors Anonymous program.[15]
Mundis framed the societal problem this way: “Discussion of personal finances, particularly indebtedness, may be the last American taboo.”
He pinpointed the issue for the individual suffering from compulsive debt saying, “Admitting the problem is essential...being willing to face facts...” with the caveat “denial is nearly universal.”
Mundis further contextualized the subject stating, “The subject is debt, but the deeper issue at Debtors Anonymous is the quality of life... it is basically a process, a gradual change in perceptions and attitudes about money and self.”
Mundis described those seeking help as normal. “There are doctors and lawyers... house painters, university professors, carpenters, psychologists, nurses, secretaries, executives, artists, writers, actors, stock clerks and stockbrokers.”
Mundis summed up their inner world this way, “There are a surprising number of people who unconsciously hold themselves back or sabotage their own efforts because of low self-esteem, fear that they cannot handle responsibility, that they'll be revealed as somehow fraudulent, or because of a desire to be taken care of, and even a reluctance to surpass their parents... They often feel helpless, angry and confused. They become fearful, depressed, even suicidal. They live with a daily sense of impending disaster.”
Mundis recapped Debtor’s Anonymous techniques and tools this way: “An incoming member is first encouraged to avoid taking on any new debt…anyone can abstain from incurring a new debt for one day - this day."
“Income is the second area of consideration, and it is usually dealt with in two stages: first, stabilizing it to match monthly expenses; second, increasing it... Although the major concern is to avoid new debt, an increase in earnings is a logical extension - by taking on a part-time job, requesting a promotion, changing jobs, or aggressively seeking new business."
And finally, “Stabilization may involve seeking a moratorium from a creditor, taking in a roommate temporarily and similar options... Members are committed to repaying each of their debts in full, but only on a schedule consistent with a tolerable life.”.[16]
In his book "Earn What You Deserve," Mundis' advice for treating underearning begins with "three cardinal rules: do not incur debt, do not take work that pays less than you require and do not say 'no' to money."[17]
Personal life
Mundis was previously married and helped raise two sons in the Catskills[18] then moved to Greenwich Village in New York City. Jerrold Mundis died in Manhattan from complications of the COVID-19 virus on April 4, 2020.
