While 2D materials have been intensively studied for a decade, there is a surprisingly little work on magnetic materials. In this talk I will outline our efforts to create and understand the properties of layered two dimensional materials. In particular I will discuss our efforts to make high quality devices and interfaces and probe the magnetic and lattice interactions using optical spectroscopy. In Cr2Ge2Te6, a 2D ferromagnetic Semiconductor we reveal direct signatures of the magnetism in the Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore we find strong Spin-Phonon Coupling. An antiferromagnetic insulator RuCl3, is found to reveal hints of fractionalized particles that may be useful for quantum computation. This is revealed by careful IR and Raman studies that uncover the unique electronic and magnetic excitations in this potential Kitaev spin liquid.