701 episodes

A weekly dose of just the right medicine to help you get out of debt, save more money, and beat the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

The YNAB Podcast Jesse Mecham

    • Education
    • 4.6 • 1K Ratings

A weekly dose of just the right medicine to help you get out of debt, save more money, and beat the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

    Gaming the Credit Card System... Maybe

    Gaming the Credit Card System... Maybe

    Jesse answers a question from a listener who argues that becuase he carries enough cash to cover his credit card spending at all times, he is not riding the float and therefore is gaming the credit card companies. Jesse quotes Charlie Munger -- "show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome" (he actually said outcome not behavior) -- and observes that financial institutions have big incentives to encourage more spending, because spending increases their fees. So where there's an incentive, there's a behavior they want to encourage, and using credit cards is it. In Jesse's experience, ditching the credit card has made him less likely to impulse spend, and that experience is likely what financial institutions have figured out!
     
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
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    • 5 min
    Inherent Value Doesn't Exist

    Inherent Value Doesn't Exist

    Jesse argues that the common refrain of a thing having "inherent value" or "intrinsic value" is not actually a thing. As Jesse explains, value is a moving target, constantly shifting along with our desires and material circumstances. To a starving man, food is worth more than gold. To that same man well-fed, it can be worth little. We see this with our own money -- as our circumstances change, the categories we prioritze shift. Rule 3, roll with the punches, acknowledges the ever-shifting nature of our needs and desires, and challenges us to make trade-offs to materialize those changes in our financial plans. To that end, nothing has an inherent value, but rather a variable value, the only certainty being that it will fluctuate over time.
     
    Beginning Balance Podcast -- the show Jesse mentions has not aired yet, but will be coming soon! In the meantime, check out more of Jesse's musings about money here:
    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beginning-balance/id1569423517
    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7APubdzXN2eeeMdNpCLkiy?si=19e8c25d5b104494
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
    Instagram: @youneedabudget
    Twitter: @ynab
    Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

    • 6 min
    Ask Jesse: Lavish Praise and Woodchip Gardening (Sort Of)

    Ask Jesse: Lavish Praise and Woodchip Gardening (Sort Of)

    Jesse is back answering another round of questions from his inbox. Today he responds to listeners asking whether the Four Rules are really rules or rather habits, what his favorite time management tools are, and how to relate to a spouse uninterested in budgeting.
     
    Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
    https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280
     
    Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
    https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122
     
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
    Instagram: @youneedabudget
    Twitter: @ynab
    Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

    • 15 min
    Young Creatures Just Looking to Party

    Young Creatures Just Looking to Party

    Jesse shares a story from a YNAB'er who had a major mindset shift about money. For this person, money went from a stressful topic to envisioning it as "young creatures just looking to party." Imagining your dollars as little "you's," searching for ways to improve your life and live out your values takes away the fear and anxiety around money.
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
    Instagram: @youneedabudget
    Twitter: @ynab
    Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

    • 6 min
    Looking In the Mirror

    Looking In the Mirror

    Mirror, mirror on the wall... which category is the truest of them all? Over the last several weeks, Jesse has explored the idea that money is more than just a tool, it's a reflection of you. Your spending is a representation of your energies and your desires, and therefore a proxy for who you are. So, if you imagined the categories in your spending plan as a mirror -- what would that mirror say about you? Do you like what's in the reflection?
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
    Instagram: @youneedabudget
    Twitter: @ynab
    Tik Tok: @ynabofficial
     

    • 8 min
    Money Is Not a Tool

    Money Is Not a Tool

    One of the pervasive messages about money is that "it's just a tool," and Jesse takes issue with that! When money is reduced to a mere tool, like a wrench or a screwdriver, it invites people to be more careless with it, to use it then put it in a drawer and forget about it. Hearkening back to episode #650: It's You All the Way Down, Jesse reminds us that if a dollar is the product of your energies, then a dollar is you! You aren't just a tool -- you are a human, with desires and values which are reflected in your spending. In this light, then, money takes on a much larger role than merely "tool," and it should be treated with the importance and attention it deserves.
     
    Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:
    askjesse@ynab.com
     
    Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
     
    Follow YNAB on social media:
    Facebook: @iYNAB
    Instagram: @youneedabudget
    Twitter: @ynab
    Tik Tok: @ynabofficial
     

    • 6 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
1K Ratings

1K Ratings

Adriankeith ,

Life changing

Easily one of the best, simplest podcasts and best, simplest budgeting apps. It might take a little getting used to but in the last 4 months alone I’ve halved my total debt and expect to be debt free by the end of the year. Let that sink in.

This podcast is a nice regular listen that keeps you engaged with your budget. They also offer tons of free videos on YouTube and they don’t even push their own product.

Thank you to the team behind YNAB for making me feel awesome about budgeting and for helping me knock out my debt! It’s given me a major confidence boost!

sophiahumble ,

Something has changed?

Hm, I was a big fan of the YNAB podcast, but I feel that the direction has shifted a bit (especially with these tangents on credit cards). It’s feels more “angry” or that I’m being lectured to. I love learning, which is why I began listening. But it’s shifting a bit into a talk radio space.

LovePoster ,

THANK YOU

I am so grateful for this podcast and the YNAB teams delivery on content. I am in the military, I am about to go through a huge transition in leaving the military. This tool has helped my overall financial health and improving my thoughts on how to deal with finances. I am not prefect by any means but I feel empowered to make better choices. Thank you!!

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