The YNAB Podcast Jesse Mecham
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- Education
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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.
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What's the Alternative?
Jesse reviews the Four Rules and takes issue with those who say, "yeah must be nice to have extra money to make a plan with... everything I make is spoken for." It's true, there are some people who have a legitimate income problem. But this argument often becomes an excuse to not actually make plans for your money, to not try to follow the rules and start to get ahead on your expenses. After all, what's the alternative?
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
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Your Biggest Single Expense
Your biggest single expense is one you probably don't think about much... unless you're American and it's April 15th. You may think it's housing, or maybe education, or raising kids, but all those costs are dwarfed by the elephant on your income statement: taxes. We are taxed in hundreds of ways, some obvious like income taxes and sales tax, others more insidious like fuel tax, air travel tax, liquor tax, etc, etc. Jesse points this out to demonstrate something important -- you can be desensitized to almost any expense, even the single biggest expense in your life!
Beginning Balance Podcast with Jesse and Mark Butler
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beginning-balance/id1569423517
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7APubdzXN2eeeMdNpCLkiy?si=75eb73f1ac0a49ba
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 -
Let's Cut Spending!
Let's cut spending! And then... what exactly? The all too common advice that you need to "cut spending" implies that your level of consumption is simply too high. That may or may not be the case, but in Jesse's experience and the thousands upon thousands of people YNAB has helped to regain control over their money, "spending less" is rarely the problem. Most people don't have a spending too much problem, they have a spending on the wrong things problem. For that reason, you'll never hear Jesse give advice to just "cut spending."
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 -
Ask Jesse: Perfect YNAB, Tithing Confusion, and More Credit Card Comments
Jesse answers another round of questions from YNAB listeners. Today someone asks whether there is such a thing as "perfect YNAB" use and if good enough use is OK (yes!). Another YNAB'er is confused on how to calculate tithes for business income, and, as always, there are some questions and comments about credit card rewards.
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 -
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
Instagram: @youneedabudget
Twitter: @ynab
Tik Tok: @ynabofficial -
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
Customer Reviews
YNAB has set me on a debt free journey
YNAB has been life changing for me and I am astounded on how much money I have been able to save and put towards debt in such a short amount of time. The app has tons of awesome features and a great support team available to answer questions. This podcast is short and sweet and the motivation I look forward to each episode.
So far so good
Wish I found this APP when I was newly married and not 15 years from retirement.
It’s a clean, simple budgeting tool that leaves accountability solely with the user. Plenty of support via Podcast, YouTube and Facebook.
I have had immediate results with use and look forward to seeing where this will take us in the future!
Regards,
Selena
Got me more into debt
This show made me sell my kidney