The YNAB Method

What Is the Ideal Age of Money?

Rule Four tells you to Age Your Money. The idea is that you have money before you need money. But, how old is old enough? Well, it depends …

Rachel Wong

September 11, 2019

How To Make a Budget (That You’ll Actually Use)

OK, great. You made it here—to this post! You must be feeling fairly motivated to try out this budgeting thing. You also might be a little, or a lot, overwhelmed and anxious (common side effects of not having a budget). Don’t worry. You’ll feel better after you take a little thing that we refer to as action.

Shannon Marie

June 2, 2017

Spending Money Is Not Bad

You aren’t just saving money to save it. You are saving for Christmas and vacation and tuition and a new computer. You are saving money to spend it.

Lindsey Burgess

February 1, 2017

What Does it Mean to Age Your Money?

Aging Your Money means getting to a point where you're living on money that you earned last month. We'll show you how to do it!

Lindsey Burgess

January 5, 2017

What are True Expenses?

True Expenses in YNAB are non-monthly bills and expenses like auto insurance, holiday gifts, or a tuition bill.

Jesse Mecham

December 21, 2016

The Rules Are The Magic

Easily my favorite thing to do at YNAB is to talk to customers about their successes.

Todd Curtis

December 5, 2016

No More Excuses

You can repeat this cycle (YNAB's four rules) whenever you get paid. Keep following the steps, keep budgeting, and you’ll reach your goals.

Todd Curtis

December 1, 2019

If You Aren't Changing Your Budget, You're Doing It Wrong

Change your budget as you need to. It will actually keep you going. Instead of feeling like a failure, you'll feel like you're winning.

Lindsey Burgess

March 8, 2016

Why Zero-Based Budgeting Works

Zero-based budgeting reduces financial stress by eliminating uncertainty. Learn why giving every dollar a job creates clarity, confidence, and control.

Todd Curtis

April 14, 2016

Why Embracing Your True Expenses is Everything

As you pull together your list of larger, less frequent expenses, you can start estimating what they will cost and plan for them.

Lindsey Burgess

February 25, 2016

The Importance of Aging Your Money When Your Income is Unpredictable

The goal is to live off of money that is at least 30 days old. And there are three significant benefits that make this a goal you want to pursue right away.

Todd Curtis

November 17, 2019

The Ultimate Rule Two Expense

We talk a lot about the importance of funding your Rule Two categories because it is really important.

Lindsey Burgess

September 6, 2016

The Secret To Staying Out of Debt

Maybe you've gotten out of debt (and it was so much hard work!) only to frustratingly fall right back into it. What gives?

Jesse Mecham

June 1, 2016

The New Rules

Amidst the launch craziness, we didn't get to talk much about the fact that we renamed two of our rules. So here we go—we renamed two of our rules. The idea was to better focus on the core principles behind them. Rule One: Give Every Dollar a Job remains our rock. Rule One is all about dealing with the now.

Lindsey Burgess

January 27, 2016