Jesse chats with Geoff Woods, President of ProduKtive, the training company behind the bestselling book The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. After leaving a high-stress and ultimately unfulfilling job in medical device sales, Geoff set out to surround himself with successful mentors. Eventually Geoff found Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, and immersed himself in their philosophy of the "one thing," that is, the concept of relentlessly pursuing the single most impactful thing you can do in y...
Mar 17, 2021•50 min•Ep. 476
Jesse attempts to give some advice on purchasing a car... before admitting that he has no advice to give! Well, maybe a bit of advice. Jesse reminds us that optimizing your budget involves optimizing for YOUR needs and wants. Jesse chooses to lease a Tesla to drive around in, because he wanted to have as little headaches with car maintenance as possible. That's important to him today, but ten years ago his needs and wants were totally different, and thus the things he chose to optimize his budge...
Mar 15, 2021•8 min•Ep. 475
Bestselling author Ian Morgan Cron introduces the Enneagram, a personality typing system which identifies nine different personality types, their motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. As Ian explains, understanding your enneagram can help you better understand your motivations for why you want to do the things you do, which has direct implications in budgeting. Understanding the motivations and perspectives of others, especially those with polar differences in personality, can help you mitigat...
Mar 10, 2021•48 min•Ep. 474
Jesse reminds us that the ideal budget... is the budget which helps you achieve your goals and values. And those goals and values can, and will, change over time! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Mar 08, 2021•4 min•Ep. 473
Robert Leonard has been a uniquely driven person since a young age. Eyeing the professional ranks of motocross at age 14 (the minimum age to turn pro was 16), he competed all over the country. When his father discouraged his going pro, Robert started working various jobs and reading about investing. By the time he graduated college, he had already purchased his first piece of real estate and began "house hacking" -- leasing spare rooms to roommates to generate cash flow to cover the mortgage. Ov...
Mar 03, 2021•30 min•Ep. 472
Sita Thomas is a woman of many talents, and many careers, having worked jobs ranging from massage therapy to data analytics. She has been using YNAB for over 8 years to help her reach her goals, including going back to school and making a career change, taking time off work to care for a terminally ill family member, and removing the day to day stresses of money from her life. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com...
Mar 01, 2021•36 min
Jesse chats with professional coach and business strategist Kelsey Murphy about how she left a high profile -- yet unsatisfying -- corporate job to travel the world with her husband. During their travels Kelsey realized she had a gift for coaching and helping others put their visions and dreams into practice. Today she runs a successful coaching business doing just that. Kelsey puts a lot of emphasis on her client's values, examining them through a very practical lens. What would you like to see...
Feb 24, 2021•41 min•Ep. 470
Jesse answers your questions about small business in Q&A format. You can send Jesse your questions and comments at: podcast@youneedabudget.com Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Feb 22, 2021•12 min•Ep. 469
Jesse chats with Amir Salihefendic, CEO of Doist, the company behind the popular productivity tool Todoist. Between running a company and being a father, Amir has a very busy life. He explains how he keeps everything moving smoothly, including the importance of managing your energy throughout the day, not just your schedule. https://todoist.com Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com...
Feb 17, 2021•27 min•Ep. 468
Jesse chats with YNAB's manager of support hiring, Emma Rolls, about what it takes to get hired at YNAB, what type of person fits in with the company culture, and Emma's personal experience learning about YNAB and getting hired. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Feb 15, 2021•29 min•Ep. 467
Jesse identifies four common traits in people who don't stress about money. They have a cadence for checking their money. These people regularly check-in with their budget and watch their money. It's not a panicky, reactionary review but a planned part of their week or month. They have regular conversations with themselves and/or significant others about money. These conversations are not highly charged, hostile engagements, but calm, rational discussions about what is going on day-to-day. Often...
Feb 08, 2021•6 min•Ep. 466
Writer and entrepreneur Corbett Barr joins the podcast to discuss digital mindfulness, the pitfalls of social media and endless digital content, and his own quest to find peace as a digital creative. https://corbettbarr.com Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Feb 01, 2021•41 min•Ep. 465
Jesse interviews strength coach, former pro Strongman, and founder of Barbell Logic Online Coaching, Matt Reynolds, about the many analogs between strength training and budgeting. Matt relates the Four Rules to the basic tenets of effective strength training -- consistency, small increases in weight each workout that add up to big results over time, and focusing on the things that will give you the greatest bang for your buck. Matt relates strength training to a "physical 401(k)," where the work...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 464
If you've been doing the 34-Day Reset, you're in full sprint mode right now. And it might be tough! But the beauty of the reset is that it's just 34 days, and affords you some space to reflect on whether your money is working for you and helping you achieve your goals and values. So stick with it, finish strong, and bask in the extra money you will have saved. You're almost there! Take the challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/...
Jan 18, 2021•5 min•Ep. 463
Jesse interviews Katie about her journey after college to Hawaii, where she went through a tough breakup and financially tenuous times. She persevered through those hard times, discovered YNAB (actually re-discovered, having first encountered YNAB in college) and began to get her budget back on track in a notoriously expensive state. The hard work paid off; Katie met her husband and was able to have a dream wedding in Hawaii, and the couple now enjoy a rich life... paid in cash! Katie is quick t...
Jan 14, 2021•38 min
Jesse offers three ways to stop spending money and kickstart your savings: Designate a "no spend" day. Pick a day of the week where you will deliberately spend NO money, and dutifully stick to that. Be realistic! If you usually have a date night on Friday, then pick another day. Maybe's it's a Tuesday, maybe it's a Sunday, but it should work with your schedule. Treat your savings as a purchase. In other words, change your mindset about what spending is. Instead of buying a good or service, treat...
Jan 11, 2021•9 min•Ep. 462
Jesse talks with YNAB'er Liz about her recent conversion to the YNAB software, which she discovered through the social media network Tik Tok. In just six months with YNAB, Liz has already reversed her financial situation, paid off debt, and created financial security for her family. Are you ready to take the challenge? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/
Jan 07, 2021•24 min
Just like weight loss, there are some people who manage to pay off their debt through a burst of willpower and concerted effort... only to fall into debt again, usually slowly. Jesse points out that often this is a failure to follow Rule Two (Embracing Your True Expenses), and discusses how you can prevent slipping into old habits in the New Year. Are you ready for a financial reset? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/...
Jan 04, 2021•7 min•Ep. 461
YNAB is bringing back the Debt Stories... but this time we're calling it "Money Stories." In this series, Jesse interviews YNAB users about their incredible stories using YNAB to pay off debt, plan for life, build their savings, and more. In this episode, Jesse interviews 34-year old nurse Trish. Though very hard working and driven to succeed, Trish found herself in $50,000 of debt despite working multiple jobs. Her unusual work arrangement meant that she went long periods of time between payche...
Dec 31, 2020•27 min
Jesse issues a New Years' challenge for YNAB'ers. For the next 34 days, abide by just three rules: Write down every single thing you spend money on. You can do this in YNAB, or on a sheet of paper, but it must include every penny spent! Purchase ONLY essentials. Essential means you must have it to live. Do not eat out, or order take-in from restaurants. No restaurant spending, full stop. It's only 34 days, you can do it! YNAB's data and experience has shown that people often find hundreds, even ...
Dec 28, 2020•6 min•Ep. 460
Jesse reflects on budgeting for the Christmas season. While YNAB is all for getting your savings in order so that you can cash flow your Christmas spending without going into debt, the holiday season is about much more than presents. Recalling his childhood, Jesse can't actually remember much about the gifts he received. What he does remember is the time he spent with family, and the memories he made with them. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com...
Dec 21, 2020•3 min•Ep. 459
Jesse interviews his friend and realtor Terry Bickmore about Terry's introduction to YNAB and how it helped transform his business and personal life. Terry offers some advice for first-time homebuyers, based on YNAB's Four Rules. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Dec 14, 2020•45 min•Ep. 458
Jesse reflects on learning to relax about spending money, especially on the "black box" line items -- unspecified purchases from Amazon that don't fit neatly into any other category, or purchases that he simply doesn't want to look up and re-categorize. Part of learning to relax about these expenditures is realizing that as long as you are achieving your primary goals -- funding an emergency fund, saving for retirement, saving for a house perhaps -- then it doesn't really matter what happens to ...
Dec 07, 2020•4 min•Ep. 457
The end of the year is nigh, and 2020 has been one of the most stressful in recent memory. Jesse offers some advice for those dealing with fear and anxiety during these times. During times of fear and uncertainty, Jesse draws on Stephen R. Covey's seminal book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The first habit is to be proactive and take responsibility for your reactions to events. To that end, Covey asks readers to consider their circle of influence -- What do you control? Where do you no...
Nov 30, 2020•7 min•Ep. 456
Jesse and Taylor Brown, YNAB's Chief Technology Officer, celebrate the company being named Fortune's #1 Best Place to Work in Small Business in 2020. Jesse and Taylor take a walk down memory lane, reminiscing about the very early days of YNAB and how they much they've grown since, both as a company and as leaders within the business. The moniker "best place to work" doesn't just happen, but rather is a consequence of Jesse and Taylor's work in defining their company and employee values and consi...
Nov 23, 2020•49 min•Ep. 455
Jesse sits down with acclaimed finance writer and entrepreneur Ramit Sethi for a long chat about the mindset of financial success, how to think like an entrepreneur, and why the most important question about personal finance you need to be able to answer is... "Why?". Ramit is the author of the 2009 New York Times Best Seller, I Will Teach You to Be Rich , and the founder of Earnable , a community of entrepreneurs in which he coaches people how to think like entrepreneurs, develop viable busines...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 454
Jesse interviews wellness expert, educator, and entrepreneur Robyn Conley Downs about applying her strategies for wellness to making lasting change in budgeting. You can find Robyn here: Real Food Whole Life: https://realfoodwholelife.com/about/ IG: @realfoodwholelife Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com...
Nov 09, 2020•29 min•Ep. 453
In the world of cost accounting, there's a concept known as contribution margin. Basically, it's how much you make on a product or service after you consider how much it cost to make that thing. The formula is revenue less the variable costs that go into making the product. Contribution margin is an important metric for businesses because it tells you whether you are making a profit on the things you sell. After all, it would do no good to sell a bunch of t-shirts for $18 a piece, if each of the...
Nov 02, 2020•7 min•Ep. 452
It's not a dirty word, so let's say it together -- wealth! At YNAB, we often use the words "save money," and it's a more approachable concept, something that seems achievable in the short term. Wealth can seem like such a far-off concept sometimes. But at the end of the day, that's what we're all trying to do, is to build wealth that will allow us to do more of what we want to do in life. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com...
Oct 26, 2020•4 min•Ep. 451
While canning tomatoes from a bumper crop, Jesse realized the process was going to take a looooooong time. His wife advised him, simply, to "just settle in." Anything that yields great results in the future takes both upfront effort and perseverance. Whether it's gardening, putting up vegetables for the winter, or budgeting, you have to settle in. Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com
Oct 19, 2020•5 min•Ep. 450
