The Jesse Mecham Show

Did you know Jesse has another podcast all about business? He and veteran YNAB'er and virtual CFO Mark Butler have launched Beginning Balance to talk about the lessons they've learned consulting with other businesses as well as managing their own businesses. In today's episode, we are rebroadcasting an episode of Beginning Balance which looks at how applying Rule One -- Give Every Dollar a Job --...

When did that happen? It seems like the year was just getting started, and all of a sudden it's mid-October. The holidays are coming soon -- have you been creating space in your budget for your holiday spending? If not, it's not too late! There's still time to set some cash aside in your holiday spending category, plan your expenses carefully, and make some choices about your travel plans and gift...

It's normal to want some amount of luxury or finery in your life, but have you considered the true cost of luxuries? There might be more to it than just the sticker price...   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse answers a listener-submitted question. If you've paid off your debt, and you have an emergency fund, should you start investing in the stock market? If your goal is to build wealth -- and there are many good reasons to -- then investing in the stock market is a great way to do that.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Did you know YNAB is on Tik Tok? Yep, thanks to YNAB team member Sarah Schweisthal, You Need A Budget has been lighting up Tik Tok "stitches" with budgeting advice for the yoots. Sarah talks about her work sharing the Four Rules on Tik Tok, as well as her own budgeting journey going from being deeply in debt to traveling full-time in a travel trailer.   Follow YNAB (and Sarah) on Tik Tok: https://...

It's been hot for years, and has recently become white hot. Cryptocurrencies have the potential to change money and finance in a profound way, but does that make it a good investment, or mere speculation? How would you invest in crypto anyway? Jesse offers his thoughts on this incredible 21st century innovation.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse speaks with renowned financial journalist William Green about his new book -- Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life -- in which Green interviewed numerous billionaires, fund managers, and legendary investors about their investing wisdom, mindset, and even philosophy. Even if you are just a passive index investor who does not aspire to purchase ind...

School is back in session! And today, Jesse and Matthew Amster-Burton are discussing everything you need to do to get started investing for retirement. They break down the different types of  investment accounts, mutual funds and index funds, bonds, and a few simple, stress-free strategies for investing.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse chats with Dustin Heiner, a real estate investor who quit his job five years ago after building a passive income stream sufficient enough to live on. Dustin received a wake up call several years ago when he was laid off from what he thought was a stable government job when his department lost funding. Although he was able to find a new position in a different department, he vowed to never be...

School is in session! Jesse teamed up with Matthew Amster-Burton (who you have heard on the Behind the Scenes series), a YNAB team member and former financial advisor, to create a short series demystifying the world of investing. For the first day of class, they cover some of the basic investing terms you will encounter.   YNAB is all about helping you save more money, but eventually some of that...

It's time to play a little game. Jesse and a couple YNAB team members gather to play "you might be a budget nerd if...." See if you can call yourself an official budget nerd!   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Do you pay off debt first, or invest for retirement while paying it off slower? Or do you build an emergency fund first? How much? There are a number of tradeoffs when it comes to paying off debt, saving, and investing, and Jesse reminds us that there is no prescription! Everyone's budget is personal, and will depend on their goals, values, and emotional response to the budgeting process.   Sign u...

With the Baby Boomer generation rapidly aging into retirement, more and more Generation X and older Millennials face some tough financial questions: how do you financial support parents that need medical care, or long-term assistance, but cannot afford it? Should you support kids after college by allowing them to live at home while they get their financial feet under them? Should you save for your...

As you might have noticed by now, the team at YNAB is diverse, eclectic, and full of passionate people with a wide range of interests. It is no surprise, then, that in the course of conducting these Behind the Scenes interviews, Jesse discovered a ton of interesting and, well, random things about the employees of YNAB!   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Talking about money isn't easy for adults, so it's no surprise that many adults struggle with how to talk about money with their kids. Stephanie Anne-Lyse Wealth, or just Anne-Lyse as she goes by in her publications, has some ideas for introducing children to the concept of money, saving, investments, and debt.   Anne-Lyse is the author of Dream of Legacy, a book about building not just individual...

In today's installment of Behind the Scenes, YNAB team members share their insights about personal finance, whether it's overcoming the fear and confusion of investing, learning to push yourself to achieve things you never thought you could, or better understanding our conditioning around money and success.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

It's that time of the year again, when summer is winding down and children are starting the new school year. As seasons go, starting the new school year is a time of new schedules and new challenges. It's also a great time to rethink the budget, or simply get back in touch with the budget.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Today Jesse asks the team at YNAB to share their top pieces of advice for new YNAB users... besides, you know, that you need a budget.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Life hacker, optimizer, product director at Wealthfront... he wears many hats, but his passion is the same -- upgrading life without spending a fortune! In today's episode, Jesse chats with Chris Hutchins, who shares a handful of his seemingly endless number of life hacks. Whether it's saving money on travel, getting a few more dollars out of your car lease, or negotiating for coupons, Chris has a...

In today's installment of Behind the Scenes, Jesse asks employees why they applied for a position at YNAB, what the interview process is like, and whether the company has lived up to its reputation as the best small business place to work at (no, really, that's what Fortune said , for the second year running!). YNAB gets a lot of applications, and the hiring process is fiercely competitive, but th...

In today's Money Story, Jesse chats with a YNAB employee, the gifted artist and animator Tristan Henry-Wilson, whose work YNAB users may have seen on the YNAB website and the YNAB Youtube channel, among others. Tristan may be an exceptionally talented artist, but he didn't come into his art career easily. After receiving some unexpected financial aid, he attended Ringling College of Art and Design...

Experienced YNAB'ers understand that budgeting is an active, ongoing process that requires frequently engagement with your budget. Ideally, both partners in a relationship are fully engaged in the budget, but the budgeting process can take many forms. In today's Behind the Scenes episode, Jesse chats with YNAB employees about budgeting with a partner, and the many ways couples learn to navigate th...

Award winning author and personal finance journalist Cameron Huddleston joins the show to discuss the uncomfortable realities of managing parents' finances through end of life care and after their death. From wills, power of attorney documents, to simply knowing where your parents have all their bank accounts, Cameron offers some practical advice on what things you need to look out for when helpin...

Jesse interviewed every employee at YNAB, asking them about a wide range of topics -- how they heard about YNAB, what they are working on in their roles, and their money struggles and successes. In today's Behind the Scenes episode, YNAB insiders answer the question: what's the budget doing for you lately?   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Travis Hornsby is passionate about student debt, especially helping people with lots of it find smart, effective pathways to pay it off. After a career as a bond trader, he turned his attention to building a service to help college graduates with large student debt loads navigate their way through the maze of repayment options, forgiveness programs, and tax complications that come with student loa...