Jesse chats with Scott Trench, CEO of BiggerPockets and a real estate investor, about how people can get started with real estate investing and build more wealth. Scott started his working career like many business college graduates, working at a large company as a financial analyst. Early on he stumbled across the Mr. Money Mustache blog, which advocates frugality and saving a large percentage of your income to achieve financial independence. From there, Scott became interested in using real estate to build his personal wealth and reach financial independence earlier in life.   Then, an encounter with the founder of the BiggerPockets website led Scott to a job with the company, and eventually, a chance to steer it as the CEO. Along the way Scott has learned a lot about real estate investing, and purchased and managed several properties. He now uses that knowledge to run the BiggerPockets website, which offers teaching and tools for people new to the real estate market.   Scott also acknowledges the costs and tradeoffs associated with becoming a good real estate investor. He's not shy about the amount of time needed to learn the basics, suggesting around 500 hours of reading and research before considering your first real estate purchase. For some people, like busy specialized professionals (doctors and lawyers for instance) or entrepreneurs running businesses, this time might be too high a cost, and distract from their primary focus. For the right person with patience and diligence, however, real estate investing can be an excellent way to build wealth and achieve financial independence.   BiggerPockets https://www.biggerpockets.com   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/  

Jesse chats with Ashley, of TikTok fame (The Organized Wallet), about her journey finding the budgeting software through a chance blogpost to finally gaining control of her money after years of struggle. One of Ashley's keys to success is mindfulness, and she has some great exercises for improving your mindfulness around money.   A few years into her marriage, Ashley had a reckoning with money. Her husband Jeremy had just landed a big job opportunity, but it required him to travel frequently. To keep things running smoothly, Ashley needed to assume management of the budget, which Jeremy had been handling up until that point. Ashley tried hard, but was overwhelmed with the spreadsheets, the sheer number of bills and accounts, and missed a payment on one of the bills. Distraught, she ran across a blog post by A Cup of Jo about a budgeting software called You Need A Budget. She jumped in, and finally found a method to help her gain control of her money.   Ashley now has a lot of wisdom to share about managing your money. She reminds us that we're all works in progress, and just because you can't budget perfectly -- especially at first -- doesn't mean it's not worth doing at all. Small efforts add up to big change with time. She also points out that clutter in our wallets (or budgets!) often means we aren't clear on our values. Decluttering our financial lives means first getting clear on what we want out of life.   Ashley on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@theorganizedwallet   Read more on Ashley's story: https://www.youneedabudget.com/after-struggling-to-budget-this-book-made-it-stick/   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/    

Happy New Year! It's that time again -- time for planning, goal setting, and resolutions. If you're listening to this podcast, one of your New Year's resolutions might be to save more money. YNAB can help you with that!   YNAB team member Veronica is leading the way with the More Money Challenge, a 30-day challenge to help you kick start your savings in 2022. The rules are simple, but the challenge is hard. Luckily, there's a whole community of like-minded YNAB'ers that will be running the challenge together.   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYFRUQYBdMV/   TikTok: ynab.com/tiktok

It's that time of year again... time to burn it all down! The budget, that is. Every year Jesse "burns down" his budget, deleting all the categories and questioning whether the family could live without them. It's a fun thought experiment, especially with the typical must-have things.   Do you really need groceries every month? Of course you do, but what if you didn't do it? How would you survive? The point is not to figure out how to live without groceries, it's to ask the question and get your brain thinking about the deeply held assumptions you have about your consumption. At the end of the day, most of your categories will probably go back in. But hopefully, you'll rethink at least one thing in your budget, and find an opportunity to bring your spending more in line with your priorities in the New Year.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Millions of people struggle with ADHD, and it has financial ramifications -- decision fatigue, difficulty planning future purchases, and impulsive spending habits. Jak is a coach for "ADHD'ers," as she calls them, helping people form strategies for coping with emotional highs and lows and gain control over their money. An ADHD'er herself, she found the visual aspect of YNAB highly effective in keeping her engaged with both her current spending and her long-term plans (sinking funds).   Chelsea is an intuitive eating coach, and a fellow ADHD'er who engaged Jak for coaching. Together they discovered YNAB, and joined the podcast to share its helpfulness with others suffering from ADHD.   You can find more about Jak and Chelsea here: Jak IG: @authenticallyadhd Jak email: [email protected] YNAB and ADHD Workshop: www.authenticallyadhd.com/membership   Chelsea IG: @_chelseahester_ Chelsea website: www.chelseahester.com  

We're nearly to the end of 2021, so Jesse took a moment to celebrate all of your biggest budgeting wins this year. To all the YNAB users who accomplished your goals and improved your financial standing -- no matter how big or how small -- congratulations! Here's to another year of budgeting wins, breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle, and reduced stress.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

A listener asks -- what can I do to get my budget back on track after falling off the wagon?   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse chats with the Chief Hustler of side hustles, Nick Loper. Nick  has made a living out of side hustles, literally! A serial entrepreneur, Nick started a number of small businesses and side hustles before writing books about his experience and teaching others how to start their own side hustles. He is also an author, with a new book out: $1,000 100 Ways.   After helping thousands of people launch their own hustles, Nick probably has a way (or maybe 100 ways) you can start your own and bring home more money.   Side Hustle Nation Ideas https://www.sidehustlenation.com/ideas   The Side Hustle Show https://www.sidehustlenation.com/side-hustle-show/   $1,000 100 Ways by Nick Loper https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099TQL3T7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i0  

Jesse answers a reader trying to save for a surprise Christmas present for his significant other, but also trying to be faithful to his YNAB budget. Jesse shares a few tricks and some "creative accounting" within YNAB to help you save up for Christmas gifts without spoiling the surprise or the budget.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Watch out credit cards, a new game is in town, and it's waiting to trip up your budget during the holiday season. We're talking about payment plans: sort of like a credit card, sort of not, but definitely loaded with high interest, fees, and confusing terms designed to trip up customers. YNAB has a team dedicated to helping budgeters navigate their way through payment plans using the YNAB software, and ultimately get out of them altogether. Sofia Hergenrader, a YNAB expert on payment plans, joins the podcast to talk about the pitfalls of this new breed of financial products.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse answers a concerned parent emailing about their son's college experience. After raising a thoughtful and budget minded son who paid for his first semester of college by working a series of jobs during high school, the parent was dismayed by the extravagant lifestyle and expenses of his classmates. Expensive vacations, clothing, electronics -- many undergraduate students aren't living like students, and it can be frustrating for people embracing a life of responsible budgeting. Nevertheless, Jesse reminds the listener that the gifts of budgeting, responsibility, and good planning pay off in the long run far more than ephemeral luxuries.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Of the Four Rules, is one more important than the others? Is there one rule to rule them all? In the past, Jesse has argued that rules 2-4 are essentially derivatives of Rule One. But perhaps there's another contender -- Rule Three: Roll with the Punches. Life is all about rolling with the punches, adapting to ever-changing stresses and forces in our environments. Budgeting, Jesse argues, is no different.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse answers an email from a listener wondering, should he sell his cryptocurrency in order to pay off his debt?   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse chats with life coach and podcaster Krista St. Germain, a widowed mother who had to work through waves of grief after her husband unexpectedly passed away five years ago. Krista discusses her journey moving through grief, learning to rewrite the narratives of her guilt, and finding a path to grow after such a traumatic experience.   Krista helps other widowed mothers navigate their journey, and hosts a podcast discussing grief, Post Traumatic Growth, and more. https://www.coachingwithkrista.com   https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/category/podcast/  

Njeri Young is an avid YNAB user, but she didn't start out that way. In fact, it took her years of stops and starts before she finally gained control over her dollars, learned how to budget, and build a healthy relationship with money. Although some people on the internet make it look easy, Njeri's experience is common, and she has learned many valuable lessons along  her journey.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jim and Jamie Sheils make a sobering, but important, observation -- we only have 18 summers to spend with our children before they become adults and move off to start their own lives. Jesse chats with Jim and Jamie about how we can spend more time with our children, be more present in our relationships, and manage the most precious and scarce resource of them all: time.   Jim and Jamie are the parents of four children, and help coach other families to develop tighter bonds and enjoy more meaningful time with each other. https://www.18summers.com/about   Jim and Jamies' book: The Family Board Meeting https://www.18summers.com/book  

Jesse chats with avid YNAB'er Chris Wilson, who turned around a stressful and unfulfilling life by applying YNAB's Four Rules to his budget, and then to his life. Chris explains that the key to his transformation was learning to "simplify his why," and get clear about his values and priorities.   Chris now strives to help others find more security in their finances and more fulfillment in their lives. He offers a free coaching course via his website: https://simplifyyourwhy.com     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Tanya Dalton is passionate about helping women take charge of their schedules and get more done. But it's not just about checking things off the list, she says, it's about giving your tasks priorities and allocating your time to the most important things. And just because something is urgent, doesn't necessarily mean it's important! Tanya Dalton shares strategies from her book "On Purpose" for getting more done, and feeling more in charge of your life.   Tanya Dalton "On Purpose" https://tanyadalton.com   The Intentional Advantage Podcast https://tanyadalton.com/podcast  

Inspired by the ideas in Morgan Housel's book The Psychology of Money, Jesse discusses the meaning of the word "wealth," and how we define wealth in our own lives. Is it just about money in the bank, or is it about our physical health too? Or family health, or liking our job, or having options in life? It turns out, wealth can mean many different things, and perhaps it's best to look at wealth as a spectrum rather than simply a pile of money in the bank.   The Psychology of Money by Morgan House https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/the-psychology-of-money/  

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 -- to a business can actually help improve its strategy.   Beginning Balance on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beginning-balance/id1569423517   Beginning Balance on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7APubdzXN2eeeMdNpCLkiy?si=1e2af4932ca643eb  

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 giving this year.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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://www.tiktok.com/@youneedabudget?lang=en   Take the 34-day challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/

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 individual securities, the words of these accomplished investors contain much wisdom.   Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life by William Green https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501164856?ie=UTF8&tag=thewaspos09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=1501164856     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 in that position again, so he put his energy into building a sustainable business out of real estate.   Dustin argues that most people have real estate investing backwards -- they look for good properties, buy one, then try to figure out how to make a business out of it. He works the opposite way, building systems and an operating model for the business -- how he will find tenants, how he will contract with property managers, how he will finance the property purchase, etc -- before buying a single property. Once the business is worked out, he can buy as many properties as he likes and slot them into his inventory. At the end of the day, the property is not the business, he says, it's inventory for the business!   Dustin has started a website and coaching service to help others learn to invest in real estate and build passive income streams. You can find him at: https://www.masterpassiveincome.com     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 money has to go to work for you and earn a return. The return that your saved money can earn over time makes a huge difference in how much money you have in retirement. Armed with a little knowledge, you can start investing in your future you!   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 own retirement first, or help your parents/kids first?   Jennifer Owens calls this conundrum the "sandwich generation," people facing financial pressure from supporting both parents and children at the same time. While she does not have any hard and fast answers to these questions -- it's a complex problem, with many factors to consider -- she does believe that talking about the problem and sharing the challenges helps people know they aren't alone.   Jennifer has written extensively about the sandwich generation, and she is also working with a new app called Firstly which helps families manage supporting their children and parents as they navigate different stages of life.   https://firstly.com/about-firstly/ https://firstly.com/articles/how-in-the-world-did-i-end-up-in-the-sandwich-generation/     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 wealth but generational wealth. She also hosts The Dreamers Podcast where she interviews successful entrepreneurs about their journey building businesses and wealth. You can find these resources and more at: https://dreamoflegacy.com     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 hack for just about everything.   You can follow Chris and learn many more hacks on his podcast, All the Hacks: https://www.allthehacks.com     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 those who have made it share their thoughts and experiences.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 and earned a degree in illustration.   Tristan had a difficult time landing paying gigs in the art world, and began working a long series of odd jobs to pay rent, eat food, and, most importantly, make payments on his $80k of student loads, which a family friend had co-signed for him. After years of grinding, building his portfolio, learning how to interview, and networking into better jobs, Tristan found salaried work in New York City, and was finally able to throw serious money at his debt. At this point, the balance had grown to about $150k, but he was undeterred. With each pay increase, Tristan put more money into the debt, eventually paying it off in full after about 15 years.   Tristan's determination and perseverance was largely responsible for his success, but he also credits YNAB for helping him get smart about managing his money and finding security and peace in his financial situation.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 the routine.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

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 helping your older family members manage their finances.   Of course, personal finance is a, well, personal thing for many people, and parents may be reluctant to share the details of their money. Cameron offers some tips for breaking the ice on money conversations, and how to approach parents and loved ones respectfully.   You can find more about Cameron Huddleston and her book, Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk, at her website: https://cameronhuddleston.com   Carefull app: https://www.getcarefull.com/  

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 loans. Travis and his company, Student Loan Planner, have consulted with thousands of students on over $1.4 billion of student debt, helping them create a repayment plan that takes full advantage of all the programs out there.   You can learn more about Travis and his work at The Student Loan Planner website. He also hosts a podcast by the same name: https://www.studentloanplanner.com https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/student-loan-planner/id1446453497?mt=2&ls=1  

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. Today, you'll hear from a selection of YNAB employees discussing their debt struggles, how they came into debt, and how they have used the Four Rules to pay it off.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse invites the author behind one of his favorite books, Atomic Habits, to join the podcast and talk about what he learned about setting good habits, breaking bad ones, and developing environments and systems conducive to productive habits. As James says, the things you do and accomplish in life are essentially lagged indicators of your habits. So building good habits slowly, methodically, and thoughtfully can result in big rewards down the road.   James Clear https://jamesclear.com   Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits     Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Are you a college student, or about to go to college? It's an exciting time of your life, but it can also be a very expensive time of your life too. It's possible to keep your spending under control, and have a lot of fun, but you're going to need a budget.   College students -- you can get a whole FREE YEAR of YNAB here. Sign up, take some of the free classes, and give yourself the gift of learning how to budget and take control of your financial life. https://www.youneedabudget.com/college/

Artist and tax professional Hannah Cole has a burning passion -- seeing art get made. And one thing she hates to see is artists being held back by money problems. After establishing herself as an artist in exhibitions in New York City, Hannah landed a job working for a design agency. There she learned she had a talent for communicating with both the creatives and management, helping each side understand deadlines, budgets, and resources needed to complete projects. Hannah went on to become a tax professional and open a tax service specializing in helping artists, creatives, and freelancers.   In addition to a full suite of tax services, Hannah's company offers money workshops to explain business, finance, and tax terms in clear language and help freelancers develop strategies for managing their money. She has also created a free, colorful guide for understanding how tax deductions work. You can find out more about Hannah, her company, and resources on their website: https://www.sunlighttax.com   Free tax deductions guide: https://www.sunlighttax.com/deductionsguide