I Regret Paying Off My Mortgage
The Jesse Mecham Show
When Jesse was 25, he wrote down a goal on a notecard: to live in a paid-off house by the time he was 30. He thought that owning his house free and clear would make things feel different, give him a sense of security and freedom. At the end of the day, though, the mortgage really wasn't that big of a deal -- it was just another bill to pay. There was less satisfaction to owning his home outright than he thought there would be, and some regret when he realzied he could have invested the extra mortgage payments somewhere else and made far more return. You may not have the same outlook on...
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Your Money = You
The Jesse Mecham Show
Welcome to the first episode of The Jesse Mecham Show! To kick off the new show, Jesse asks the question: what is money anyway? You might point to the cash in your wallet, you might say it's the number in your bank account, you might even say it's a medium of exchange, or a store of value. While these answers aren't wrong, they really don't capture the fullness of what money is and what it means to us. Instead of thinking of money as merely a medium of exchange, Jesse prompts you think of it as medium of energy. You expend energy to acquire money, and then you spend that money on all...
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Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition Part Drei
The Jesse Mecham Show
Jesse finishes his Q&A session from his inbox with one of the longer episodes in recent memory. He also announces a big change coming to the podcast! Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter/X: Tik Tok: Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:
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Spendfulness Isn't... Spendfulness Is
The Jesse Mecham Show
Spendfulness is the new word in town, but don't be fooled! It's not just a portmanteau of "spending" and "mindfulness." Spendfulness isn't spending on the "right" or "correct" things. It doesn't mean spending on health or self-improvement, or even treating yourself. Although it certainly could include these things, limiting the definition to them is too small. Paying your electric bill is spendfulness, just like paying for a day at a health spa or a membership to a yoga studio. Spendfulness is that feeling of never having to second guess about your money, or being able to replace a...
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Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition Part Deux
The Jesse Mecham Show
Jesse continues his Q&A session from his inbox, addressing questions such as: whether an investment advisor is worth it and what to do with an inheritance windfall. Jesse also teases some upcoming changes to the podcast! Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter/X: Tik Tok: Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:
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Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition
The Jesse Mecham Show
Jesse cracks open his inbox for another round of Ask Jesse. In today's episode he fields questions about YNAB'ing through job loss, financing a car and investing the float, and what personal finance books he recommends for kids. Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter/X: Tik Tok: Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:
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Spendfulness
The Jesse Mecham Show
People have been doing it for years by following the YNAB method -- self-actualizing by aligning their spending with themselves. Now the YNAB team has come up with a word to describe it. It's not a budget, it's not a set of rules. It's spendfulness. Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC: Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter/X: Tik Tok:
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YNAB Method Overhaul... Not Really
The Jesse Mecham Show
The Four Rules are out... the Five Questions are in! Well... not really, the Four Rules have just been transformed and clarified. As Jesse has pointed out in prior podcasts, the Four Rules were really just one rule, the first rule -- Give Every Dollar a Job. And that is still the master rule. To clarify what giving every dollar a job means, YNAB has come up with five questions: What does this money need to do before I’m paid again? (Reality) What larger, less frequent spending do I need to prepare for? (Stability) What can I set aside for next month’s spending? (Resilience) ...
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Advice for Procrastinators Not Wanting to Deal With Money
The Jesse Mecham Show
If you have been procrastinating about starting to manage your money, Jesse has a message for you. It's ok to start now, and start small -- and you don't have to be perfect either! Jesse has been using the YNAB method to manage his money for twenty years now, and he still hasn't reached perfection. But, he has become more in tune with his spending and learned how to create more joy in his life as a result, and he's helped millions of other people to do the same through YNAB. Jump in! Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC: ...
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I Stopped Using Credit Cards for an Entire Year. Here's What Happened
The Jesse Mecham Show
Every year Jesse experiments with his money. In 2023 he decided to ditch his credit cards, and he continued that experiment through 2024. The result? His average bank account balance is up 18%, his time spent maintaining YNAB is down, and most importantly, money is simpler. He doesn't even miss the points and cashback rewards! Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC: Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: Instagram: ...
info_outlineJesse grew up in a frugal family -- frugality for frugality's sake, as he describes it. As he has grown, discovered the YNAB method, and worked the four rules, he has come to a conclusion -- he is not even a little frugal! Frugality implies thrift, spending little money so as to conserve the resource. The idea is that spending money frugally is an effort to not waste money.
YNAB's four rules help you identify the things that matter in your life, however, the things you do want to spend money on. And once you have identified those things, Jesse challenges you to double down and spend more on the things that matter to you. As he has mentioned in other episodes, money is just an extension of you, and if money is you, then why would you want less of you in the world?
So Jesse is not frugal. Not even a little bit!
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