The Jesse Mecham Show

Latest Episodes:

Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition Part Drei Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

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:

askjesse@ynab.com

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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 Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

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 water heater (or two!) on a moment's notice with no impact to your bank account. It's resilience, it's spending with joy, it's all of these things.

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

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Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition Part Deux Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

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:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

Facebook: @ynabofficial

Instagram: @ynab.official

Twitter/X: @ynab

Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:

YNAB.com/events

Ask Jesse: 2025 Edition Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

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:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

Facebook: @ynabofficial

Instagram: @ynab.official

Twitter/X: @ynab

Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:

YNAB.com/events

Spendfulness Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

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:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

Facebook: @ynabofficial

Instagram: @ynab.official

Twitter/X: @ynab

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YNAB Method Overhaul... Not Really Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

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)
What goals, large or small, do I want to prioritize? (Creation)
What changes do I need to make, if any? (Flexibility)

These five questions are designed to give you more clarity about what you want your money to do for you, and ultimately how you want to spend your live. In a word, how to live spendfully.

Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

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Instagram: @ynab.official

Twitter/X: @ynab

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Advice for Procrastinators Not Wanting to Deal With Money Jan 13, 2025

Show notes

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:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

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Instagram: @ynab.official

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I Stopped Using Credit Cards for an Entire Year. Here's What Happened Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

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:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

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If Money Were No Object... What Would Your New Years Resolution Be? Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

It's almost the New Year, and that means it's time to make resolutions! Jesse loves resolutions, goals, and goal planning, and he has some advice for you this year. Before you start setting your goals for next year, do this simple vision exercise first.

Imagine that money is no object, and you have unlimited funds to work with. What would you like to do next year? What kind of things would you need to arrange in your life to make that happen? Remember money is not an issue here -- if you need to hire someone to take care of certain tasks for you, or buy something to improve your efficiency, or anything else you can think of, you can do it! Write these things down on a sheet of paper.

You have already started the process of thinking about where to spend your energy in the New Year, and wherever your energy is going, your money should be too. Now, when you bring reality back in, which means limited funds and resources, you have a clearer idea of where to focus those resources in order to help you reach your goals.

Happy New Year!

Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

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Don't Scrooge Yourself Next Christmas Dec 23, 2024

Show notes

Ebenezer Scrooge is a classic Christmas tale, a tragic character who lets his insatiable desire for money blind him to the circumstances of the people around him -- particularly his employees -- and the spirit of the Christmas holiday. He didn't even seem to enjoy spending his wealth, only the accumulation of it. While Scrooge is not a good role model for generosity or charity, he did always pay his bills on time.

Next Christmas you can give yourself a bill, or rather give yourself a bill now, and every month between now and next Christmas! Think of the things you want to buy and do next Christmas (not just gifts, but travel and cooking) and add up how much you think you'll spend. Divide it by twelve, and that's your bill to be paid each month between now and December 25, 2025. Then you can spend your money in a way Scrooge never could -- on gifts and family and generosity.

Merry Christmas!

Tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025 are on sale now! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC:

YNAB.com/events

Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email:

askjesse@ynab.com

Follow YNAB on social media:

Facebook: @ynabofficial

Instagram: @ynab.official

Twitter/X: @ynab

Tik Tok: @ynabofficial