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The Jesse Mecham Show

Jesse Mecham

Money shouldn't be this hard — and it isn't! YNAB founder Jesse Mecham is here to help you finally stop worrying about money and get good at spending it.

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  • 25 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 7 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • #796
    Thursday · 8 min

    For Now

    Jesse continues discussing the new central question of the YNAB method -- what does your money need to do? -- which replaced the old commandment to give every dollar a job. There are only five ways to answer this question, but it is deceptively deep. One of those answers is "for now," that is, the money needs to be used now, for expenses that are imminent and non-negotiable. The mortgage, water and electricity, groceries (maybe)... but not necessarily all bills. Jesse warns that the "for now" category of answers is easy to get lazy with, and that simply deciding all your bills and commitments need to be paid now doesn't give you true clarity into what your money needs to do. For instance, let's take groceries. You need food now, sure, but do you need to buy groceries right now? Maybe you have a store of food that has built up in the pantry, that you have forgotten about or are avoiding. You don't absolutely have to buy groceries if that's the case, and eating your stores offers some options with your money that you may not have identified otherwise. Order Jesse's new book, Never Worry About Money Again: www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #795
    September 10 · 7 min

    What Is Enough?

    Jesse ponders the question -- what is enough? What if you set the bar at physical subsistance, enough food, shelter, and clothing to be secure? If that is enough, then everything you have beyond it is extra. When you set the bar there, then everything you spend on extra takes on more meaning -- it's not stuff you have to buy, it's stuff you get to buy, and therefore is more expressive of yourself. What does your money need to do... once you have enough? Order Jesse's new book, Never Worry About Money Again: www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #794
    September 3 · 7 min

    Slow Down

    In keeping with the theme of last week's episode and reducing your information intake, today Jesse encourages reducing your to-do lists as well. Referencing Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks, he points out that waiting to relax and engage in leisure until after the to-do list is finished is a futile exercise -- the to-do list will never be finished, the sense of urgency to add more and do more will never relent... until you give yourself the grace to have a "human-sized" to-do list. Then relax, and slow down. In doing so, things will become clear to you in a way they never would in the ceaseless hustle and bustle. Order Jesse's new book, Never Worry About Money Again: www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #793
    August 27 · 8 min

    Information Overload

    YNAB is all about creating clarity with your money, and that central question -- what does it need to do? -- and therefore, clarity in your life. Clarity is very difficut, if not impossible, to achieve when you are overloaded and overwhelmed with inputs. Today Jesse challenges you to unhook yourself from the matrix, turn off the feeds, leave social media, and drastically reduce your diet of information. Not just for a week, try it for a year. Maybe two years. When you have fewer inputs into your thought process, you have more time to consider what is important to YOU, without having to parse what the algorithm is trying to push as important. You need space to think and reflect, and to get space you need to clear space. Give a try and see what happens! You may just find the answer you've been looking for (hint: what does your money need to do?) Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com Order Jesse's new book, Never Worry About Money Again: www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

  • #792
    August 21 · 8 min

    The Most Important Thing Is Right In Front of You

    Jesse reflects on the technological and cultural sea change underway as AI permeates everyday life. After publishing his new book, Never Worry About Money Again, Jesse scheduled the release of the audiobook version -- which he recorded himself in a studio in Salt Lake City -- only to find that someone had already released an audiobook with an AI generated voice clone. There are many such cases nowadays, leading Jesse to wonder -- how do you know whether anything is authentic anymore? Authenticity seems to be becoming a more and more valuable quality in an AI infused world, and how you spend your money is tangled up in the question as well. How do you know that what you're buying is authentic? How do you even know that where you are spending your money is authentic? The most important things you spend your money may very well be the things that are right in front of you -- a physical book, groceries from a local farmer. 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

  • #791
    August 6 · 14 min

    Ask Jesse: Ditching Credit Cards, Leasing Teslas, What Jesse Eats for Breakfast

    In part 3 of the latest installment of Ask Jesse, Jesse reflects on his 2023 experiment of ditching his credit card and spending only with a debit card -- which he stills does today! He also answers a question about what he eats for breakfast, and shares how his experience leasing a Tesla (which he now owns) led to him to realize that his insistence on driving a 2002 Honda Civic was really just pride masquerading as frugality. Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com Pre-order Jesse's new book! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

  • #790
    July 30 · 12 min

    Ask Jesse: Getting Your Partner On Board with YNAB, Kids Savings Accounts, and YNAB'ing with Kids

    In part 2 of the latest installment of Ask Jesse, Jesse offers some advice about how to work with a spouse who is reluctant or disinterested in YNAB. He also discusses savings accounts for kids, and how the Mecham family uses YNAB with the kids, at each stage of age and maturity. Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com Pre-order Jesse's new book! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

  • July 23 · 9 min

    Ask Jesse: Pre-Tax vs Roth IRA's, Giving Dollars Jobs in Retirement, Saving for Multiple Goals at Once

    Jesse's answering questions from his inbox, including questions about which retirement accounts to contribute to, how to save money in retirement when you don't have an income, and how a young person can save for multiple goals at the same time. Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com Pre-order Jesse's new book! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

  • #788
    July 16 · 10 min

    Never Worry About Money Again (An Excerpt)

    Jesse reads a short excerpt from his new book, Never Worry About Money Again. How does it feel to not worry about money day to day? It's not the end of all worry, but the freedom from money worry gives you the space to think about and work through the rest of your life. As Jesse says, the way you spend isn't just a parallel to the rest of your life, it is your life. Pre-order Jesse's new book! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #787
    July 9 · 9 min

    Signs You Need to Work on Your Money Skills

    Pre-order Jesse's new book! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #786
    July 2 · 6 min

    I Just Wanted a Donut

    Jesse shares a story about how one little donut that he passed by every day on his way to class as a struggling college student inspired him to develop a method for managing money that transformed his life, and millions of others by creating YNAB. Pre-order Jesse's new book now! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #785
    June 25 · 6 min

    Sticking It to the Bankers

    Americans have done it again, setting a record $1.25 trillion in credit card debt as of Q1 2026. There was a time in not too distant history, however, when credit card debt went down, and bankers were afraid, at least for a little bit. Getting good at money doesn't have to be hard, and money doesn't have to be a constant source of stress and anxiety. You just have to answer one simple question. Pre-order Jesse's new book now! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #784
    June 18 · 4 min

    Getting Good at Money Is for Both of You

    For those in relationships, getting good at money is not just a gift to yourself, it's a gift to you and your partner. Getting good at money means spending well, and spending well for a couple means putting more of yourselves out into the world via your dollars. Spending well leads to alignment, both of you on the same page regarding what you want your money to do for you and what you want your future to look like. Getting good at money doesn't have to be hard, and money doesn't have to be a constant source of stress and anxiety. You just have to answer one simple question. Jesse's new book is available for pre-order now! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #783
    June 11 · 4 min

    From Good to Great at Money: Becoming a New You

    Over the last several weeks Jesse has laid out some of the hallmarks of going from being bad at money (which is, frankly, how most of us start out) to good at money, including the benefits of being good at money -- less stress and anxiety, enjoying life more, engaging with life more. All these wins compound over time, and eventually you can become great with money, which means you can start bending the world to your will like Neo in the matrix. Ok, perhaps that's a little embellished, but you can shape your life and the world around you by totally expressing yourself with the money you spend. It's not just getting ahead of the next month's bills, it's thinking about what you want your life to look like, what things you want to see created in the world, and knowing that money is no longer an obstacle in seeing those things come to fruition. Getting good at money doesn't have to be hard, and money doesn't have to be a constant source of stress and anxiety. You just have to answer one simple question. Jesse's new book is available for pre-order now! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • #782
    June 2 · 6 min

    Jesse Has a New Book! Never Worry About Money Again

    That's right, Jesse has a new book out and it's available for pre-order now. After twenty years of running YNAB and a decade plus of podcasts, Fan Fests, speaking engagements, and more, Jesse has distilled his thinking about money into his best work: Never Worry About Money Again. Getting good at money doesn't have to be hard, and money doesn't have to be a constant source of stress and anxiety. You just have to answer one simple question. Preorder your copy now! www.neverworryaboutmoneyagain.com 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

  • May 28 · 3 min

    Bad to Good... It's More You

    When you're no longer stressed about money, you begin to enjoy the things you like guilt-free. Whether it's a treat or a tool or an experience you've always wanted, getting good at money frees you up to pursue happiness in life and express more of yourself in the world. In short, it's makes you more... you! How do you get good with money? YNAB is a great place to start! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at ynab.com/jesse Watch The Jesse Mecham Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessemechamshow 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

  • #780
    May 21 · 8 min

    Going From Bad to Good with Bills

    How do you get good with money? YNAB is a great place to start! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at ynab.com/jesse Watch The Jesse Mecham Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessemechamshow 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

  • #779
    May 14 · 6 min

    Going from Bad to Good with Money

    When you're bad at money, it only brings you worry. Get good at it, however, and it's empowering. Like Thanos' gauntlet. How do you get good with money? YNAB is a great place to start! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at ynab.com/jesse Watch The Jesse Mecham Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessemechamshow 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

  • #778
    May 7 · 3 min

    Face Reality, Get Good with Money

    Reality can be a scary thing. When we're bad with money (and most of us start that way), money feels, well... we'd rather just not look. Maybe if we don't look, that thing we're worrying about -- not having enough for looming bills, going into debt -- well maybe it will just go away. But we don't have to live in fear. Getting good with money means that you can face reality, and not only face it but embrace it. Make decisions with clear vision, and understand exactly what you're money is doing for you, where you want to go, and most importantly, how you're going to get there. How do you get good with money? YNAB is a great place to start! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at ynab.com/jesse Watch The Jesse Mecham Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessemechamshow 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

  • #777
    April 30 · 6 min

    Writing A Letter from Your Future Self

    Watch The Jesse Mecham Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessemechamshow Got a question for Jesse? Send him an email: askjesse@ynab.com Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at: www.youneedabudget.com Follow YNAB on social media: Facebook: @ynabofficial Instagram: @ynab.official Twitter/X: @ynab Tik Tok: @ynabofficial

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