You Need a Budget (YNAB) is the expense tracker/budgeter that requires no introduction…but we’ll give it one anyways! In 2004, Jesse Mecham launched this ground-breaking software, allowing money masters and novices alike to easily track their money and plan for a financially stress-free future. Jesse may have been the perfect person to build a product like this—he started tracking his expenses at age sixteen for fun!

As Jesse grew older, he continued to track his expenses regularly, allowing him to have a tight hold on his money and fight back the urge to go into debt. When his wife decided to take a backseat on working and have children, Jesse started to work harder at converting YNAB from a simple spreadsheet to a full-blown business. He was so conservative that three years into the business when he was making twice as much as his accountant salary, he continued to reinvest almost every cent of profit so he could have a strong financial foundation behind him.

Now, some eighteen years after launching, Jesse still holds the principles that he started YNAB with. He lives a simple lifestyle, enjoying “parlor time” with his seven children, keeping a strong emergency fund, and investing in a very, very conservative manner. Take it from someone like Jesse who has “made it”—budgeting can change your life.

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Join the BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bpmoney
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Sign Up for YNAB Today:
https://ynab.com/biggerpockets
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Send Jesse an Email:
jesse@ynab.com
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Follow Along Mindy’s 2022 Budget:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/mindysbudget?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Budgeting Tricks to Stop Blowing 5 Figures A Month:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/how-not-to-blow-5-figures-a-month?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Personal Finance Software: 7 Tools to Grow Your Wealth 👇
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2015-12-30-personal-finance-software?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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The Two Best Budget-Building Apps, Compared and Contrasted:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/best-budgeting-apps?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Want to Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Money Show? Apply Here:
Guests: www.biggerpockets.com/guest?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
Finance Friday: www.biggerpockets.com/financereview?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Connect with Scott and Mindy on BiggerPockets:
Scott: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/scotttrench?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
Mindy: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/mindyjensen?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none

Episode 271

Show notes at: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow271

0:00 Intro
2:01 Tracking, Saving, and Being Debt-Free
8:15 Forming the YNAB Idea
11:24 The 4 Rules of Money Management
15:53 Where Should You Keep Your Savings?
19:11 Making the Jump to Full-Time Founder
31:11 Sleeping Soundly with Your Money Decisions
36:18 Using YNAB for Rental Properties
42:22 Using Debt for Wealth Building
44:39 Keeping the Lifestyle Simple
46:53 What’s Next for Jesse?
49:41 Famous Four
55:50 Do You Need a Budget?