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 home ownership as Jesse, and that's ok! Jesse encourages you to map out not only the mathematical pros and cons of big financial goals like paying off a mortgage early, but also consider the emotional impact of the decision. Also, leave yourself some space to change your mind in the future, like Jesse did about paying off mortgages early. Personal finance is always a mixture of math and emotions, and where you fall on the spectrum is, well, personal!

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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 the things that make you, you: things you need, things you want, things you enjoy. Money in this case is a medium, it's a medium through which your energy transfers to the world. And the more and more you get in touch with who you are, and the more you learn to spend in alignment  with who you are, the more money becomes an expression of... you!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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:

1. What does this money need to do before I’m paid again? (Reality)
2. What larger, less frequent spending do I need to prepare for? (Stability)
3. What can I set aside for next month’s spending? (Resilience)
4. What goals, large or small, do I want to prioritize? (Creation)
5. 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.

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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!

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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!

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