The Jesse Mecham Show

My interview with Joe Mihalic, who paid off $90,000 of debt in 7 months, because he got intense, got focused, and made it happen. You can catch Joe's book on Amazon (for $2.99) called Destroy Student Debt - a Combat Guide to Freedom.

What will your holiday season look like 13 months from now? And why am I making you think about it?!

I'm throwing down here. Not really. Did a major, MAJOR closet cleaning, and it feels GREAT!

In this interview, I speak with Linda I (psuedonym), a Debtor's Anonymous participant. The program deserves a serious look if you, or someone you know, has a serious debt addiction.

It turns out that protecting yourself from Identity Theft doesn't mean you have to give up Facebook (whew), or stop shopping online (whew, love me some Amazon Prime). I interview Robert Siciliano, an ID Theft Expert, and he basically put me at ease on the whole situation.

My little brother got his wings from the Air Force this weekend, and on the tour, I got to see an air traffic control room. Guess what it reminded me of?

If you're like most (and you probably are), you're driving too much car. Consider how it just might be keeping you from the financial goals you REALLY care about.

This is epicly long. My first goal with YNAB was to make our $350 rent. And now in 2011 we were Utah's 9th fastest growing company. Who…woulda…thought.

I love what Jon Stein's doing over at Betterment. If you're afraid of investing, you should listen to this. If you want to be lazy about your investing, you should listen to this.

If I ever start another company, it will be to make a toaster so well-built, you'll pass it on to your grandkids. Has the "cheaper is better" skewed our instincts that used to follow the law of the harvest?

What's your retirement savings rate? Have you started saving for retirement? What aspects of your retirement nest egg are actually in your control?

Todd was a panelist at FinCon12, where the topic was the new retirement. I was impressed by Todd's analytical approach, and approachableness (is that a word?) on the topic. He also managed to find financial freedom by age 35. And by "find", I mean work his tail off to get there.

I LOVED doing this interview! Leo really helped me think through priorities, gaining clarity, and determining what matters. I'm more zen-like because of it :)

The study says $70,000 and it's gotten me thinking about downsizing. Not the house really, just in general. Though nothing's off the chopping block just yet.

You're not really saving money. You're simply acknowledging future expenses.

I interivew Jill Pollack, an organization expert, and host of "Consumed", a one-hour de-cluttering/life-changing TV show for HGTV Canada. She shares some great tips on finding some breathing room with your stuff!

As part of the #LifeAware Life Insurance Movement, I bring on special guest, Jeff Rose, Cerftified Financial Planner, founder of Alliance Wealth Management, and blogger at GoodFinancialCents.com.

You may make "good money", but you don't feel like you're getting ahead. You just don't think you're gaining any traction. You may not have a good grasp on your True Expenses.

I set out to have Dan talk about pursuing your passion, and it ended up turning a bit into my own personal coaching session! Dan Miller is a best-selling author, speaker, and career coach. We discuss careers, goals, passions, and more.

If you carry a credit card balance from month to month, your credit cards should be destroyed. If you're operating by YNAB's 4 Rules, Credit Cards offer some advantages.

I interview Joe, a motivational speaker that was motivated to change his finances for the better. He's also started using YNAB in a very unique way -- and it has nothing to do with money!

I'm no marriage counselor, but I do sell for a living, and I think you have to sell your Spouse on budgeting.

There's always lots of talk about your "nest egg" in retirement…and lots of sexy-sounding words when it comes to investing (ETF! Diversification!) but the most important number is the one that's never talked about.

In the wake of an eventful, learning-filled, stressful launch of YNAB 4…what IS YNAB?

New software is great (and YNAB 4 really is great), but the software isn't the reason YNAB works.

I returned from a 50-mile backpacking trip in a fairly remote area of Utah. Of course every single thing I experienced can be tied back to budgeting. Because budgeting is awesome.

Bill has been using YNAB for three years, along with Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover method. They're debt free, and are working to pay down their mortgage as fast as possible.

Prepping for a 50-mile hike is a lot like the monthly budget meeting. This topic is oozing metaphors.

Kind of hesitant to share this, because up until now I haven't made it public. But what the heck. The key for me paying my home off before I turned 30 was incessant focus, and long hair.

Will has been using YNAB for about five months and, since he only had nice things to say about it, I thought he made a great success story ;)

More things change, the more they stay the same. Banks want you to borrow money--badly. And there are some interesting developments in the Personal Finance Management (PFM) space to help you do just that. Here's a heads up.

What's the harm in starting over? What are some good reasons to hit the 'reset' button, and when should you keep on truckin'?

What does it mean to fail at budgeting? It, frankly, doesn't mean much of anything.

A rambling discussion of accounts, categories, cash, and just trying to do everything you can to simplify your budget process, while still deriving all of the benefit it provides.

When backpacking, you don't eat all of your food the first day. When you receive a paycheck, you don't spend all of your money the first day either. Also, handling a wildly variable income.

This church out of Idaho has been using YNAB as part of their bible study groups -- for SIX YEARS. I have a long conversation with them about how it's helped them, what they'd like to see improved, and tacos.

When it rains, it pours, right? Sometimes that's our own doing (and demise). Financially speaking, of course.

If you're not operating in reality, you don't know what you want. If you don't knowo what you want, you won't get it.

Can YNAB serve your business just as well? Well, YNAB's serving YNAB well.

Your budget has a boiling point. Dial it back a few notches so you can stick to your budget for the long haul.

I talk with Mason (who created our podcast bump music) about how his finances are now rockin' with YNAB.

Five minutes trying to convince you that adjusting your budget is not only correct, it's a best practice.

Are you too poor to budget? Absolutely not!

The debt snowball is tried and true, but what's the debt snowflake? It's more effective than it sounds :)

Automation is a two-edged sword. Used wisely, it will revolutionize your finances. Used poorly, it will do nothing for you (it may even hurt you, in a financial way).

Taxes are your life's single biggest expense. Cozy up with the tax code and minimize as if your financial life depended on it!

A YNAB success story interview with Brian from Portland. We wax philosophical about present you, and future you (Rules One & Two), and Brian talks about his transition from Quicken.

Baker and his wife had an epiphany the night their daughter was born. With the answer to one simple question, they found freedom. This will get you thinking!

"Simple ways to stop doing dumb things with money" is the tagline of Carl's book, "The Behavior Gap". Stop doing dumb things when it comes to investing? I'll take one of those please!

Erin Lowell, YNAB's head of Education, jumps onto the program to introduce our new New Year's Crash Course. One more way to help you get this money thing done RIGHT.