You Need A Budget (ynab)

I've brought back my tax adviser, Casey Murdock, for another podcast. He should be your adviser too. We discuss the fringe world of tax credit and deduction phaseouts. You can contact Casey directly at casey@wealthguardadvisors.com.

Inspired by Mark's blog post over on the blog, we discuss the very true (albeit depressing) principle that once you finance something, everything else you purchase is also "financed."

I reminisce, and then look forward.

A discussion on how I use YNAB to manage our real estate investing.

This is awesome. Having Julie "own" the budget has been just short of revolutionary.

I've handed the Budgetingi Reins over to my wife, Julie. She'll do a better job, and our relationship will be even better for it. Here what lead up to this, and why it's going to be awesome.

An interview with  my favorite personal finance blogger, Mr. Money Mustache.  He retired at 30 years old, and he and his wife and son live a luxurious life on just under $30,000 per year.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PODCAST YOU WILL LISTEN TO THIS YEAR. :)

An interview with Jeff Rose, CFP and author of Soldier of Finance. You can snag a chance for a free copy by going to http://goodfinancialcents.com/ynabbook

My thoughts on cellphones, not just smartphones, and how we're being sold a bill of goods that's costing us money, and decreasing quality of life. And yes, I'm going for "dramatic" here.

Mark's blog post from a while back spurred this commentary.  My thoughts on financial priorities regarding the big picture, longer-term stuff.

With your budget, especially for those just starting, just show up. Keep it simple, do what you're told, and…just show up.

Sometimes creation trumps consumption purely for its own sake; where you're satisfied on a personal level, even though the math doesn't work.

Sometimes the best way to start thinking about making extra income is to think small.  Really small.  Don't let visions of grandeur slow you down.

There are a few ways to apply Rule Two (Save for a Rainy Day) to your wildly fluctuating income situation. This also applies if you happen to receive windfalls, but are otherwise on a fairly steady income.

Your budget will never be perfect, because you're dealing with imperfect variables (people, external events, and bad data).

The key is to give them a taste of how good it feels to save up and pay for something. Positive, achievable, and life-changing.

(Holiday spending target - current category balance) / six months remaining = your monthly contributions for the rest of 2013.

There are three secrets to budgeting successfully on even the wildest of variable incomes.  Here they are.

If you just decide things are great, maybe a monthly budget is a bit too frequent…how long would you last before the lack of frequency/familiarity left you sinking back into your old ways?

YNAB's (very successful) headline on the homepage sends the message of "control," but most people say they don't like budgets because they feel controlled.  Which is it?