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Jesse Mecham and Mark Butler teach you how to manage your business cash flow, hone your business model, and not freak out about money.
A weekly dose of just the right medicine to help you get out of debt, save more money, and beat the paycheck to paycheck cycle.
Hosted by productivity strategist Mike Vardy, A Productive Conversation is a podcast that discusses tips, tools, tactics, and tricks that are designed to help you take your productivity, time management, goals, to do lists, habits, and workflow to new heights - both at work and at home. If you're looking to focus your efforts on getting the right things done and start living the good life, then this weekly conversational podcast – crafted in the tradition of Slate's Working, Back to Work, an ...
Personal finance experts Ben Barlowe and Ernie Reppe get nerdy with numbers as they share budgeting tips, strategies for categorizing transactions, and lessons learned from using the revolutionary budgeting system known as You Need a Budget.
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Beginning Balance
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Accounting Is Cooler Than You Think: Contribution Margin and Breakeven Analysis
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Businesses are concerned with profitability, and rightly so. If the business can't turn a profit, it can't stay in business very long! Calculating bottom line profitability is a fairly straightforward operation, but what about calculating the relative profitability of individual product lines or services? This is where things get complicated, and i…
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A Productive Conversation
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FROM THE VAULT: Create Good Mornings with Craig Kulyk
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This conversation is a special one. Not just because it is from the vault, but because this guest is no longer with us. Craig Kulyk and I met at the World Domination Summit and it was an absolute pleasure to have called him my friend. I am attending the WDS while this episode airs, and what better way to honour his memory than to release this great…
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Ask Jesse: How Do You Move On... From Budgeting?
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Britney writes into the show to ask, as a long time fan and follower of various personal finance resources, what should she do now that her family's budget is pretty much dialed in? How can she avoid constantly looking at the app to check that the budget is still working? Jesse reminds us that budgeting should, eventually, become boring for everyon…
Mark and Jesse discuss the "curse of the superstar employee," that one person in your business that you can't imagine living without. The employee that does every task better than everyone else (probably faster too), with enthusiasm. While these are great people to have on your team, they can become bottlenecks for growth -- especially when they ta…
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A Productive Conversation
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Shaahin Cheyene talks about Billions: How I Became The King Of The Thrill Pill Cult
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Not only is Shaahin Cheyene the author of Billion: How I Became King of the Thrill Pill Cult but he is also the creator of herbal ecstasy, the nootropic pill that sparked the 100% legal smart drug movement. He's further established himself as an award-winning entrepreneur, Amazon expert, inventor, author, and filmmaker. He's known as the “Willy Won…
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#42 - Dining Out: Taming the Budget Blower!
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While the folks at YNAB have no opinion on how you should spend your money (that's a highly personal decision and up to you to decide), there's one thing that just keeps coming up: restaurants! Over and over again, new budgeters find that much of their money is being spent dining out at restaurants and ordering take out, and many of those budgeters…
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Mid-Year Check In: Are You Still Clear On Things?
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It's right about the mid-point of the year... how's your budget doing? Are you still clear on your priorities, and what jobs your dollars should be doing for you? If you've found yourself Rule Three'ing everything and rolling with the punches month after month, perhaps it is time to revisit your goals, reevaluate your priorities, and revise your bu…
Employee theft and fraud happens in the business world all the time, from theft of office supplies to slipping cash out of the register to massive multi-million dollar embezzlement schemes. Most of it happens, unfortunately, to small businesses, which often lack the sophsitication and manpower to prevent and detect fraud. Jesse has a few easy to im…
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A Productive Conversation
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Brad Stulberg talks about The Practice of Groundedness
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This episode has been highly anticipated. Great guest. Great book. And a great conversation. Brad Stulberg is a coach and speaker on sustainable performance and well-being. You may have read one of his many articles in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and many others! He has been helping people reach their full potential …
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Ask Jesse: What Do I Do With My Investments Now?
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A listener writes into the show -- what should she do with her investments in this market? Each week she is seeing the value of her portfolio go down, and she is losing as much value as what she puts in each month. Ouch! Jesse reminds us not to panic, and to go back to your written investment plan (you have one of those, right?). Why are you invest…
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Beginning Balance
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A World Without "Email," Mark Actually Likes a Book
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Can you imagine it? Mark and Jesse discuss Cal Newport's book A World Without Email, which urges workers, especially knowledge workers, to rethink their work in terms of process and systems. Good processes make us more efficient, but more importantly they allow us to engage in deeper work and be more creative as a result. Good processes and systems…
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A Productive Conversation
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Jason Goldsmith talks about Take Charge of You: How Self Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career
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You don't have to be a sports fan to take something from this episode. A globally recognized Performance Coach, Jason Goldsmith emphasizes combining the mental and physical aspects of optimal performance. As founder of Goldsmith Performance, Jason has coached multiple Major champions and top-fifty golfers. His accomplishments in golf include assist…
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#41 - Getting Nerdy with Groceries: Tips to Trim Your Budget
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If you haven't noticed it you might actually live under a rock -- groceries have gotten expensive these days! Inflation has crept into nearly every crevice of the economy, but food prices in particular have risen drastically. If anyone's up to the task of managing the budget with high food prices, it's budget nerds, and in today's episode Ben and E…
On a recent Budget Nerds episode, Jesse threw out a hot take that index investing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Jocelyn wrote into the show to ask... why exactly? Jesse explains himself in today's episode. Investing Books mentioned in the show: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by Jack Bogle A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malki…
Mark and Jesse answer a question submitted by a listener wanting to know if he could run his coffee shop books in YNAB? Jesse has recommended in the past that businesses with inventory run YNAB in parallel with their normal bookkeeping software, but he and Mark agree that a coffee shop, although it has inventory, is a great candidate for YNAB. Ques…
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A Productive Conversation
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Neill Williams talks about How to Unbusy Your Life
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It's always exciting having another productivity coach on the show with me and this episode definitely starts off on the right foot! This was a fun and engaging conversation that I've been eager to release! Neill Williams is a mom, wife, and former overworked cog in the corporate wheel. Until she decided to take control of the life she wanted and u…
As inflation continues to rear it's ugly head in 2022, prices are going up and up, meaning budgets are getting stretched thin. Inflation is essentially another form of scarcity, Jesse points out, albeit involuntary scarcity. Jesse reminds us that scarcity is what drives us to be creative with the budget, and get more clear about our values. Budgeti…
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Beginning Balance
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Scarcity by Design: The Four Day Workweek
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Mark shares his practice of taking quiet days, quiet weeks, and (eventually) quiet months to find clarity and focus on bigger questions and problems. Jesse explains why YNAB recently decided to implement a four day workweek, and how scarcity of time can actually drive productivity. Mark Butler, Virtual CFO https://markbutler.com https://letsdothebo…
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A Productive Conversation
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Michael Clinton talks about Roar into the Second Half of your Life
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Reimagine yourself, Own who you are, Act on what's next for you, Reassess your relationships. This is a mantra that Michael Clinton lives by. And this conversation with him is one that I've been really excited to release. Michael is a best-selling author and former magazine publisher and president for Hearst magazine. He is a writer-at-large for Es…
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#40 - Q&A #3: Letting Kids Look at the Budget, How Many Categories Is Too Many, and More!
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Ben returns to the show (with a very cute baby) and he and Ernie answer viewer-submitted questions. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2gBy You Need a Budget
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Ask Jesse: How Should You Track Vacation Spending?
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A listener writes into the show to ask: how should you track vacation spending? Vacation is a time to relax and let loose a little, but the listener wants to make sure he is pacing the family's expenses during the trip so he doesn't go overbudget. Jesse offers a few different options, including sophisticated use of categories to track the vacation …
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Beginning Balance
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Profit Sharing: A Tool for Employee Alignment or a Dangerous Precedent?
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Mark recounts a recent conversation with a client in which she wanted to create a profit sharing arrangement with an employee who had previously only worked for a standard hourly rate. The idea was that the profit sharing would incentivize this employee to do a good job, since the better the product sold the more money she would make, thereby "alig…
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A Productive Conversation
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Loretta Breuning talks about Status Games
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It’s been nearly 6 years since I first had the pleasure of speaking with Loretta Breuning. This episode has been months in the making and I’m happy to have her back to chat about her book Status Games: Why We Play and How to Stop. Loretta is a Professor Emerita of Management at California State University and the author of many personal development…
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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A Financial Roadmap for Marriage and Financial Separation with Attorneys Kelly Frawley and Emily Pollock
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Kelly Frawley and Emily Pollock are attorneys specializing in matrimonial and family law, and regularly contribute to Forbes on issues related to divorce and business. In today's episode, they discuss the important questions you should be asking before marriage about money, finances, and expectations about the future. And, in the event of divorce, …
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A Productive Conversation
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Marshall Goldsmith talks about The Earned Life
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This is a conversation I've been wanting to have for years. Marshall Goldsmith is someone I've been following ever since I got into the productivity space. His book "Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts - Becoming the Person You Want to Be" was especially formative for me and my work. So when I was asked if I'd like to speak with Marshall about h…
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#39 - Getting Nerdy with Investments in YNAB with Matthew Amster-Burton
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Did you know you can use YNAB to track your investments too? Former investment advisor and current YNAB team member Matthew Amster-Burton joins the show to talk about how he uses YNAB to get real nerdy with his investment accounts. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g…
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Better Budgeting... and a Rant about Banks
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15:08
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Struggling with YNAB? That's OK, you're not alone, and Jesse has a few things to look at and make sure you are truly following the Four Rules. And along the way, Jesse has a bone to pick about banks and their data export practices! Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.comBy Jesse Mecham
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A Productive Conversation
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Daniel Coyle talks about The Culture Playbook
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When I was given the opportunity to speak with Daniel Coyle for A Productive Conversation, I jumped at the opportunity. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent, The Secret Race, Lance Armstrong’s War, and Hardball: A Season in the Projects. Coyle, who works as an advisor to the Cle…
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You Need A Budget (YNAB)
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Ask Jesse: First-Time Home Buyer in a Crazy Market
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A first-time house shopper wrote into the show for advice on how to approach the crazy, red hot housing market we are currently in. The writer wants to buy her first home, but is unsure whether she will have enough money to put down as house prices rise at a rapid pace. Jesse reminds us that, most importantly, cash equals options, and it's never a …
Mark explores his anxiety around staying in the same business for several years, and why he has finally come to peace with staying in one lane and executing his book keeping business. Mark Butler, Virtual CFO https://markbutler.com https://letsdothebooks.com You Need a Budget https://www.youneedabudget.com…
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A Productive Conversation
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Adrienne Smith talks about playing football, giving her all, and giving back to the game
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I've always wanted to interview a football player for the podcast. Thanks to Adrienne Smith, I got my chance. As an athlete, Adrienne has won two gold medals and four national championships in the sport of women’s tackle football. Adrienne has also represented the U.S. in the sport of flag football, having won three silver medals in international c…
While Ben is out on paternity leave, Ernie invites Jesse Mecham -- the founder of YNAB and therefore the ultimate budget nerd -- onto the show to answer 73 questions about life, budgeting, and whether or not Jesse will ever fix his golf swing. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g…
Jesse shares some case studies from the Mecham household, where he has taught his kids to budget their savings the YNAB way, giving those savings dollars a job. The kicker? Their savings sit in the same checking account as their fun money. With practice and the four rules, however, they have developed the discipline to spend only what they have bud…
Thinking about a business partnership? Well, think long and hard about it, because entering into a business partnership is a lot like entering into a marriage. Good partnerships require effort, resources, and a high level of emotional intelligence. Put simply, they add a lot of complexity to the task of running a business. This doesn't mean they ar…
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A Productive Conversation
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Joshua Becker talks about Things That Matter
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Joshua Becker isn't just one of my favourite people to have a conversation with, he's one of my favourite writers. And his book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life, is a book that I needed to read. I believe it's a book that you need to read as well. Joshua is The Wall Street Journal best-selling author of T…
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EP16 Money Stories: First Responders and Finance, $78k Debt Paid off in 28 Months
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Jesse welcomes Jason and Katie Hoschouer to the podcast. Together they paid off $78,000 of debt in a mere 28 months, an amazing burst of focused saving and budgeting! Jason is a retired police officer with 23-years experience in the force, now turned financial coach. He helps other first responders get their budgets in order, pay off debt, and buil…
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A Productive Conversation
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Cameron Herold talks about being The Second in Command
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Meetings suck, don't they? Fellow Canadian Cameron Herold wrote a book with that title. But he knows that they don't have to suck. During our discussion, Cameron shares with me why meetings don't have to suck and how to keep them becoming something that sucks. We also talked about a variety of other things during our conversation because Cameron ha…
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#37 - Houses on a Budget: Buying, Renovating, Mortgages, and More with Erin
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Erin Lowell, a lead educator at You Need A Budget, joins the show to replace Ben.... just kidding, Ben is irreplaceable! But while he's out on paternity leave, Ernie is hosting the show with guests. Erin has a LOT of experience budgeting, and a fair amount of experience buying and renovating houses, so she shares a recent experience buying a beauti…
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A Productive Conversation
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A Very Special Episode: Liam Martin talks about Running Remote
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The way the world works has been changed forever over the past few years. There's no going back to the way things were. It's all about adapting to the evolved world of work – one that involves remote work no matter which way you slice it. That's why I'm glad to finally have Liam Martin join me on the podcast. Liam is an avid proponent of remote wor…
