About YNAB

YNAB is the beloved financial method, system, and app that clarifies everything.

(It sure did for us! You can read more about my personal story below.)

“What is YNAB—and why should I use it?”

  • YNAB is a method. This friendly, flexible method supports effortless savings and guilt-free spending—in alignment with what matters to you most.

  • YNAB is a highly customizable Cash-Flow Dashboard, giving you clarity, and keeping you in alignment with your values and preferences.

  • YNAB is a habit builder, so you stay on track with your inspiring new money habits and—most importantly—can easily make skillful in-the-moment decisions.

  • YNAB is a stress reliever (and a sparker of joy): So you can sleep better at night. 🛌And enjoy the little things (like easeful financial balancing) with more delight. 🤸‍♀️

  • YNAB is a goal achiever. It’s your steadfast support for setting achievable goals, monitoring your progress in real-time, and celebrating your (many) successes, little and large! 🎉

  • YNAB is fun! Many a YNABer has been spotted doing a happy dance (and even whooping with joy) while telling their partner about yet another “YNAB win”! 😊💕😊

  • YNAB is also the name of the company that supports YNAB—and you. YNAB (the company) is known for being highly ethical, innovative, and friendly. They are a 20-year-old privately-held company that invented, maintains, and supports YNAB (beautifully).

My Story: Why I love sharing YNAB

Prior to discovering YNAB (✨🤸‍♀️🎉), my then-fiancé (now spouse) and I had tried everything out there! Previously, I was even a dedicated Mint user for 6+ years, but no matter how well I tracked spending in the past, Mint (and other apps and tools, including spreadsheet budgets) were no help for moving forward, or for making accurate spending choices in present time.

Then, when we became YNABers in May 2017, suddenly our finances finally came into focus, our decisions became easier, and we gained momentum in our goals! Major YNAB wins arrived soon! And (best of all, without all that prior stress) our relationship got even sweeter. 💕

And this is why I love sharing YNAB with others. :-)

🌿 Let’s Talk.

Your first session is free.
💚

FAQ

  • Item For greatest success, the following qualities are helpful:

    Motivated: You are highly motivated to dive in.

    Curious: You are curious and open to forming supportive new habits

    Tech: You are tech-competent (or at least tech-curious)

    Time: You are up for completing 60-90 minutes of homework between the first 2-3 coaching sessions, as well as ongoing, regular YNAB tending. (A few minutes here and there / daily works best).

    Style: You enjoy a coach with a caring, enthusiastic, encouraging, and somewhat playful coaching style. :-)description

  • For greatest success, the following qualities are helpful:

    • Motivated: At least one of you is highly motivated to dive in. NOTE: See the next question below if one partner is not quite as enthusiastic—yet. ;-)

    • Curious: Both of you are curious and open to forming supportive new habits

    • Tech: You are both tech-competent (or at least tech-curious)

    • Time: At least one of you is up for completing 60-90 minutes of homework between the first 2-3 coaching sessions, as well as ongoing, regular YNAB tending. (A few minutes here and there / daily works best).

    • Style: You enjoy a coach with a caring, enthusiastic, encouraging, and somewhat playful coaching style. :-)

  • Likely, yes! Many people use YNAB for their business bookkeeping (and I am one of them).

    No inventory or payroll: As long as your business does not have payroll or inventory, YNAB can potentially work for your business. And, if so, I’ll be happy to guide you in setting this piece up as well. :-)

    Note: To keep everything tidy, I recommend maintaining a separate YNAB budget (inside your same YNAB account) for your business.

  • Most likely! Oftentimes—in the beginning—one partner is more excited about the vision of what is possible, and I’ve worked with couples who had great success with YNAB when only one person attends coaching sessions and completes the between-session homework and invitations.

    It worked for these couples because, in each case, both partners were curious and open to the process, even though both also agreed that only one partner would be the dedicated YNABer (i.e., attending the coaching sessions, plus taking on the the task of being the tender and tracker of all things YNAB).

  • Absolutely! It’s very common for couples to have some shared finances and some individual accounts, credit cards, etc.

    There are several different approaches for building hybrid-couples budgets, and we can assess and then choose the best solution for your particular situation. :-)

  • The coaching I offer complements the services offered by a financial planner or advisor in several ways.

    YNAB coaching focuses on the following: staying inspired and on track with current cash flow (enhancing it and overcoming obstacles to it); creating supportive new money habits; emerging from debt, setting attainable spending goals (and meeting these targets!), and staying inspired and on track with saving money for small and medium-sized goals—as well as strategizing savings for larger dreams!

    In contrast, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) or financial advisor spends less time and focus on supporting clients with day-to-day cash flow, debt, shorter-term savings, and daily money habits. Instead, they focus on investment management, long-term planning, and protecting you from various liabilities (e.g., taxes, insurance planning, retirement costs, and estate planning).

    While a YNAB coach does not advise you on any specific investments (that is beyond our scope), the YNAB method excels at helping you save more money (and building up stellar money-saving habits!)—and then YNAB also supports you in deciding how much of that saved money you would like to put toward your longer-term goals, such as investing for retirement or purchasing a home.

  • See all the details on the Coaching Programs & Pricing page.

  • That’s a great question!

    The easiest way to know is to schedule a free session, so we can chat. In our session, I’ll ask you a few questions about what you’re seeking, I can share more about my approach(es), and you can ask me anything you like. :-)

    Also, if you feel open to it, these free introductory sessions also include coaching time . . . so you’ll also get a sense of how it would feel for us to work together.