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You are here: Home / business / YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?

YNAB: Best Place to Work Ever?

by jlcollinsnh 70 Comments

You want this:

ynab

Not this:

office workers

Trust me.

The second hand made its agonizingly deliberate sweep. All eyes were locked to it. Ever so slowly it erased first the seconds, and then the minutes, on the plodding march to 4:45.

The workers sat, bundled in their winter hats and coats, their belongings at their feet, with their heads raised to it as in silent, patient prayer to a powerful god.

Along about 4:35 they had begun to put away their work and prepare for departure. Years of daily practice had made them efficient. Most were done well before 4:40, leaving nothing to do but wait. There they’d sit, staring at the big clock that hung high on the bullpen wall.

When that second hand passed 12, marking precisely 4:45, it was as if a giant vacuum had been attached to the door and switched on. By 4:45:10 the place was empty.

I stayed till 4:50. I was widely viewed as the hardest working person there.

This was my first professional job out of college. It was with a small publishing company in Chicago that had been started in the 19th century. Its work rules were right out of the 19th century, too.

Most of the staff worked in a large open windowless bullpen. Offices lined the outside of this room, and those got the windows. As the advertising manager for one of the two magazines we published, I was fortunate enough to have one of those offices, which I shared with one of the two people who reported to me.

Work started at precisely 8am. We were allowed a 20 minute break in the morning and another in the afternoon. My pal Dennis worked in the shipping department. Each morning around 10, we’d take the elevator down and walk across the street to the local cafe for coffee and sweet rolls.

That elevator was manned by an elevator operator. He’d manually open and close the elevator doors and then sit on a little stool while he pressed the buttons to go up or down. He’d had the job for decades. Same building. Same elevator. Up and down.

My boss, Carl, was an older gentleman, president of the company and a very nice man. Sometimes he would join us on break. It didn’t take long to figure out that if we talked about anything we wanted for the first 15 minutes and then got Carl talking about the “good old days” in the last five, well that 20 minute break could easily stretch into an hour or more.

When you leave and return with the president of the company, nobody says anything about your 20 minute break now being 60.

Quitting time was 4:45 in the afternoon. Come what may, you didn’t dare leave a moment before. With rules like that, clocks have god-like power.

No wonder having F-you money was an early goal.

Lest you think this was a only relic of the dark ages, here’s another more recent story. Again with a small publishing company dating back to the 19th century.

This was twenty years later, in 1995, and after being heavily recruited, I had accepted a job as publisher.

My first day one of my fellow publishers, Denise, invited me to lunch. We walked across the street to a local cafe at around noon. We had an great conversation filled with useful information that proved helpful in my efforts to hit the ground running. We returned around 2 pm.

Not 15 seconds later my new boss, the owner of the company, was in my office.

“Where were you?”

“I was at lunch with Denise.”

“It’s 2 o’clock.”

“Ah… OK…”

“Lunch here is only an hour.”

“Well once lunch was finished, we just continued our business conversation there.”

“But lunch here is only an hour.”

“It wasn’t just lunch, it was a business meeting. Does it really matter where we converse? There or here?”

“Yes.”

Bear in mind this was a conversation he was having with a new executive level hire. With a matching salary. With full P&L responsibility for a key part of his business. One that, if I might brag a bit, would go on to make him a ton of money. (Did OK myself, too.)

I still shake my head in disbelief. At the attitude, and that I stayed.

ynab

I was reminded of all this a couple of weeks back when an email from my pal Jesse Mecham arrived. It was this help wanted ad for a Server Side Developer, what ever the hell that is.

Jesse runs a company he founded called You Need A Budget, or YNAB for short. I don’t know what a Server Side Developer is or does, but were I still in the job market I’d figure it out, become one and go to work for Jesse at YNAB. Assuming he’d have me. Which might be assuming a lot.

YNAB might not be the best company in the world to work for, but it is hands down the best company in the world to work for I’ve ever heard of.

I first met Jesse when he showed up as an attendee at our inaugural Chautauqua. We were all very impressed with his story and how much fun he was to hang with. A few weeks later I saw him speak at FinCon. He barely finished his talk before I was asking him to be a presenter at Chautauqua 2014.

He did a fabulous job and brought along one of his key executives. This fellow had been living in Italy for the last three years. YNAB is based in Utah. Yeah, I was intrigued too.

Unfortunately, Jesse won’t be joining us for Chautauqua 2015.

El encanto

He’ll miss watching clouds being born in the valley below our new venue:   El Encanto

He says he doesn’t have the time. He cites the demands of running the increasingly thriving YNAB. His wife. His five kids. His intense exercise program. (He is the FinCon annual pull-up champion three years running, after all)

Some people have no priorities…

But I guess, when you are running the best company in the world to work for, you only have so much time.

OK. That’s a big claim. How do I back it up?

Well, if you look at that help wanted email I linked to above you’ll see that about half of it is about the job and the qualifications for it. The other half is about why you’d want to work for YNAB.

I don’t ever recall any company ever caring enough to spend any time explaining to me why I’d want to work for them.

Jesse does. Here’s what he says in that email:

A Bit About US

We build the best budgeting software around, called “You Need a Budget” or “YNAB” for busy people. For over a decade, people have been buying YNAB and then telling their friends what a difference it has made in their lives. (Google us, or read some of our reviews on the app store, and you’ll see what we mean.) We love building something that has a huge positive impact on people’s lives.

We’re profitable, bootstrapped, and growing. YNAB started in 2004 and we’re in it for the long haul. We haven’t taken any outside investor money, and we haven’t borrowed any money.

We have one overarching requirement when it comes to joining our team: our Cultural Manifesto has to resonate with you, you know, pretty deep down. If it strikes a chord with you, you’ll probably fit right in. We’re excited to hear from you.

First, let me sell you on the idea of working with us at YNAB. Then we’ll talk details on what we’re looking for.

How You’ll Work at YNAB

We work really hard to make working at YNAB an amazing experience. We have a team full of truly exceptional people—the kind you’d be excited to work with. Here’s how we operate:

Live Where You Want

We’re a distributed team, so you can live and work wherever you want. Proximity doesn’t influence productivity. As I write this, Taylor (our CTO) is in Italy. I’m not sure where he’ll be next. Not all of us travel so extensively, but the fact that he does is totally okay because we’re all adults. Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection.

No Crazy Hours

We rarely work more than 40 hours per week. There may be a few times where things go a little crazy and people log some more time. Most make sure to take some extra time off so it all balances out. We’re in this for the long haul. Don’t go crazy on the hours.

Take Vacation (Seriously)

We want you to take vacation. In fact, we have a minimum vacation policy of three weeks per year (plus two extra weeks for Christmas break). It’s important to get out and do something. Post pictures of your vacation in our internal chat room, creatively named #office_wall.

The YNAB Meetup

We get the whole team together every 12 months and have a great time. Best Western conference room, powerpoints for hours…and budget talk. Just kidding. Last year it was in Costa Rica. This year is a gigantic cabin in the mountains. We do really fun things, but the highlight always seems to be just hanging out together and having a blast.

International is Absolutely Okay

If you are Stateside, we’ll set you up as a W2 employee. If you’re international, you’ll be set up as a contractor. Employee or contractor, it’s all the same to us. You’re part of the team. (We are spread all over the world: Australia, Switzerland, Pakistan, Scotland, Canada, and all over the United States.)

If You’re Stateside…

We have a Traditional and Roth 401k option. YNAB contributes three percent whether you choose to throw any money in there or not.

Other Tidbits

  • Once you start, we demand (in a friendly way) that you fill out your “Bucket List” spreadsheet with 50 items. (That’s harder than it sounds!) YNAB then helps you knock off a significant item every few years.
  • The bucket list also really helps in deciding what we should give you for your birthday and Christmas.. No giftcards here. We tried that. Super boring.
  • We have a bonus plan, based on profitability. You’ll be in on that with day one. YNAB wins, you win. That kind of thing.
  • We’re all adults. There’s no need to punch a clock, or ask for permission to take off early one afternoon to go see the doctor. We look at what you’re accomplishing, not how long you sit in front of a computer.
  • Did I mention we make a huge, positive difference in people’s lives? You may not think that matters much, but then a few months down the road you’ll realize it’s made your job really, really enjoyable. Don’t underestimate this one!

If this sounds like your ideal environment, read on because now I want to talk about you.

Then he goes on to describe the ideal candidate.

I’ll be honest, if I had a company I’m not sure I’d be bold enough to run it like Jesse runs his. Too much old school training hammered in to me. But that’s a shortcoming in me. I sure would work for one.

My guess is, Jesse has his pick of top talent. That’s worth thinking about if you own or run a business. Given the choice, is that talent going to you? Or to YNAB?

While most of us will never get to work for YNAB, at least now we have a standard by which to measure other employers.

What we all can do, however, is benefit from the YNAB budgeting software. After all, you can’t grow a great company like this without great products driving the business.

Personally, I don’t use YNAB. But that’s only because I created my own spreadsheets back in 1993 when that was the only option if you wanted such things. Unlike Jesse, I wasn’t smart enough to turn them into a business.

But he has, and by all accounts YNAB is the very best option out there. I sure wouldn’t bother to create my own today. I’d turn to the folks who’ve already done the heavy lifting:

http://ynab.refr.cc/KNF8LC5

If you like what you see and buy after clicking on that link, four things will happen:

  1. This blog will get a small commission.
  2. You’ll get a 10% discount.
  3. You’ll have a powerful new aid in your quest for financial freedom.
  4. You’ll be supporting a company that treats its people the way people should be treated.

If you already use YNAB, why not post a comment and let us know what you think? Thanks!

 

Nothing to do with this post, but…

I was recently interviewed on:

Mike & Lauren YouTube: Why your house is a terrible investment. In the Q&A we also discuss asset allocation, bonds and even dating.

1500 Days: 10 Questions with jlcollinsnh This will be followed in March by three installments of an extensive interview. Answering all his wide-ranging questions was great fun for me. If you enjoy this one, stay tuned for those!

Related

Important Resources

  • Talent Stacker is a resource that I learned about through my work with Jonathan and Brad at ChooseFI, and first heard about Salesforce as a career option in an episode where we featured Bradley Rice on the Podcast. In that episode, Bradley shared how he reached FI quickly thanks to his huge paychecks and discipline in keeping his expenses low. Jonathan teamed up with Bradley to build Talent Stacker, and they have helped more than 1,000 students from all walks of life complete the program and land jobs like clockwork, earning double or even triple their old salaries using a Salesforce certification to break into a no-code tech career.
  • Credit Cards are like chain saws. Incredibly useful. Incredibly dangerous. Resolve to pay in full each month and never carry a balance. Do that and they can be great tools. Here are some of the very best for travel hacking, cash back and small business rewards.
  • Personal Capital is a free tool to manage and evaluate your investments. With great visuals you can track your net worth, asset allocation, and portfolio performance, including costs. At a glance you'll see what's working and what you might want to change. Here's my full review.
  • Betterment is my recommendation for hands-off investors who prefer a DIFM (Do It For Me) approach. It is also a great tool for reaching short-term savings goals. Here is my Betterment Review
  • NewRetirement offers cool tools to help guide you in answering the question: Do I have enough money to retire? And getting started is free. Sign up and you will be offered two paths into their retirement planner. I was also on their podcast and you can check that out here:Video version, Podcast version.
  • Tuft & Needle (T&N) helps me sleep at night. They are a very cool company with a great product. Here’s my review of what we are currently sleeping on: Our Walnut Frame and Mint Mattress.
  • Vanguard.com

Filed Under: business, Stuff I recommend

« Case Study #12: Escaping a soul-crushing job before you’re 70
Chautauqua October 2015: Times Two! »

Comments

  1. Mr. FC says

    February 24, 2015 at 1:24 am

    Jim – such a great post about a fantastic company and some amazing software. YNAB is how we keep everything in the FC household up and running smoothly, and it would be a total mess without it!! (We know how much of a mess it was – wasn’t that long ago). With YNAB, we have:

    – Gotten out of student loan debt once and for all
    – Make sure that Mrs. FC and I are on the same page about where the money’s going every single month (yes, every dime)
    – Set up the Business Projects to start generating small amounts of income monthly at low / no effort (which drags down our 25x number considerably),
    – Added significantly to our ‘stache and have signifcantly more F-you money than we did when we started, and
    – Have some awesome reports to show our net worth progress from when we started in 2012 to today. Nothing like a report to tickle the finance nerd’s fancy!

    I SO wish they were looking for a CFO or other finance person of the like….alas. Maybe someday.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:46 pm

      Thanks Mr. FC…

      And thanks for your review of the software. As I said, I haven’t used it myself.

      Reply
  2. XXX says

    February 24, 2015 at 2:02 am

    I might be a fit for this position. The application deadline is already over. Do you know if the position is still open?

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      I’m afraid I don’t.

      Why not reach out to them and ask?

      Reply
  3. Mrs. Frugalwoods says

    February 24, 2015 at 7:24 am

    Sounds like a fabulous place to work! Too bad I’m not a developer… I’ve always thought that the model of trusting employees to work in the way that’s most productive for them would yield better results than forcing everyone to adhere to the same schedule and work space style.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Makes sense, right?

      But completely counter to most companies I’ve experienced.

      Reply
  4. Brett says

    February 24, 2015 at 7:44 am

    Posted 4 days after the submission deadline. Geez. What a tease.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:49 pm

      Except the post wasn’t about that particular job. 😉

      Reply
  5. M says

    February 24, 2015 at 9:11 am

    I would LOVE to work for YNAB. In fact, I even recommended it to my colleague just this morning! I’ve been thinking a lot about it recently, as I just wrote a post about losing my job and why it turned out great in the end. I got YNAB back then… whilst it was still just a collection of spreadsheets, and it helped me immensely. I particularly liked the “rules” and e-course that accompanied the software/spreadsheets, as that really helped me to get my financial head screwed on properly in the aftermath of being made redundant.

    I am lucky in that I have a great schedule at my current work, and my “boss” lets us get on with everything with huge amounts of autonomy. We just go to her for advice if we need it, and we know she will always help us.

    I think you should invent yourself a job and then ask Jesse to employ you. What do you think?

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:51 pm

      Thanks for sharing your story, M.

      I’m afraid Jesse has gotten to know me too well to ever employ me.

      Besides, He’s hung-up on stuff like “talent” and “relevant skills” and “work ethic” 😉

      Reply
  6. JTH says

    February 24, 2015 at 9:38 am

    We’ve used Quicken for years and due to their basically dumping MAC users, we moved to iBank. How does YNAB compare to iBank? Setting up a budget is one thing, following it is another. Living nicely in retirement now, but would like to start with renovating kitchen. Big project, big $ and do not want to dip into investments, especially principle. I know the money is there, but iBank is not providing me with data I need now! Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Mr. FC says

      February 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

      Worth checking it out – you get to use it free for a little over a month before you have to pay for the software. We came from Quicken also, it was a bit of an adjustment but that’s more of a mindset thing than a software thing. Note though that YNAB doesn’t go out and automatically drag transactions into the software from your bank. You can download statements manually and then it does it’s best to match bank to book, so you can reconcile, but it really forces you to put the transactions into the software rather than wait for the bank to do it for you.

      One of the best things about YNAB is being able to have both me and my wife in the same file at the same time, with both of us making changes to it (neat technical trick – I think it saves incrementally every 5 seconds or something) and to have the quick access to input transactions from your mobile.

      If you’ve had trouble following a budget, YNAB will fix that right quick.

      Reply
      • JTH says

        February 24, 2015 at 8:10 pm

        Thank you Mr. FC

        Reply
      • Lucas says

        February 24, 2015 at 10:17 pm

        I think the syncing actually happens whenever you make a change to your budget or transactions — YNAB writes a tiny file to disk with the change or addition and Dropbox syncs it in the cloud. In that way, it’s nearly real time. If you’re entering one transaction after the other, it’s syncing syncing syncing. If you just sit there and look at your reports, it doesn’t need to do anything.

        Reply
  7. Daehee Park says

    February 24, 2015 at 10:59 am

    I’ve been using YNAB for over two years. Definitely one of my favorite apps.

    Reply
    • Mr. FC says

      February 24, 2015 at 1:11 pm

      Well T&N is one of my favorite companies 🙂 Outstanding experience with you guys!

      Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:54 pm

      One of my favorites too, Mr. FC…

      …. I sleep on it every night. 🙂

      For those of you who are wondering what the heck we’re talking about: https://jlcollinsnh.com/2014/10/26/tuff-needle-a-better-path-to-sleep/

      Thanks for checking in, Daehee!

      Reply
  8. Thegoblinchief says

    February 24, 2015 at 11:11 am

    I like my own personal accounting methods, rather than being forced into YNAB’s methodology, but it’s clearly helping a lot of folks. Neat to hear they’re a good company to work for. If they’re ever in the market for someone who does Six Sigma efficiency consulting, I’ll pass it along to my wife.

    If they had a Linux client, I’d probably at least download the trial version just to check it out.

    Reply
    • Mr. FC says

      February 24, 2015 at 3:26 pm

      YNAB runs great in Linux using WINE. Need to have Dropbox set up for Cloud Sync, though. We’ve had it on Chromebooks and now my Thinkpad x200 running Mint as well as my wife’s Mac. Couldn’t get it to run in Debian but that’s very likely my fault.

      There’s a perl script that one of the YNAB fans wrote for Linux, if you’re interested in tinkering: https://github.com/WolverineFan/YNABLinuxInstall

      Reply
      • thegoblinchief says

        February 24, 2015 at 9:08 pm

        Thanks for telling me this! I just downloaded the trial version and it runs great. I’ve had such mixed experiences getting software to run in WINE but this seems AOK. I don’t particularly need the cloud sync feature so I haven’t messed with that yet.

        Reply
        • Mr. FC says

          February 25, 2015 at 1:33 am

          Welcome! So glad to see there are other Linux nerds out there. I’ve screwed around with Linux at various points in the last 10 years but the variety and ease of use of some of the distros out there really make it worthwhile.

          Jim – sorry for all the comments. This one’s just in my wheelhouse. 🙂

          Reply
          • jlcollinsnh says

            February 25, 2015 at 2:56 am

            No worries Mr. FC…

            …great contributions to the conversation are always appreciated! 🙂

          • thegoblinchief says

            February 25, 2015 at 10:21 am

            Yeah, Linux (I use Mint 17 with the Cinnamon desktop, to be exact –>never been a huge fan of Ubuntu’s style, and the other distros get progressively wonkier) is the only thing keeping my ancient laptop usable. Windows 7, even with a fresh OS install, is too slow and unstable on this hardware, and I really don’t care to replace it (and RAM is already at the max supported by the laptop’s motherboard/BIOS).

            Plus, all of the neat security benefits of Linux are great. I’m not a programmer or terminal junky, but it’s nice to have all of the /root privileges if you need them. I have lots of friends who are Unix admins, so I can pick their brains when I need help.

    • Lucas says

      February 24, 2015 at 10:11 pm

      Get it to run on linux for now. Eventually they’ll make it SaaS or a web-app (that’s what the job posting mentioned is for) so it won’t matter what platform you’re on. Though it’s already kind of platform-agnostic.

      Reply
  9. Eric Rauch says

    February 24, 2015 at 11:29 am

    YNAB has been a great help for me and my family for almost 3 years now. When we found out we were having triplets, I knew I had to get our financial act together. No more looking at the bank statement in the morning and doing a mental calculation to see what we could spend money on and frivolous purchases that don’t mean much today anyways. In 3 years, YNAB has helped us pay for our kids (formula and diapers through the first year averaged about $550 a month), pay off about $35k in debt, and helped us realize where the money will go.

    It might not be for everyone, and I’m still working on living on last month’s pay. But having a program that I can allocate money around and my wife and I can access through our phones to see what can be spent where really makes a difference. I have tried explaining to my younger brother and sisters-in-law, they have not listened so far, but I think they will. I can look at my phone, know what money is going where and how much we can safely spend without doing any calculations in my head. My wife is on the same page, and we both have a plan and are working to pay off all of our debt. It’s been an amazing turnaround for us.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:56 pm

      Thanks Eric…

      …great overview!

      Reply
  10. Travis says

    February 24, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    I’ve seen YNAB mentioned dozens of times, but never realized the owner was based out of Provo, which is about 3.5 hours from me (southern Utah). Small world.

    Reply
  11. Lee says

    February 24, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    YNAB is an incredible program. It’s very similar to the spreadsheets I had created myself but it’s so much easier to use on the program Jesse has created (especially with the app that’s on my iPhone). I even applied for a part-time position at YNAB as a small business specialist and when I was politely rejected they told me they received over 200 applications. They absolutely get to pick from the best of the best. I work for a company with similar values now, however, the only thing I don’t have is location independent which would be amazing.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 7:59 pm

      Hi Lee…

      I keep hearing so many positive things, like you I’m starting to think it might just be better than my own.

      Glad to hear you found one of the good companies out there, even if it wasn’t YNAB.

      Reply
  12. Senor C says

    February 24, 2015 at 3:12 pm

    Great post and very timely for me.

    First a few kudos…I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate your writing, in particular the stock series. Your dad-to-daughter letter is perhaps the most important and accessible part of the financial tool kit I am putting together for my children.

    I am contemplating a career change or break and wonder how you (and others) have made the decision to take the leap. While I’m not ready to retire, making a break from the status quo feels dangerous (if not downright irresponsible!), especially since I don’t know where I want to land. We are not FI, but can stomach an extended break or significant reduction in income.

    Any thoughts are appreciated.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 24, 2015 at 8:07 pm

      Thank you, Senor C…

      ….and kudos for putting together a financial tool kit for your kids!

      That’s a very tough question to answer. Too many moving parts and I don’t know anything about you.

      Over my career I stepped away from jobs multiple times, as I described in this guest post: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/26/guest-posting-financial-independence-23-years-later/

      Most people thought (still think) I was crazy. But I never worked for a YNAB and so it was the only way I could stay sane.

      Two things to consider before you act:

      –Try to have a clear idea of what you are going to, as well as what you are leaving.
      –Have a clear idea how you’ll return once you decide it’s time.

      Hope this helps!

      Reply
  13. Lucas says

    February 24, 2015 at 7:06 pm

    YNAB has been a key part of getting my finances in order. It was the lynchpin in my turnaround from credit card debt to a healthy stash in the bank and being able to contribute to my first IRA at 29 years old (using Betterment for that).

    I’ve been a freelance web developer for years now. Can’t imagine having an office job (again), but YNAB would be one of the few places I’d be willing to apply for a position.

    What’s funny is that I’m learning how to be server-side developer now, using the platform they are using. In a year (or sooner), I’ll be a candidate for a position like that.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 25, 2015 at 12:14 am

      That’s a great position to be in, Lucas….

      Self employed and yet free to take a job if the right one comes along. With having a little F-you money stashed away as you do, the world is a place of beautiful options.

      Well played!

      Reply
  14. Jon S. says

    February 24, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Getting The Godfather/Great Uncle Jim Seal/Rubber Stamp of Approval is no small task. He’s honest to a fault and could never peddle a Bill of Goods if he tried. Sounds like a great company…and I keep threatening to try it….I smile at the thought of Jim in the workplace…capable, a leader ( in title or not ), a fair fella and so forth. Something tells me, however, he was never unnecessarily “hat in hand” to authority figures. If I recall, each gig had a maximum “shelf life” of 4 years…or until someone was “whacked”. 🙂

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 25, 2015 at 12:18 am

      Ha!

      That’s very nice of you to say, Jon. But I’m sure YNAB and Jesse would get along just fine without any Stamp of Approval from me.

      In fact, and I meant to mention this in the post, he had no idea this was coming.

      I’m impressed you mentioned the 4-year shelf life. Shows you’ve read deeply here. 🙂

      For everybody else, it comes from my third post ever: https://jlcollinsnh.com/2011/06/03/my-short-attention-span/

      Reply
  15. Debt Hater says

    February 24, 2015 at 8:46 pm

    Sounds like an amazing place to work, love all their policies – especially the vacation one! Sadly, I am not a developer though. I’ve use the trial of their software and while it wasn’t perfect for me (I stuck with just basic spreadsheets) I have recommended it to several friends that were having difficulty budgeting. It’s definitely a great piece of software and even better to hear the company behind it is equally as great.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 25, 2015 at 12:21 am

      Yeah, the vacation policy, really resonated with me too.

      If I’d places like YNAB to work, maybe my short attention span mentioned in my comment above would have been longer. 😉

      Reply
  16. Joe (arebelspy says

    February 24, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    I like the cut of his jib.

    I don’t budget, so I have no need for the software personally, but I do often recommend it to people, because I only hear glowing things from people who use it (and I recommend it with that caveat, that I don’t use it personally, but I hear it’s amazing, and they should check out the free trial).

    Way to go Jessie running things right and treating people like human beings.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      February 25, 2015 at 12:24 am

      Me too, Joe.

      This is the first time I’ve recommended something I haven’t used personally. But knowing Jesse and the company, along with those glowing reports I also kept hearing, it seemed worth doing.

      Nice to see you here!

      Reply
  17. Flipping A Dollar says

    February 25, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    YNAB is fantastic. As a couple who had just graduated college, we were really able to focus on good spending goals. We would have been blindsided without YNAB. It puts my wife and I on the same page, has really great reports, and

    I’m going to say here what I say to everyone. Please go through their content first before deciding you want it. I’ve seen too many people get excited about a budgetting tool and then be disappointed when they actually have to put work into it. They want it all to be automated and magically work.

    Go to Mint.com if that’s what you want, and complain month after month how you keep spending more than you want. YNAB forces you to know your money inside and out.

    Very cool that you are friends with Jesse though! He seems like a good dude.

    And on a side note, my office place is moving towards an open format! Less space and privacy! We’re all REALLY excited.

    -Chris

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:47 pm

      Indeed he is.

      I can see why the prospect of less space and privacy has you thrilled. Sounds like your company might also be open to the idea of less pay and longer hours.

      If you asked nicely. 😉

      Reply
  18. Gen Y Finance Guy says

    February 25, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    If we had more company like YNAB, we would have over 80% of the population hating their job. It just makes intuitive sense to treat people how you would want to be treated.

    I am currently reading the book “Bold” and in it the author Peter defines 3 elements that lead to fulfillment and keep us humans naturally motivated:

    1) Autonomy

    2) Mastery

    3) and Purpose

    Companies should hire smart people and then give them the freedom to get their job done. Sounds like YNAB has all this stuff figured out.

    Going to go check out the link know because you got me interested in the story.

    Cheers!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:56 pm

      My guess is that if more organizations offered those three points, there would be a whole lot less interest in early retirement. 🙂

      Reply
  19. SavvyFinancialLatina says

    February 26, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    That sounds like a wonderful place to work at. Reminds of my days at the start-up. Miss those days.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:57 pm

      Sounds like you need a new place to work, SFL! 🙂

      Reply
  20. Sean says

    February 27, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    Hm. I’m a server side programmer. You certainly made this sound tempting.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:58 pm

      If you sign on let me know. I’ll hit him up for a finder’s fee. 🙂

      Reply
  21. Yabusame says

    February 28, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    I made my first budgeting spreadsheet in 1996. I continued to tweak and rewrite it until I bought YNAB in 2011. Jesse was awesome at the time. He communicated with me via email personally and he set my mind at rest. I had money worries and I really didn’t want to throw more money away on software (the fact that the owner of the company would talk with me as an individual really impressed me). He was kind enough to extend the free trial period and becuase of that care for a customer I bought YNAB as soon as I had the cash to do so. I’ve been using it ever since. If I still worked in IT I’d love to work for YNAB. Hmmm, maybe a second income stream… You reading this Jesse? 😉

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:50 pm

      Great story and I’m not surprised to hear it.

      With YNAB’s growth I suspect he can no longer do this, but watching him with our Chautauqua attendees, I know it’s not for lack of interest.

      Reply
  22. Sensim says

    March 1, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    Hi, and thanks for the blog. I really enjoy reading you writings over here in Sweden.

    I have been using YNAB for almost a year. Very happy about it and I can strongly recommend it. The reports are beautiful and you can get some great insights to your own spending and savings rate. Syncing my devices works like a charm using DropBox.

    I think one great thing about it is actually the (albeit very small) manual work that is needed to enter all the purchases into the iphone or computer. Every time you are made conscious about money going out of your system… Letting an app have access direct to your bankaccount and do the summary automatic might work for some, but YNAB makes the “weight” of every transaction matter more to you.

    Having read about the YNAB workplace and the job description I can only say I am full of respect and admiration of the founder(s). I suppose this could inspire many workplaces. Big time.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 2, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      Thanks Sensim…

      and welcome. Great to hear your experiences.

      I’d like to think that the YNAB example will inspire other organizations. That’s one of the reasons I wrote this post.

      But my guess is, it would take more vision than most can muster.

      Reply
  23. Felipe says

    March 5, 2015 at 8:31 am

    I just came here to add my voice to the choir: I love YNAB. I have always been good at managing my money, never taking unnecessary debt, always having some money set aside, etc. And still, YNAB has changed the way I see my money, the way I deal with it, and how much control I have over it. I used to think I was in control, but now it’s just awesome. And this doesn’t mean I’m spending less or missing out on things, I’m just spending better. A great example is that I now have money set aside deliberately labeled “traveling”. It’s an account that I fund every month. So when I feel like taking a trip, I can use that with no worries, no second thoughts, and knowing I’m not hurting other priorities. And now that I’m planning a longer trip, I have a second traveling account, labeled specifically for that trip, that I fund at a different pace (there is a deadline and a specific goal) and doesn’t hurt my other “traveling stash”. I love how YNAB works and I frequently recommend it, but people are often sceptic. They have to be taught the method before they see YNAB’s true value.

    Reply
  24. No Nonsense Landlord says

    March 10, 2015 at 8:47 am

    I saw your post/interview at http://www.1500days.com/. Great read on this blog too.

    I like the FU attitude. I am there now myself, jut putting in the OMY to finalize a few things and put the final nail in the coffin of the cube life.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 10, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Hi NNL…

      Nice to see you over here and glad you are enjoying it.

      Thanks, too, for your comment on that interview post on 1500 days!

      Reply
  25. jskud says

    March 13, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    I just applied for their teacher assistant position. I use the software and am in the tech industry. My heart skipped a beat when I saw I actually qualify for the position. Hope his choice of top talent results in me working hard at a new job for a company that has helped me so much. Super excited just for the opportunity to apply!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      March 13, 2015 at 1:51 pm

      Good luck, jskud!

      I suspect it is hyper-competive and tough to get chosen. So, if not this time, keep after them for the next!

      Reply
  26. Adam says

    April 3, 2016 at 4:41 am

    YNAB changed their business model at the end of 2015, and the product is now a subscription-based web service, rather than a stand-alone app. This is obviously good for them, I’m not sure how good it is for the customers.
    1) Now there is a recurring expense that never ends instead of a one-off payment.
    2) The application and data are hosted remotely, rather than locally. This switches control of the software version and the data to the company, rather than to yourself.

    Additionally, as of writing this comment, some of the features for the new website version that are present in the previous desktop versions are not ready yet.

    Personally I use YNAB every day, but I’m holding off on using their latest webapp until they’ve finished all of the features, and then I will give it a trial, keeping the two reservations above in mind.

    Reply
  27. Kristin Underwood says

    April 21, 2016 at 10:17 am

    I only know the new version. I don’t use the mobile app, really just the desktop version, daily. I love it! I love the support, they are wonderful. It would be pretty great to be a member of that team. I am going to check it out. Thank you!!

    Reply
  28. Mariana Abeid-McDougall says

    March 6, 2017 at 11:16 am

    I LOVE (Yes, all capital letters, shouting out on the rooftops, L.O.V.E.) YNAB. And I love writing. And I love travelling. Remote work would be a dream come true.

    And… they’re hiring a content marketer.

    I’m working on my application right now 🙂

    Hubby and I have been using YNAB for a number of years (we started using it back when there wasn’t a web-based version). In that time, we’ve become debt-free (except for the mortgage), we know exactly where our money is going, and saying “its not in the budget” and moving on when we’re asked to do impossibly expensive things feels liberating, not embarrassing. I can’t recommend YNAB highly enough. If you don’t use it yet, you should give it a try. You can try it free for 34 days, so why not?

    Reply
  29. simplecentstofreedom says

    August 23, 2017 at 7:44 am

    I’ve been working in the Software Industry for many years. I stand by Jim’s opinion that YNAB is an amazing company. The way they treat their employees and customers is laudable.

    I started using YNAB the day they switched to their online subscription model. So I don’t have the experience with their old software.

    But I truly love the new version of YNAB.
    – It has a clear focus on one thing: budgeting. I like that. I have Excel sheets for tracking investments etc.
    – Their Web application is User-Friendly and has a very modern look & feel
    – Their mobile App works on iOS and Android
    – All data is stored in the cloud (I know some of you don’t like this, It doesn’t bother me)

    In my opinion, YNAB will be there for many years. Every few weeks they have new updates and deliver new versions of their Web application and Mobile App. With each update, they explain what has changed and why.

    At last, in the way they interact with customers and talk about their product, you know they really, really love budgeting!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      August 23, 2017 at 10:01 am

      Thanks for the update!

      They were then and remain a class act. 🙂

      Reply
  30. lee says

    October 13, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    I started using YNAB in Jan 2008 so I feel qualified to comment !!
    I love it . I may be a bit paranoid but unless I have reconciled my budget I feel uneasy.See YNAB for explanation for reconciling your budget, basically what comes in must equal what goes out.
    In the nearly 10 years I have been using it I have wiped out £15000 of credit card and other debt and have saved more than that again.
    I am never overdrawn and the phrase ” it will send us over budget” helps me stay on budget and not overspend.
    I now work part time and my husband is retired but we still live a very comfortable life and I credit YNAB for this happy state of affairs.
    You do have to input all your spending so it is not passive but this helps you to see where your money is going and gives you greater control.
    I will always use YNAB

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      October 31, 2017 at 7:39 pm

      Thanks Lee…

      …for sharing your YNAB experience. It is incredible the positive impact this company has had on those reaching for financial independence.

      I was just with Jesse in Ecuador where he was again a speaker at our Chautauqua. I’ll pass your kind words on to him.

      Reply
  31. Anvith says

    August 27, 2018 at 9:06 am

    I found your blog through the ChooseFI podcast you were on. I am from India and graduated with a Master’s in IT here in Virginia. I got very excited about YNAB but they don’t have any openings right now. Is there anyway you could help me find something there ? I would highly appreciate it. And I have more questions for you, too, once I finish reading your stock series.
    Thanks for the amazing content.

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      August 28, 2018 at 11:52 am

      Hi Anvith…

      I can only recommend people (and products) with whom I have actual experience. Since I don’t know you or anything about you, I’m afraid I can’t help you with YNAB.

      But I do wish you all the best in your career.

      Reply
  32. Chad Kraft says

    October 4, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    I couldn’t agree with you more. I just applied for a position at YNAB (and have also just started using the product). Just from reading the description I was sold on the idea to stop working for myself and work there. I don’t know if I will get the position or not, but I sure hope so. Thank you for the post. It was an excellent read!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      October 4, 2018 at 2:01 pm

      Good luck, Chad…

      …hope it works out for you and YNAB!

      Reply
  33. jb-it says

    August 26, 2019 at 4:24 am

    I’ve got to say, when I began reading this post I wondered whether you were excerpting Bartleby or maybe Hawthorne’s brilliant preface to The Scarlet Letter, Scenes from the Custom House, or whatever it’s called (which I confess I found even more impressive than the novel itself the last time I read them both!). Bravo, Mr. Collins, as informative and lucid as your financial writing is (and please count me as another new and grateful acolyte), your prose is a delight, and these publishing house vignettes were first-class. Thank you!

    Reply
    • jlcollinsnh says

      August 26, 2019 at 4:43 am

      That is high praise indeed, jb-it…

      …Thank you!

      Bartleby the Scrivener is perhaps my all time favorite (not so) short story.

      Reply

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      • The Stock Series gets its own page
    • ► September (2)
      • Case Study #2: Joe -- off to a fast start!
      • Chautauqua 2013: A Week of Dreams
    • ► August (1)
      • Closing up shop plus an opening at Chautauqua, my new podcast, phone, book and other random cool stuff
    • ► July (1)
      • They Will Kill You For Your Shoes!
    • ► June (4)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII-b: Should you avoid your company's 401k?
      • Shilpan's Seven Habits to Live More with Less
      • Stocks -- Part XIX: How to think about money
      • My path for my kid -- the first 10 years
    • ► May (5)
      • Why your house is a terrible investment
      • Stocks — Part XVIII: Investing in a raging bull
      • Dining with the Ghosts of Sarah Bernhardt and Alfons Mucha
      • How we finally got the house sold
      • Stocks — Part XVII: What if you can't buy VTSAX? Or even Vanguard?
    • ► April (4)
      • Greetings from Prague & a computer question
      • Swimming with Tigers, a 2nd chance on the Chautauqua, a financial article gets it wrong and I'm off to Prague
      • Storage, Moving and Movers
      • Homeless, and a bit on the strategy of dollar cost averaging
    • ► March (4)
      • Wild Turkeys, Motorcycles, Dining Room Sets & Greed
      • Roots v. Wings: considering home ownership
      • How about that stock market?!
      • The Blog has New Clothes
    • ► February (5)
      • Meet Mr. Money Mustache, JD Roth, Cheryl Reed & me for a Chautauqua in Ecuador
      • High School Poetry, Carnival, cool ads and random pictures that caught my eye
      • Consignment Shops: Best business model ever?
      • Cafes
      • Stocks -- Part XVI: Index Funds are really just for lazy people, right?
    • ► January (5)
      • Social Security: How secure and when to take it
      • Fighting giraffes, surreal landscapes, dancing with unicorns and restoring a Vanagon
      • My plan for 2013
      • VITA, income taxes and the IRS
      • How to be a stock market guru and get on MSNBC
  • ► 2012 (53)
    • ► December (6)
      • See you next year....until then: The Origin of Life, Life on Other Worlds, Mechanical Graveyards, Great Art, Alternative Lifestyles and Finding Freedom
      • Stocks -- Part XV: Target Retirement Funds, the simplest path to wealth of all
      • Stocks -- Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks Part XIV: Deflation, the ugly escort of Depressions.
      • Stocks -- Part XIII: The 4% rule, withdrawal rates and how much can I spend anyway?
      • How I learned to stop worrying about the Fiscal Cliff and you can too.
    • ► November (2)
      • Rent v. owning: A couple of case studies in Ecuador
      • So, what does a month in Ecuador cost anyway?
    • ► October (4)
      • See you in December....
      • Meet me in Ecuador?
      • The Podcast: You can hear me now.
      • Stocks -- Part XII: Bonds
    • ► September (6)
      • Stocks -- Part XI: International Funds
      • The Smoother Path to Wealth
      • Case Study #I: Putting the Simple Path to Wealth into Action
      • Tales of Bolivia: Calle de las Brujas
      • Stocks -- Part X: What if Vanguard gets Nuked?
      • Travels in South America: It was the best of times....
    • ► August (1)
      • Home again
    • ► June (4)
      • Yellow Fever, closing up shop for the summer and heading to Peru y Bolivia
      • I could not have said it better myself...
      • Stocks -- Part IX: Why I don't like investment advisors
      • Happy Birthday, jlcollinsnh; and thanks for the gift Mr. MM!
    • ► May (6)
      • Stocks -- Part VIII: The 401K, 403b, TSP, IRA & Roth Buckets
      • Mr. Money Mustache
      • The College Conundrum
      • Stocks -- Part VII: Can everyone really retire a millionaire?
      • Stocks -- Part VI: Portfolio ideas to build and keep your wealth
      • Stocks -- Part V: Keeping it simple, considerations and tools
    • ► April (6)
      • Stocks -- Part IV: The Big Ugly Event, Deflation and a bit on Inflation
      • Stocks -- Part III: Most people lose money in the market.
      • Stocks -- Part II: The Market Always Goes Up
      • Stocks -- Part 1: There's a major market crash coming!!!! and Dr. Lo can't save you.
      • You can eat my Vindaloo, mega lottery, Blondie, Noa, Israel Kamakawiwo 'Ole, art, film and a ride on the Space Shuttle
      • Where in the world are you?
    • ► March (7)
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part V: Sold! and the taxman cometh.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part IV: I become a Landlord.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part III: The Battle is Joined.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part II: The Limits of the Law.
      • How I lost money in real estate before it was fashionable, Part I: Impossibly Naive.
      • You, too, can be conned
      • Armageddon and the value of practical skills
    • ► February (6)
      • Rent v. Owning Your Home, opportunity cost and running some numbers
      • The Casanova Kid, a Shit Knife, a Good Book, Having No Regrets, Dark Matter and a bit of Magic
      • What Poker, Basketball and Mike Whitaker taught me about Luck
      • How to Give like a Billionaire
      • Go ahead, make my day
      • Muk Finds Success in Tahiti
    • ► January (5)
      • Travels with "Esperando un Camino"
      • Beanie Babies, Naked Barbie, American Pickers and Old Coots
      • Selling the House and Adventures in Staging
      • The bashing of Index Funds, Jack Bogle and a Jedi dog trick
      • Magic Beans
  • ► 2011 (22)
    • ► December (1)
      • Dividend Growth Investing
    • ► November (2)
      • The Mummy's head, Particle Physics and "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
      • "It's Better in the Wind" or why I ride a motorcycle
    • ► October (1)
      • Lazy Days and School Days
    • ► July (2)
      • The road to Zanzibar sometimes goes thru Ecuador...
      • Johnny wins the lotto and heads to Paris
    • ► June (16)
      • Chainsaws, Elm Trees and paying for College
      • Stuff I’ve failed at: the early years
      • Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat
      • The. Worst. Used. Car. Ever.
      • Top Ten reasons your future is so bright it hurts my eyes to look at it
      • The Most Dangerous Words Your Customer Can Say
      • How not to drown in The Sea of Assholes
      • What we own and why we own it
      • The Ten Sales Commandments
      • My ever so formal and oh so dry CV
      • How I failed my daughter and a simple path to wealth
      • The Myth of Motivation
      • Why you need F-you money
      • My short attention span
      • Why I can’t pick winning stocks, and you can’t either
      • The Monk and the Minister

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