Years ago I wrote the following as part of Day One of YNAB U:

"[The Budget] is the ROCK upon which your entire financial life is built. It is your foundation. All other financial decisions are appendages to the budget. The budget is the tree. Your retirement plan is the fruit. The budget is the massive trunk, rooted deep into the ground, immovable by any force. The new car you want is the fruit. The house you want--the fruit. The college savings you're dying to put away for your kids is, you guessed it...the fruit."

For years I've taught people how to develop that "massive trunk." I've taught people how to budget using what I believe to be the most effective money management methodology. Period.

I think it's time we start working on the fruit.

Several months ago I had thousands of YNABers fill out a survey asking them two questions.

The first question was: What are your long-term goals with your money?

Now, you may think that you have completely unique goals when it comes to money (I did as well), but I was shocked to find that MOST people had MOST goals in common (in order):

• You want to be debt free.
• You want to have enough money set aside where you don't have to worry about it any longer.
• You want to pursue a passion (small business, church, charity, or part-time work).
• You want to travel.
• You want to be able to spend more time with your family.
• You want to help your kids' through college.
• You want to make sure you are protected from risks such as inflation, job loss, medical catastrophes, etc.

The second survey question was: How can I help you reach your long-term financial goals?

The overwhelming majority of survey respondents said basically the same thing, though phrased differently:

"I just want someone to tell me (1) what you're doing is right and (2) here's what you need to do next."

For the past several months I've pondered those survey results and I've finally come up with a solution.

I want to help you reach those goals.

I do NOT want to be the type that sits across from you at a desk, looks over your investments and tells you, "Great!" No. Not that guy.

Like a personal trainer, I want to be right there with you as improvements are made. A personal trainer doesn't sit on their lofty perch and issue directives. They keep things focused with frequent visits and effective followup.

I can make three promises to you:

1. I will provide you with excellent information (protecting you from paralyzing information overload).
2. I will give you clear, actionable steps to take based on that information.
3. I will relentlessly follow-up, get on your case, and make sure you take action.

Please allow me to explain.

The biggest obstacle between you and your personal financial goals is an overabundance of information.

According to Technorati, there are 132,000 blogs related to money.

There are 74,000 books in the Amazon Personal Finance category.

Some will tell you A, with a bit of B, or dash of C. Others will refute C, but cling to the idea of D because they know a guy... E will work, if you don't do B, or live in AZ.

*sigh*

"Available information wisely used is far more valuable than multiplied information allowed to lie fallow." - Dallin H. Oaks (former President of Brigham Young University, my alma mater).

I will teach you exactly what you need to know, providing you with a clear vision regarding the next step you should take toward realizing your goals.

"You need to invest more" is not an actionable item.

"Bob, you need to be investing $300 into your company's 401k plan each month within the next 7 days" is an actionable item.

"You have an income problem" is not an actionable item.

"Bob, you need to report back with 12 ideas for generating a side income. This is due in six days" is an actionable item.

I will be merciless in my follow-up. You will take action.

I'm the guy that refuses to let you be lazy, procrastinate, or skate by. I will haunt you. And you'll be grateful for it (deep down).

Through my own efforts and the natural psychological advantage of community, you will be given the best opportunity to succeed. Your personal success will be my success metric.

Where am I going with all of this?

I'm creating a group called YNAB+.

When you join this group, I'll be there to help. Membership in YNAB+ gives you the following:

Item one: Access to a monthly video presentation focused on a heavy-hitting, high-impact, bottom-line affecting strategy to bring your finances to a new level. These webinars will be packed with specific, actionable steps to be taken after each session.

Also, there will be at least two live Q&A sessions in the days following each month's video presentation.

Follow up will be relentless.

Item two: You'll belong to a tight-knit community of similarly-motivated individuals. The community will promote action+accountability -- a potent combination for success.

A community system is in place to ensure that you're DOING the things we're discussing -- not just sitting on the sidelines. What I won't allow to have happen is for you to join YNAB+ and then get nothing out of it.

Item three: Archives. You'll be able to access all prior presentations, live Q&A audio, downloads, etc.

In six months from now you'll be able to say:

"My finances have never been better. I'm investing without fear, my family will be taken care of if I can't work... I've found time to work on that small business idea that's been stewing for the past six years..."

Now, we gain some major advantages over your "typical" (read: expensive) financial advisor relationship:

1. I have no financial incentive to give you bad advice (Whole life?! Mutual fund loads?! WHAT?!).
2. We use an online classroom setting to spread costs. You pay a fraction of the cost for the same instruction.
3. We'll employ some technology that most financial advisors don't even know exists. It will create a perfect storm for your success (read: action+accountability).

The pricing will be $9.95 per month.

Which made me just think of another advantage: we'll be doing this in bite-sized chunks. Instead of dropping hundreds or even a few thousand dollars on some financial advisor ("My brother-in-law's boss used him once in '99 and he made a killing investing!...") you'll be able to take things in bite-sized chunks. On top of that, I'll have the incentive to constantly deliver quality advice that will keep you completely satisfied -- knowing that if I don't deliver on my promise, you simply cancel.

And of course, on top of THAT, I'm giving you the first 30 days for $1.

(Why $1? Why not just make the first 30 days free? Because having you put up just one dollar as your part of the bargain makes your chances of success and sticking to it increase dramatically. It's been proven time and again.)

(Another aside: I know that most of you are thinking something along the lines of, "I hate month-to-month things. Canceling is always such a pain and I feel like I was taken..." I hear you. If you're EVER not satisfied, two clicks and it's cancelled. Each month we'll send you a receipt with a 'cancel' link. You click and confirm, it's cancelled. You don't need to find some support email address, call a customer support rep that will try and convince you to stay... It really is that easy. Believe me, I don't want to be "that guy" or have YNAB be "that company" that you end up hating over a few dollars.)

Now, listen closely.

If you're balking at paying $9.95 for 1-2 hours of targeted personal finance instruction each month, done in a small classroom setting, with an instructor that really knows what he's talking about...or having access to all of the archived classes...or paying $9.95 per month to be part of a fantastically motivating community...then YNAB+ is definitely not for you.

Seriously. We're talking about the cost of a lunch. This is a value proposition. I'm proposing that what I offer you each month will be worth many, MANY, times the cost. This should feel like a no-brainer. If you give it a shot for 30 days for $1 and realize that it's not worth the $9.95, then, of course, please do cancel.)

Update: YNAB+ is closed to new members!

Also, YNAB+ is NOT for you if you:

• Aren't yet familiar with YNAB's budgeting philosophy. Budgeting is the foundation for all of personal finance. Get your foundation set FIRST.
• Want some sort of "magic bullet" for your finances. If you didn't notice from this letter, you'll need to be DOING things. This will take effort on your part.

However, YNAB+ is DEFINITELY for you if you want:

• To reach your financial goals with
• Clear, organized, relevant, personal finance information and
• Actionable, specific steps to be taken.
• Relentless followup from me to make sure you DO the things necessary and
• Participation in a strong community that will hold you accountable.

Our entire focus will be centered on the YNAB+ Essentials:

• Earning
• Giving
• Growing
• Spending

The final, overarching YNAB+ Essential is to Protect these four elements.

Earning
Your earning power is your greatest tool for building wealth. If you can increase your earning power, you will significantly increase your chances of attaining your financial goals. A few examples of topics we'll cover when discussing earnings (and believe me, these are just a few of many):

- How to start and grow a side business
- Monetizing your passions/hobbies
- Adopting the "self-employed" strategy to accelerate your career
- Protecting your income streams through proper (and affordable) insurance

Giving
Giving is a powerful personal finance principle. Of course you can give financially to churches, charities, or other worthy causes, but I'm also talking about the legacy you'll leave to your loved ones--a legacy going beyond dollars and including the education you pass on. Likely topics we'll be covering under Giving include:

- Teaching money management by example.
- Properly setting up a will (this is extremely important.
- Advanced tax minimization strategies concerning gifts and estates.

Growing
Growing your assets is also an essential component to reaching your financial goals. Investing is one of my favorite subjects, so I'm excited that we'll dive into this area:

- Adopting the proper asset allocation strategy
- Understanding how mutual funds work (especiall how the fees work)
- Automation strategies that can help you buy low and sell high (hint: it's drop-dead easy).
- The fallacy of investing confidence and how to beat it
- Alternative investment strategies (self-directed plans immmediately come to mind)
- Maximizing your use of government sponsored plans

Spending
This section of the curriculum will be a lot of fun, and a lot of work. The key with spending is to consciously choose what your values are and then make sure (through proper budgeting) that your money is doing what you truly value. On top of that, we'll cover the all-important topic of minimizing spending obligations such as consumer debt and, eventually your mortgage. Likely topics include:

- Some advanced strategies for accelerating your debt payments.
- Protecting yourself from medical catastrophes (in other words, how to shop for and pick the right health insurance).
- Maximizing tax savings with money you're already obligated to spend

Our First Presentation

The first presentation has now been made available. This inaugural class focuses on the YNAB+ Essentials as a whole, drilling down into how these Essentials will help you reach your own personal financial goals.

We also have the first two live Q&A sessions open for registration. That's where I'll take questions specifically regarding the previous presentation, the required action steps, etc.

The first presentation's objectives will be to help you become familiar with the YNAB+ Essentials.

Update: YNAB+ is closed to new members!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is YNAB+ applicable to me if I live outside the US?
There will be some details that won't be applicable, particularly when we discuss specific retirement savings vehicles. However, your country likely has very similar offerings, so the advice on principle would be the same. Another area that would certainly vary is with tax minimization strategies though, again, the universal principles are applicable regardless of your location.

Is YNAB+ a set curriculum, where I'll be lost if I don't join now, but in a few weeks?
YNAB+ is not a lock-step curriculum. I've purposely built it to be very modular so we can address the needs of the group as a whole and dive deeper into topics if necessary. Also, don't forget that every presentation and live Q&A is recorded and archived so you can access it later.

Will this be one-on-one advising?
This is not one-on-one advising. That would be much more expensive and would preclude most everyone from participating. The presentations will be in a recorded "lecture" format, with Q&A sessions available in the days following each presentation.

Where you'll find specific answers to specific situations will be in the YNAB+ community where I, along with your fellow members, will be there to offer perspective and advice. Having the question and answer be available to the community means that others following behind you may find your situation very similar to theirs, and they'll benefit from the advice that was given.

Hopefully that clears up any questions you may have had!

To your financial success,

P.S. Remember, it's $1 for the first 30 days so there really is no harm in trying YNAB+ to see if it's the right fit for you. I'm confident I'll be able to help each YNAB+ member reach their financial goals quickly and confidently.