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 Malkiel
• The Bogleheads Guide to Investing
• The Four Pillars of Investing by Bernstein

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.

Budgeting is also an active process, so this time of inflation is a good time to dig deeper into every category, find the things that are auto-pilot and re-evaluate whether they shoud continue to be so. By exercising your Four Rules muscles, you can stay positive and confident about your financial strategy even when economic prospects are alarming.

Send Jesse an email at:

askjesse@ynab.com

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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 spend without creating too much complexity.

Have a question for Jesse? Send him an email at:

askjesse@ynab.com

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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, some of the important things you should be doing and asking during the process.

Both Kelly and Emily agree that the most important thing couples can do before and during their marriage is communicate. Whether it's about debt and how you intend to pay it off, expectations about lifestyle and living expenses, plans for retirement -- if you keep communication frequent and open, then you will feel more certainty and security about your money.

Kelly and Emily on Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/frawleypollock/?sh=1c25b3d6eb04

Kelly Frawley: https://www.kasowitz.com/people/kelly-a-frawley

Emily Pollock:

https://www.kasowitz.com/people/all/emily-s-pollock/

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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!

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