Qvisory has selected three products to help you with your money, work, and health needs. All three are included as benefits when you purchase a $36 annual Qvisory membership. You Need A Budget (YNAB) is the budgeting tool that we selected to be our product benefit in the “money” category.

Prior to launching Qvisory, we tested our concept among young Americans. This generation faces different economic issues and decisions than their parents did at their age, and we believed that money issues would be high on their list of priorities and concerns. Our surveys showed just how dominant money issues are for this generation – in regard to their hopes for the future, as well as current concerns about making ends meet, getting out of debt, and saving for important goals. Work and health goals, the two other areas covered by Qvisory, were closely tied to money concerns – all part of the overall economic security sought by this generation.

Our research showed that help with budgeting was of great interest to our demographic. Young adults want educational resources on how to budget. They also want a tool for setting and sticking to a budget and tracking income, expenses, and progress toward goals. In other words, a plan to help achieve economic security.

There are many budget tools on the market – some of which are very light on budgeting and focused more on setting goals, and others which offer complex budget tools targeted at people with complicated finances. YNAB offers what many in the 18 to 34 year old demographic need: a picture of what comes in and what goes out, helping you set a plan for achieving your goals and providing you with the status of your progress at any point.

We think the story behind YNAB is a good indicator of its appeal to this age group, as well as its ability to help you achieve your goals. YNAB started as a simple spreadsheet to help its creator, Jesse Mecham, and his wife Julie live on less than they earned during their lean college years.  The Mechams’ goals were to stay out of debt, save money, and enable Julie to be a stay-at-home mom. Their success impressed their friends, who asked for help in creating their own budgets. Jesse’s research into available budget programs led him to conclude that these static programs were not as useful as his customized spreadsheet. To fill the gap he saw in the market, Jesse set about creating the YNAB software, which allows users to create their own customized budgets based on his core principles: get out of debt, save for a rainy day, and live on less than you earn. Jesse is a graduate of the Masters of Accountancy Program at Brigham Young University and a Certified Public Accountant.

If you have used YNAB, let us know how it worked for you! To read about the other products that are benefits of Qvisory membership, see Why We Chose EUREKA and MyEsafeDepositBox.