YNAB Coaches: A Personal Trainer for Your Finances

A year ago, I developed some pain in my right shoulder.

(Hang with me—I’m going to tie this to personal finance, I promise.)

I figured I pulled a muscle so I tried some over the counter pain meds, but it just kept getting worse. I finally went to my doctor who said it sounded like a sprain, printed out some basic shoulder exercises, and sent me on my way. No big deal.

But somehow, despite doing the exercises faithfully, the pain got worse. It seemed like something I should have been able to manage on my own, but I eventually had to admit that it wasn’t getting any better, and I ended up with a referral to physical therapy.

That’s when I met Hillary, and that’s when everything changed. She ran me through a series of tests to diagnose exactly what was going on and tailored very specific stretches and exercises to address the issue. In the beginning I went frequently, and she constantly evaluated my progress, my pain level and adjusted the exercises accordingly. As I got better, we scheduled appointments further and further apart until I was able to handle things myself.

A year later, I’m happy to report the issue is resolved—and more importantly—I know what to do if the problem starts up again. It wasn’t just the care I received, but an education on how my shoulder works and how to keep it healthy. And surprisingly, the moral support was a big help, too. Hillary helped me feel inspired instead of discouraged.

Man, I would have given anything if I could have had someone like that to help me with my finances back when I started YNAB.

I had sooooo many questions and I was totally overwhelmed. I’d never budgeted before and was pretty sure it was going to be awful. (Newsflash: it’s not awful.) I was in debt and it was debt that had crept up on me quickly. I was depressed about my financial situation and ashamed—and I had to deal with all of that alone.

If that’s resonating with you, I’ve got good news. You don’t have to do it alone. If you wish you just had a personal trainer, like a physical therapist for your finances, you can make that happen with a Certified YNAB Coach.

The Certified Coaching Program

We offer a wide range of support—all of it free. Maybe you just need to search our knowledge base for a quick answer, or maybe one of our live workshops could help you get off on the right foot. And of course, our excellent support team is always there for you.

But often people ask us, “Can I just pay someone to help me set this up?” And in case you didn’t know—you absolutely can. You can hire a Certified YNAB Coach.

We started our Certified Coaching Program a little over a year ago and since then we have trained and certified 334 people to coach YNAB.

The coaching course runs for 10 weeks. We cover the four rules, how to help someone get started, and we go over a lot of what we’ve learned about what people need help with in regards to money. Each coach has to do some practice calls with real humans (!), along with an online course and live training sessions. We even have them take a final exam that covers everything they’ve learned. So, by the time they achieve certification, they’re well-qualified to help.

Who are the Coaches?

The coaches are YNABers through and through. They’ve seen their own lives transformed through the YNAB Method and they signed up to do this because they love two things: YNAB and helping people with YNAB.

And, I’ll tell you, I’ve gotten to know so many of our coaches through the live sessions and ongoing training we do post-certification, and they are just truly the best folks. They’re kind, compassionate, and genuinely want to help people.

Everyone’s situation is unique.

No two financial situations are the same. Sure, there are some common theme—debt, lack of savings, major life changes that shake up your finances, and so on. But we’re all still individual people with our own situations who learn in their own unique ways. How we interact with money has a lot to do with our money history and the experiences we’ve had.

Imagine having the same level of customized help with your finances that I had with my shoulder injury?

When I started with YNAB, I remember struggling to figure out how to approach the debt. It would have been amazing to talk through my options with someone who’d seen it before. A coach will learn about more than your financial situation—they’ll also learn about you and how you learn. They’ll help you align your money to what matters most to you.

How to Find a YNAB Coach

Our coaches are independent contractors, each with their own business model and pricing structure. Take a look through our directory and you’ll find coaches working from lots of different angles who approach teaching in different ways.

Sometimes you just need someone to help you work through hard stuff. If you’ve struggled with setting up a budget or managing your finances, a YNAB coach could help put you on the path to peace and prosperity, once and for all.

And, sometimes, it’s just nice to have someone cheer you along as you learn.

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