YNAB Certified Coach | Amanda Brink

Use YNAB To Stop Stressing About Money

As a YNAB Certified Coach, I will help you organize your money, understand what you are seeing, and build a financial system that makes sense to you and helps you accomplish your financial goals.

 

If you’re ready to stop stressing about money, I can help.

Get Started with A financial Breakthrough Session

Never Worry About Money Again Using YNAB

You found YNAB because you want a better way to manage your money

Maybe you are just getting started and want help setting everything up.

 

Maybe you have used YNAB for months or even years, but parts of it still feel confusing.

 

You may be wondering:

How should I organize my categories?

How much can I safely spend?

What should I do when my income changes from month to month?

Why does my credit card payment category look wrong?

How do I plan for large or irregular expenses?

Can I use YNAB for both my business and personal finances?

How do I create a routine I can actually maintain?

 

These are practical questions. They also affect how clearly you can see your money and how confidently you can use it.

 

YNAB is highly customizable. That is one of the reasons I love it. It also means there is no single setup that works perfectly for everyone.

 

Your YNAB plan should fit your income, priorities, family, business, brain, and real life.

Your YNAB plan should fit your income, priorities, family, business, brain, and real life.

Certified YNAB Coach Circle Photo
Learn More About Amanda

Hi, I’m Amanda

I’m a YNAB Certified Coach and the owner of Mindful Money Studio.

I help individuals, couples, and small business owners organize their finances and understand what their money is doing.

 

YNAB is my favorite money tool because it can bring information from across your financial life into one clear, useful place. Once you understand what your money is doing, you can make decisions based on the full picture.

 

You will know what your money needs to cover, what you are dreaming about for the future, what is available to spend, and what would need to change if you made a different choice.

 

Sometimes that information helps you decide to wait.

 

Sometimes it makes it possible to say an emphatic yes to something that matters to you, without second-guessing the decision or creating stress for yourself later.

 

Your YNAB setup should give you information you can use everyday.

 

You can use YNAB to build a financial system that brings everything together in a way that makes sense to you.

 

That’s exactly what I help clients do.

 

When you can clearly see how all the moving parts of your finances work together, you can stop relying on willpower alone. Good financial decisions become the natural result of finally understanding your money.

YNAB Questions

Together, we can work through questions around:

  • Setting up or reorganizing your categories
  • Understanding targets and available amounts
  • Planning with variable or uneven income
  • Managing credit cards in YNAB
  • Fixing incorrect balances or confusing transactions
  • Preparing for annual and irregular expenses
  • Creating a plan for debt payoff
  • Separating business and personal finances
  • Connecting your spending to your priorities
  • Building a weekly and monthly YNAB routine
  • Using YNAB to make real financial decisions

We will use your actual numbers and circumstances. You will understand how your plan is organized, why it is organized that way, and how to adjust it as your life changes.

 

It’s all yours. Your money, your priorities, your choices.

 

My role is to give you the education, guidance, questions, and support you need to understand your options and decide what makes sense to you.

Let's Do This

How We Work Together

Working together isn’t about handing you a money plan and sending you on your way.

 

It’s about helping you understand your money, build a financial system that fits your life, and develop the confidence to use it consistently.

 

Every client begins with a Financial Breakthrough Session, where we’ll create a personalized roadmap for moving forward.

 

From there, you’ll decide whether you’re ready to implement it on your own or continue building it together through ongoing 1:1 financial coaching.

Financial Breakthrough Session

A one-time deep dive into your finances designed to reduce overwhelm, lay everything out, including your major stress points, and create a personalized plan for you moving forward. We can also use this time to answer YNAB questions. All 1:1 clients start with a Financial Breakthrough Session.

Learn More
1
1:1 Financial Coaching

We begin with weekly coaching while we build your personalized financial system and apply it to the real financial decisions you're making every day. As your confidence grows, the way we work together naturally evolves, giving you the continued support you want and need. 

2
Financial Clarity, Long-Term

As your life and finances evolve, you'll know how to adapt your financial system with confidence. When you need additional guidance, you'll always have a trusted place to return.

3

Customized YNAB Financial System

What becomes possible when your financial system works?

A working financial system makes your money easier to see and understand.

 

You can see what is already earmarked for upcoming bills, tuition, taxes, travel, emergencies, or other priorities. You can understand the tradeoffs involved in a decision before you make it. You can prepare for future expenses while enjoying the money you have today.

 

Over time, that clarity can help you create margin, build wealth, and have more choices as your life changes.

 

And once you understand how to use your system, you can continue using and adapting it for years.

Struggling to setup YNAB in a way that makes sense to you?

Download my free guide:

Testimonials
What changes with financial coaching?

Here’s what my clients have to say:

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"Since working with Amanda, I feel much more confident and intentional with my money. I've shifted from feeling stressed and reactive to proactive and in control. I have clearer financial goals and my spending aligns with what actually matters to me. Less anxiety, more clarity."
David
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"I LOVE to shop and spend money, but when I retired, my financial advisor told me I needed to spend more intentionally. It has been difficult for me to change my thinking but Amanda is very encouraging and helpful. I am slowly understanding a new process for my money that allows me to travel and do the things I want to do without fear of my retirement money running out."
Sue
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"Amanda listened to us and asked questions to make sure she understood our goals...She is trustworthy, timely and has an eye for detail...Thanks to her help we are in a place to enjoy our lives without the financial stress that many couples deal with on a daily basis."
Jean
"Since working with Amanda, I feel much more confident and intentional with my money. I've shifted from feeling stressed and reactive to proactive and in control. I have clearer financial goals and my spending aligns with what actually matters to me. Less anxiety, more clarity."
DavidSmall Business Owner
"I LOVE to shop and spend money, but when I retired, my financial advisor told me I needed to spend more intentionally. It has been difficult for me to change my thinking but Amanda is very encouraging and helpful. I am slowly understanding a new process for my money that allows me to travel and do the things I want to do without fear of my retirement money running out."
SueRetiree
"Amanda listened to us and asked questions to make sure she understood our goals...She is trustworthy, timely and has an eye for detail...Thanks to her help we are in a place to enjoy our lives without the financial stress that many couples deal with on a daily basis."
JeanNearing Retirement

Client Transformations

What changes when we work together...

You go from this...

To This!

From wondering where your money went...

To knowing exactly what it's doing and why.

From avoiding your finances...

To directing your money with confidence.

From feeling like everything is urgent and stressful...

To knowing what deserves your attention first.

From hoping you're making the right decisions...

To making them with confidence.

From carrying money stress everywhere you go...

To having more mental space for the people and priorities that matter most

Client Stories

Real Clients. Real Transformations.

From hoping he was making the right decisions...

This client came to coaching facing a major financial decision but wasn’t sure how to use his financial information to make a choice that aligned with his goals. Together, we built a financial system that helped him understand his money, evaluate his options, and make informed decisions with confidence.

To making them with confidence.

“I finally understand how to use the money I have to make decisions. I can see how different decisions will impact my money in the future, and that allows me to decide what’s best for me.”

From avoiding her finances...

Looking at her finances felt overwhelming and confusing, so she avoided it whenever she could. She assumed money would always feel that way. Together, we built a financial system that made sense to her, and as she learned how to use it, checking in with her finances became something she wanted to do.

To directing them with confidence.

“I actually look forward to reviewing my finances now because I understand what I’m seeing instead of just a balance in my bank account.”

From wondering where their money went...

This couple had never had a budget and didn’t want to start as they neared retirement. Instead of giving them a restrictive spending plan, we created a personalized financial system that helped them clearly see where their money was going so they could confidently tell it what to do next. They entered retirement with the clarity to make financial decisions without the stress and uncertainty they’d carried for years.

To knowing exactly what it's doing and why.

“I can’t imagine not having this information anymore. I wish we had it years ago.”

Breathe Easier

This is about so much more than organizing your finances.

It’s about feeling confident managing your money and making decisions that are right for your life.

You'll Trust Yourself With Money

Stop second-guessing every financial decision. Understand your money well enough to confidently choose what's right for your life.

You'll Trust Yourself With Money

Stop second-guessing every financial decision. Understand your money well enough to confidently choose what's right for your life.

Your Money Will Feel Simpler

No more wondering what you're missing or trying to piece everything together. You'll have a clear picture of your finances whenever you need it.

Your Money Will Feel Simpler

No more wondering what you're missing or trying to piece everything together. You'll have a clear picture of your finances whenever you need it.

You'll Have More Mental Space

When money stress isn't constantly competing for your attention, you can focus on your family, your business, and the life you're building.

You'll Have More Mental Space

When money stress isn't constantly competing for your attention, you can focus on your family, your business, and the life you're building.

Let's Work Together

Coaching designed around you.

Every financial journey is different. That’s why every client starts with a Financial Breakthrough Session. Once we have a clear picture of where you are and where you want to go, you can decide whether moving forward on your own or continuing with personalized 1:1 coaching is the right fit.

Financial Breakthrough Session

Personal Finances

  • 90 minute deep dive
  • Pre-session guidance and review of information
  • Personalized action plan

 

Starting at $297

Get Started Now

Personal Finance Coaching

1:1 Financial Coaching | Personal Finances

  • Regular 1:1 coaching sessions
  • Between session support
  • Customized resources
  • Continued refinement of your financial system

Starting at $497/month

YNAB Coaching FAQs

This is not a rigid program. It's a working relationship.

Do I need to be new to YNAB to work with you?

No. I work with people who are opening YNAB for the first time and people who have used it for years. You may want help building your initial setup, or you may have an existing plan that has become confusing, difficult to maintain, or less useful as your life has changed. We will start with what you already have and focus on what would make YNAB more useful to you now.

What can you help me with inside YNAB?

We can work through both the technical and financial sides of using YNAB.

That may include organizing categories, setting targets, understanding credit card payment categories, correcting balances, reconciling accounts, planning for irregular expenses, managing variable income, or deciding how to represent your priorities in the plan or multiple plans.

The goal is for you to understand what you are seeing and know how to use that information in your real life.

Is the Financial Breakthrough Session required?

Yes. Every coaching relationship begins with a Financial Breakthrough Session. It's how we get a clear picture of your finances, identify what's creating the most stress, and create a personalized roadmap before deciding whether ongoing support makes sense. The Financial Breakthrough Session is highly customizable based on my client's needs and goals.

Will we completely set up my YNAB plan during the Financial Breakthrough Session?

The Financial Breakthrough Session gives us time to understand your current financial picture, identify what is creating the most confusion or stress, work through your most important questions, and decide what deserves your attention first. The Financial Breakthrough Session is customized to your questions and goals.

We may make meaningful changes and progress to YNAB during the session, but a complete financial system is usually built and refined over time. You will leave with greater clarity and a personalized action plan for what to do next and a free trial extension for YNAB.

Can YNAB work with variable or irregular income?

Yes. YNAB can be especially useful when your income changes because it helps you make decisions using the money you currently have. We can organize your plan around what your money needs to cover before you expect to be paid again, prepare for lower-income periods, and create more consistency as money comes in.

I have personally used YNAB to manage irregular income for almost 15 years. 

Can you help me use YNAB for both personal and business finances?

Yes. I work with small business owners who want to create a financial system to show how money moves through their business and into their personal life. This is incredibly helpful to the business owner as the ultimate financial decision-maker.

The Business + Personal Financial Breakthrough Session gives us additional time to look at both sides of your finances, including variable revenue, business expenses, taxes, owner’s pay, and the personal expenses your business income needs to support.

Is this financial advising?

No. I don't sell investments or financial products, and I won't manage your investment portfolio. My role is to help you understand your finances, organize your financial system, and confidently make decisions that are right for you.

After working wtih me, you’ll understand your finances well enough to know if you want to work with other financial experts. You will ask better questions, understand their recommendations, and make your own informed decisions.

Do I have to continue with ongoing coaching after the session?

Your Financial Breakthrough Session can stand on its own. You will receive a personalized action plan based on what we uncover together.

If continued support would be helpful, we can talk about ongoing private coaching. That gives us time to build and maintain your financial system, continue refining YNAB, and use the information to make decisions as your life or business changes.

The Right Fit

One-on-one financial coaching isn't for everyone.

 

But if money feels heavy, unclear, or stressful, and you’re ready to stop stressing about it for good, that is exactly what I help people do.

Ready to stop stressing about money?

Book Your Financial Breakthrough Session