This post is an adaptation of YNAB's fan-favorite newsletter, Loose Change . Sign up for more where this came from.

I used to come home from middle school and turn on The Maury Povich Show or, let’s face it, Jerry Springer . There, sitting on a stage lit by dozens of cameras, in front of a stadium-style audience, would be an out-of-control teenager, wayward parents, or warring siblings. The host—whose giant salary was paid for by their dramas and misfortunes—would feign disbelief and moral outrage as he walked up and down the aisles. Can you believe people like this? Tune in tomorrow for more.

Fast forward to working at YNAB where my afternoons no longer involve procrastinating on homework from the couch. Though, the more time I spend consuming personal finance advice, the more I see new versions of the old format.…