Journey Into Retirement

Before I retired, I discovered the power of YouTube, the internet site that allows you to access video content on nearly any topic. I had heard of this resource before, but never explored what it could provide. The topics available go from total fluff to some very useful instruction on whatever topics are of interest to you. Some of these topics can be practical, such as how to maintain a lawn mower. Some are very technical and mathematical and some, let’s just say cater to a teen audience.

In my job, I was asked to provide training to newbies in the department on statistical analysis. Typically you would search Amazon for the best textbook on the topic and that is exactly what I did initially. Then I found YouTube. As it turns out, you can find a video on nearly any topic of interest. Want a brief overview of probability theory – it’s there. Need instruction on various statistical analysis procedures, there are several videos to select from.

So, I built an entire instruction course on statistical analysis around these videos. Some of the videos were informative and others added an element of entertainment as well. For example, in one video, I learned how to calculate the probability that I would survive if I was being attacked by a large dinosaur, had a gun with two bullets randomly interspersed among six slots in a revolver, and had the time to only pull the trigger three times. This is an entertaining way to learn how to calculate conditional probabilities.

When I got to Pensacola, my first order of business was to buy a kayak. After all, the place is surrounded by water. I found several videos on kayaks. You can view a video on how to select the perfect kayak for your needs. There are a couple on proper paddling techniques and the list goes on.

It occurred to me that this might be a useful resource for retirement planning and I have done some research to see what is available. The possibilities are nearly limitless, but here are some examples of what I found. Note that this is only a small sampling of what is available:

Search Topic: “Social Security”
“Top 10 must know facts about Social Security benefits”
“Planning Social Security retirement’
“How to maximize Social Security benefits”
“Milton Friedman: The Social Security myth”
“How to take advantage of Social Security spousal benefits”
“Social Security Alert: Seven secrets to maximize your Social Security benefits and taxes”

Search Topic: “Retirement Planning”
“Five biggest retirement planning mistakes”
“Make your money last”
“Retirement income: Building an investment roadmap for your retirement”
“The secret to retirement planning with minimal taxation”
“Suze Orman shares how to plan for retirement today”
“Ben Stein talks retirement”

Search Topic: “Where to Retire”
“The best places to retire in the United States”
“Top 10 best countries to retire – 2013”
“Where to retire in Florida”
“Where to retire in Mexico and how to eat out for $15 or less”

Search Topic: “Retirement Lifestyle”
“Visioning your retirement lifestyle”
“How to create a meaningful retirement lifestyle and financial freedom”
“Retirement Lifestyle: Living longer and stronger”
“Support your RV lifestyle”

Search Topic: “Fulfilling Retirement”
“10 Key elements of a fulfilling retirement”
“Can retirement be exciting and fulfilling”
“Challenges of retirement”

Search Topic: “Happy Retirement”
“Secrets to a happy retirement”
“Happily retired now (the happy retirement song)”

To access this site, Google “YouTube.” The first Google entry will take you directly to the site. The main YouTube screen that comes up will have a search bar at the top and you can type in search terms according to what you are looking for and it will provide you with a lengthy list of videos on the topic. If you click the video thumbnail next to each entry in the list, it will play the selected video on your PC.

YouTube is a great resource for many needs. However, it could be indispensable for guidance on topics related to retirement. For me, as I explore various new interests in retirement, there’s a YouTube video for that! Just a warning: YouTube is highly addictive and you can spend hours exploring a wide variety of topics and watching the instructive videos. However, as they say, “the world is your oyster” and YouTube is one portal into that world.