YouTube Retirement Creators I Recommend
A curated list of YouTube creators who provide excellent retirement planning content. These are people I've found genuinely helpful in my own retirement journey.
Table of Contents
- Heritage Wealth Planning (Josh Scandlen)
- Holy Schmidt!
- Joe Kuhn
- Azul
- Duane (Retire Early 500K)
- Tae Kim (Financial Tortoise)
- Erin Talks Money
- Recommended Tools & Resources
1. Heritage Wealth Planning
Creator: Josh Scandlen
YouTube: Heritage Wealth Planning
Josh is a great resource for retirement planning. Full disclosure — I paid for his services, and it was well worth it. He has a large library of videos covering a wide range of retirement topics, and it's worth scanning through for subjects relevant to your situation.
Why I Like Him
- Decades of experience in financial planning with a practical, no-nonsense approach.
- Conservative, straightforward style — a God-fearing man from Georgia who connects well with people from all walks of life.
- The Barbell Approach — his investment strategy is simple, easy to understand, and manageable for self-directed investors.
- RightCapital — his Monte Carlo simulation tool. He uses pretty conservative settings, so if your plan works in his model, you're in great shape.
Books by Josh Scandlen
Josh has written several books on retirement planning, available on Amazon.
Community
Josh hosts a community discussion on Locals where he provides ongoing insights and interacts with his audience.
2. Holy Schmidt!
Creator: Holy Schmidt
YouTube: Holy Schmidt!
Great detail on retirement topics with a classic dry accounting demeanor. If you want thorough, numbers-driven analysis, Holy Schmidt is your channel.
Why I Like Him
- Deeply detailed content — covers topics with the precision you'd expect from someone with an accounting background.
- Huge video library — videos galore on nearly every retirement topic.
- Great second opinion — I use his channel as another viewpoint alongside Josh Scandlen.
3. Joe Kuhn
Creator: Joe Kuhn
YouTube: Joe Kuhn
Joe is a retired guy from Alcoa with a classic Midwest dry, sardonic humor. Practical advice and real-world tips from someone who has actually walked the walk.
Why I Like Him
- Real-world experience — retired from Alcoa, living what he teaches.
- Practical advice — down-to-earth tips you can actually implement.
- Midwest humor — makes the content enjoyable.
- Bucket approach — Joe led me into the bucket strategy, which I like as a logical segregation of funds.
- Preventative maintenance background — brings that "prevent problems before they happen" mindset to retirement planning.
Tools He Recommends
- Money Pickle — connects you with financial advisors and planning tools.
- Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) — comprehensive retirement planning calculator with Monte Carlo simulations.
4. Azul
Creator: Azul Wells
YouTube: Azul
A former financial consultant with massive experience. Smooth as you'd expect from his background.
Why I Like Him
- Deep industry experience — years as a financial consultant give him genuine inside knowledge.
- Process-oriented thinking — valuable for understanding the "why" behind financial decisions.
- Inside perspective — good source for understanding how the financial industry actually works.
- Can be less clear on some specific details, but solid for big-picture retirement thinking.
5. Duane (Retire Early 500K)
Creator: Duane
YouTube: Retire Early 500K
Straight-shooting Southern California guy — the kind of older, no-nonsense Californian you used to see everywhere. He retired early and wants you to know you can too.
Why I Like Him
- Brutally straightforward — cuts the cruft and tells you to stop overthinking it.
- DIY mentality — clear message: you can do this yourself, because he did.
- No fluff — gets right to the point.
- Real experience — actually retired early on 500K and shares what that looks like in practice.
6. Tae Kim (Financial Tortoise)
Creator: Tae Kim
YouTube: Financial Tortoise
Tae Kim's channel was instrumental for me in setting goals and figuring out where to begin my retirement planning journey.
Why I Like Him
- Great starting point — if you're just beginning, this is an excellent place to start.
- Investing order — clear guidance on the order in which you should invest (401k, IRA, taxable, etc.).
- Fund recommendations — easy to get started without analysis paralysis.
- Solid reference material — bookmark and come back when you need to double-check your approach.
7. Erin Talks Money
Creator: Erin
YouTube: Erin Talks Money
Erin brings a younger perspective to retirement planning and the bucket strategy. Sharp, engaging, and genuinely fun to listen to.
Why I Like Her
- Bucket strategy deep dives — complementing Joe Kuhn's perspective.
- Cost-conscious content — lots of tips on fund costs and expense ratios, which is what originally drew me in.
- Younger viewpoint — fresh generational perspective the older creators sometimes miss.
- Entertaining delivery — smart and easy to listen to, and her blooper reel is worth a few chuckles.
These tools are mentioned across the channels above and are useful for your own retirement planning:
| Tool | Description |
|---|
| RightCapital | Monte Carlo simulation platform (used by Heritage Wealth Planning) |
| Boldin | DIY retirement planning with Monte Carlo analysis |
| Money Pickle | Financial advisor matching and planning tools |
| FIRECalc | Free historical backtesting for retirement portfolios |
| cFIREsim | Free Monte Carlo and historical simulation tool |
How I Use These Channels
I don't rely on just one source. Each creator brings a different perspective:
- Josh Scandlen — big-picture strategy and professional guidance
- Holy Schmidt — deep-dive analysis and second opinion on the numbers
- Joe Kuhn — practical, real-world "boots on the ground" retirement wisdom
- Azul — insider financial industry perspective and process thinking
- Duane — no-BS reality check: can you actually do this yourself? Yes.
- Tae Kim — getting started and building a solid investment foundation
- Erin Talks Money — cost-conscious planning and fresh perspective
Cross-referencing multiple viewpoints helps you build confidence in your plan. No single channel has all the answers, but together they give you a solid foundation.
Last updated: February 22, 2026