June 25, 2025 • 53 mins
In this eye-opening conversation, we meet Phil, the creator behind the YouTube channel "What's Up Boomer," who shares his journey of reinvention after reaching retirement age with less-than-ideal financial circumstances.
At 66, Phil works at Home Depot while building a YouTube following that exploded from 400 to over 8,000 subscribers after he candidly shared his "unplanned retirement job" story. With refreshing honesty, he dismantles the stigma around working past retirement age, revealing how these unexpected paths can lead to fulfillment rather than disappointment.
Phil's life story unfolds through powerful moments. His experiences shaped his philosophy about making peace with life's unexpected turns: "Making the best of the way things have turned out when they haven't turned out exactly like I'd planned."
This conversation offers both practical strategies and emotional wisdom for navigating life's final chapters with grace, purpose, and unexpected joy.
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Check Out the “What’s Up Boomer” Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@whatsupboomer1958
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Resources from This Episode:
The YouTube Formula: https://amzn.to/4n3RBKF
As an Amazon Partner, our podcast earns from qualified purchases at no extra cost to you.
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Web: https://clutteredpath.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Todd (00:00):
This is the Cluttered Path , a compass for midlife.
Many people think of retirementas simply quitting your job,
kicking back and enjoying apermanent vacation.
But what if retirement is yourchance to reinvent your life and
(00:22):
embark on a new adventure?
Forget the idea of coastinginto your golden years, no
matter who you are.
That's just a pipe dream.
Today we're talking with Phil,host of a YouTube channel called
what's Up Boomer.
His story proves thatretirement isn't the end.
It really is a new phase oflife that offers an opportunity
to create joy and fulfillment.
Phil, welcome to the show.
Phil (00:44):
Thanks, Todd James.
It's exciting to be here as anoriginal, an OG podcaster.
Back in the day, when youdidn't have this technology, you
had a lot more bells andwhistles you had to work with to
get just an audio file up.
Todd (01:01):
Right, and having to meet in person back in the day.
So this is cool yeah.
Phil (01:06):
Yeah.
Todd (01:06):
Yeah, so James and I are on the East Coast, phil's on the
West Coast time, so it's verycool.
The technology allows us justto meet up here live.
So, phil, would you give us abrief intro to your channel and
audience?
Phil (01:18):
Yeah, so my channel what's Up Boomer is my attempt at
documenting number one legacyfor my grandkids, as well as my
family, my kids I have a son, adaughter and six grandkids most
powerfully putting a record myvoice and my appearance on
record for them.
(01:39):
When I'm gone, they still.
There's a real power in havingthose things.
You know, back in the day wehad.
If we were enough, we maybe hadvideotapes of our family.
Most often not, though, but nowwith this technology, so my
channel will document that.
I don't know which one weighsmore.
That's, ultimately, my mostimportant goal.
(02:00):
My secondary goal is tobasically talk about making the
best of the way things haveturned out when they haven't
turned out exactly like I'dplanned, and I also realized
that a very high percentage 70,80, you know, 90% of people
reach retirement and realize Idon't have enough money or I
(02:22):
can't retire, so I knew therewas a large audience out there
like me, and I'm in the processright now my first 40 videos
really of discovering where thedirection exactly will go with
the channel Right.
Todd (02:37):
Yeah, man, that's how James and I came up with the
name the Cluttered Path, becausewe make our plans in life and
life happens and it usuallydoesn't turn out the way we want
it to.
Phil (02:46):
So yep and it goes very quickly.
It goes very quickly, yes,that's I think, anyone who
reaches I'm 66.
Uh, it just seems likeyesterday when I thought, well,
I've got time, when I leftteaching to, you know, pursue a
business opportunity, I've gottime if it doesn't make it to
recover.
And here it is.
I never recovered completely.
Todd (03:09):
Well, I found your channel a while back and, man, I've
really enjoyed your videos.
Your story is very compellingand I think we can learn a lot
from you, so that's why weinvited you to join us.
So thank you for sharing yourtime with us today.
We really appreciate that, man.
We'll just go ahead and jumpinto the questions here.
Let's start with your earlyyears.
Where'd you grow up?
Phil (03:30):
First 10 years of my life was Lima, ohio, and then when I
was 10 years old, economicallythings were kind of depressed.
My dad was in the trades, myuncle and aunt lived in Colorado
Springs and they invited us outbecause things were booming
there with growth and so we wentout on vacation or to visit and
(03:51):
we stayed.
And so then I pretty much grewup for the next 30-some years 38
years in Colorado and thenthrough the course of life I've
ended here in Phoenix, arizona,landed I don't want to use the
word ended.
Todd (04:04):
Ended.
Don't want to use the wordended.
James (04:08):
Although oh gosh Great.
Todd (04:12):
So can you share some, maybe some of your formative
experiences as a young man,things that shaped you?
Phil (04:18):
Well, you know, I think I'm going through a lot of
reflection this time in lifeabout why did things turn out
the way they did?
Why am I like the way I am?
Could I have done thingsdifferently?
Of course I could have, but whydid I make the decisions I made
?
What are the things that I feelthe baggage, the baggage that
(04:43):
have held me back.
So that they don't continue tohold me back in my final years?
You know, that's that, thisfeeling that making the best of
the way things have turned out,to do that, I know that I have
to change the way I've been, theway I've thought most of my
life.
I have to change, maybe, someof my habits, things like that,
so that I have a tomorrow that'sbetter than today.
(05:06):
Some of the things that didthat, though, is we grew up
rather I don't.
I guess in some ways it wouldbe poor.
I was talking to my brother theother day.
We often we never had arefrigerator full of food.
We never had a refrigeratorwith hardly any food in it, and
that went on a long time.
So there's a lot of lack in mypast, and I'm not saying that
(05:27):
sounds like an excuse, but Istill had a decent life.
I was lucky enough to go tocollege.
I think that was a hugeopportunity for me back in the
70s, and it was all because of aschool counselor that said well
, what are your plans?
You know they meet with youwhen you're a senior.
I didn't have any plans.
My parents didn't have anymoney, so he just recommended.
(05:48):
He said what do you want to do?
And I always thought being ateacher would be a good thing
and I always enjoyed my teachersand I respected them, I admired
them and I liked you know.
It seemed like a fun thingworking with the kids and they
(06:09):
had a good time.
So he recommended a teacher'scollege in Colorado University
of Northern Colorado and that'syeah.
It's just weird how thosethings take off.
I will say this I wasdiscouraged from all my parents'
friends who said, oh, he'sgoing into teaching, don't go
into teaching, there's no moneyin that, you'll never you're
going to be broke, this and that.
But it's what I wanted to do.
I had an altruistic attitudehey, I'm gonna make a difference
.
It's something I think I couldmake a difference in.
And, uh, maybe I could helpkids with a similar background
(06:33):
as mine of uh, you know,struggle in some ways and where
school was not always kind to.
Uh, you know, I did well inschool, but not that that.
You know, I worried a lot.
I worked hard and I thought Icould help other kids understand
that I'll get them through myclass, which was English, which
was not necessarily a favoriteone.
(06:53):
So I went with it anyway andthat was a big decision, because
if I knew then what I know nowI hate to say it I probably
would have chosen a differentpath.
Todd (07:06):
Yeah, I mean your background and mine very similar
.
I grew up in trailer parks inthe southeast and I didn't even
think of myself as being goodmaterial for college.
So I didn't even think that way.
I was like I'm just going tograduate high school and go get
a job, and that was the mindset.
But then I had a headmaster ofa school I was attending.
(07:26):
The guy.
He started talking to me likehey, so when you go to college
and I'm like, you think I can goto college.
So that was a good influence.
So I knew I wanted to go tocollege and was able to
eventually go.
So I'm thankful for that.
It sounds like you had somementors who were very positive
influence on you Any mentorsthat you can think of, maybe
(07:46):
positive or even negativeinfluence.
The guidance counselor was oneof them.
Phil (07:50):
Yeah, you know what it's, Mr Gill.
I had some teachers that werevery influential I really liked.
Starting in junior high schoolI was not real confident in
school but I guess teachers werethe ones that shaped me pretty
highly, and maybe a couplecoaches when I played sports.
But then getting into life Iwas mentor-less but I pursued
(08:14):
knowledge, learning as much as Icould about investments and
things, and back then it waspretty much just gosh, what did
I hear about these?
I guess it was podcasts or, Idon't know, talk radio.
I just yeah, I'd have to saythere wasn't anyone really truly
mentoring me.
And that might be.
We live, we grow up, we livelife in the circle of friends
(08:36):
that we have.
Then I had I went, you know Ihad trades people and
professionals, graduated fromsome really good schools and you
know, you just kind of do withthat circle.
What do they call that Kind ofthe environment of your friends
you keep, you become most likethose friends.
That's kind of true.
So luckily I had a pretty goodcircle as far as they didn't
(08:59):
choose the paths of drugs orthere was alcohol.
That was a, that was adetriment overall.
Yeah, you just gosh.
I look back and I think, well,I survived it.
Uh, the unknown.
You just live day to day, monthto month, year to year.
You, you get into your jobs andstart a family and you just do
the best you can.
James (09:19):
Yeah, mentor less really would you say there are.
Are any specific good or badexperiences that you can recall
that kind of shaped or affectedyour outlook on life?
Phil (09:30):
Oh wow, Wow, yeah, well, I lost my first wee.
I lost our first child.
That is possibly to this day.
I mean, these are big things.
This is where we're newlymarried.
We've been married a coupleyears, I guess.
Maybe you know first baby, andit's a boy and he was born with
(09:52):
hypoplastic left heart.
So I'm at work and I'm workingin a manufacturing place.
At the time I did not go rightinto teaching and anyway, that's
seared in my emotions, mymemory, my makeup.
Because you get a call from mywife that says, hey, there might
(10:14):
be a problem.
They're transferring him.
John, his name was John, namedafter his grandfather,
great-grandfather, and he'sgetting transferred to to the
main.
There's the co-host of mypodcast.
Uh, he's getting transferred.
I can't remember this.
This is now gosh 81, 82, okay,so, and so I leave work to go
(10:38):
and I'm sitting in a room inthis hospital.
It's kind of dark, one littlelight on, and through the door
comes a doctor.
He's the chief of uh, intensivecare pediatrics.
He said are you, mr ladden?
And I'm sitting there, you knowI'm 20, some years old and,
yeah, I look like I'm, you know,15.
And here's this doctor.
He's a younger guy, he's got,and I'm like kind of like uh,
(10:59):
he's calling me, mr ladden, hegoes, I go, yeah, he goes.
Come in here, mr Ladin.
He says I'm afraid I've gotsome bad news for you, and that
was like it's still.
It's like what?
This is not the way, again,life's supposed to be.
Then we find out thehyperplastic heart.
There's no hope, there'snothing they can do except maybe
go to university hospital.
(11:20):
Without getting into this wholestory, he lived for four days,
two open heart surgeries, and ablessing was he didn't go
through that because back thenthere was no technology that
could allow what would have hadto happen, which was ultimately
a heart transplant when he wasolder.
So I mean that to this day isone of the most whatever, um,
yeah, yeah.
And then then at my heart eventsix years ago, really put
(11:45):
things in perspective, I think,for how I go forward now in the
final quarter of my life as far,I don't know what else.
There's lots of things in life.
You do Some things.
You're very lucky on that.
I didn't.
Things worked out, thingsworked out the best they could,
and I guess that's the deal.
Despite what, the good and thebad, it works out one way or the
(12:06):
other.
Todd (12:06):
Right, that's some deep grief that you went through
there, man.
I'm sorry it's still crazy.
Phil (12:12):
But you know, now there's a regret.
You know, at the time I thoughtI need to do what others to
help others in this samesituation.
Right now there's people Ithink about these children's
hospitals all over the countrythey're dealing with this stuff
right now.
My deal was this long.
I said I'm going to dosomething to help others, be a
(12:33):
volunteer, and here's the thingI never did.
I regret that.
Those are the things in lifethat you don't follow through on
.
Todd (12:42):
I think all of us feel that we have things we don't
follow through on.
Phil (12:45):
I think all of us feel that we have things we don't
follow through on.
We should have.
Maybe it would have been good,but for whatever reason, man, we
don't Absolutely.
Todd (12:53):
So, coming out of college, what was your first job?
Phil (12:58):
Preparing for college was dishwashing At an IHOP.
So after and then duringcollege I learned to paint.
My first summer we're going tocollege house being commercially
and stuff from apartments and I.
But the very first job, I think, was working at.
(13:21):
The first real job was workingat a place called Moss Tech.
They were from Carrollton,Texas.
They were the world's largestproducer of the 64K dynamic RAM
computer chip.
James (13:34):
I'm thinking about that.
Phil (13:34):
That was the top, fastest, most powerful computer chip 64K
.
Yes, and they had a plant inColorado Springs and I went to
work there, worked in thefurnace room.
Oh, wow, wow.
Todd (13:51):
That is awesome man.
So I mean, what other jobs orbusinesses have you pursued over
the years?
Phil (13:57):
Yeah, well, and I did do that because when you're a
teacher you're always doingsomething in your summers where
you're earning all your extramoney.
You know that I was coaching,so that took care of that.
But house painting I took thatskill I had learned.
I had the opportunity to learnduring a summer break and it was
amazing what I learned fromthis guy who was a craftsman but
(14:19):
I house painted.
I did that a lot.
I've had numerous.
I had a restaurant later that'sone of the things that I was
not in teaching.
At the time I had left, Istarted a publication for Denver
, colorado, for at the time BabyBoomers, being that I am one
and it was called now this isfunny it was called Mile High
(14:41):
Times in Denver, colorado.
Denver is the mile high city.
Very benign, Can you imagine?
I wish I would have.
There was no com back then.
By the way, this waspre-computer.
But you know, colorado becamethe first state in the United
States to not only legalizemarijuana but become
recreational.
(15:02):
So it was just not medical, itwas recreational.
You'd think it would be likeone of these West Coast states,
but it was Colorado.
So, yeah, I probably could havesold that com had I had it for
a lot of money my lifetime.
Yes, indeed, that wasinteresting, that was a great,
that was a really neat thing,but it didn't make it.
The restaurant was successfulbut overwhelming, and I ended up
(15:24):
just closing it and walkingaway.
Gosh, those would be the bigthings over the years.
What was your most?
favorite job well, you know, Ireally enjoyed the restaurant.
You talk about a people, youtalk about something different
every day.
You talk about the peopleinvolved in the restaurant, but
work at restaurants the cooks,the waitresses, the wait staff,
uh, the dishwashers, uh, man, Iyou know I had just started to
(15:47):
blog about this experience.
Oh, wow, and I was overwhelmedthe first week.
We literally averaged fourhours of sleep for seven days,
so it was like 140, 50, 60 hours.
It was exhausting, and then wekind of got that going, but it
was 12 to 16-hour days every dayfor two and a half years, and
(16:10):
so I enjoyed it, but it couldn'tbe.
You couldn't keep up with that.
Yeah, but I would say that waskind of the most.
That was fun, but I think whatI'm doing now is what I'm most
enjoying.
That's awesome.
Which is?
Which is I work I do work atHome Depot for a while longer
here, it won't be forever.
Which is I do work at HomeDepot for a while longer here,
it won't be forever.
(16:30):
And doing this, building aYouTube channel is my most
exciting thing to do.
Todd (16:35):
That's great, just switching things up a little bit
.
Moving to recent years, I sawthat video on your channel.
It talks about this unplannedHome Depot retirement job.
How did that come about?
Phil (16:46):
What's it been?
It'll be four years inSeptember.
We're now in June, so almostfour years ago.
What did I do?
I had moved back from Hawaii.
Now, that was a good story.
I was a concierge in Hawaii I'mKauai, that was and I had a
podcast called Kauai Talk.
You can still probably findsome of that out there.
Yeah, but I was, you know,living a half mile from the
(17:11):
beach.
It sounds really great.
It's not not paradise when youlive there, by the way.
But I had come back and I waskind of taking some time to a
lot of things going on with myparents having.
Well, we had to move.
My dad and my mom had passedand I needed to go to work.
But I had some time to take anda neighbor worked at Home Depot
(17:31):
and I thought you know, what amI going to do now at 59, 60, 60
years old?
You know what guys you know youget to be certainly 50 and plus
, and the work environment isnot friendly to you.
Your options become limited.
And I thought, hey, home Depot.
My dad had actually workedthere 20, 30 years ago.
(17:52):
But you know, home Depot was aplace that sounds like this
sounds good.
She said, yeah, go over therehiring, they'll hire you, she
said, and they did, and sothat's how Home Depot came about
, and it's been a real good,what I'll call what will become,
I think, a transitionexperience, are there any social
benefits of kind of working atHome Depot?
(18:14):
Oh, yeah, yeah, huge.
It's probably been the best.
It's one of the best thingsbecause not only do you have
some, you know when you quoteretire, you lose the work.
You know, when you think aboutour relationships, most of them
are through work or church orsomething, but most people,
their relationships are at work.
So, yeah, I've made new friends.
And then, of course, you'redealing with the public every
(18:35):
day, some not in positive waysbecause they're angry, things
like that, but again, it'ssocial and a job like this is
almost overwhelming sometimes.
Todd (18:47):
Social in a job like this is almost overwhelming sometimes
.
Yeah, I had my Home Depot.
Employment.
Story is I was getting out ofthe Marines and I applied at
Home Depot and the managercalled me and was like so what
do you do?
What skills have you got?
I was infantry in the Marinesso I can dig holes and carry
stuff, do what you're told to do, right?
(19:08):
They did not hire me, so Iended up working at Lowe's.
But the social aspects ofworking at Lowe's were.
They were good because therewere guys that came in.
I worked at the paint desk andthere were older gentlemen that
were running their ownbusinesses that came in and they
would they would kind of taketime to talk to me about stuff.
(19:29):
So I ended up painting houseswhile I was in college.
So I worked at Lowe's while Iwas in college and, uh, ended up
branching off and startedpainting houses and I'm glad I
did that.
Phil (19:40):
But I didn't know that that, yeah, we, I know you've
mentioned you felt our, ourpaths have some a number of
similarities.
Yes, I'd still like to painthouses, but I can't really
handle ladders.
I do, but I probably shouldn'tsee.
I love brushwork cuts.
I still like that to this day.
(20:01):
It's very.
I just put music on and yeah.
So, uh, yeah, I think that youknow these, these places are, um
, you know, I gotta say forpeople when, if you're retiring
and you're looking for you know,a guy told me yesterday and on
my one of my comments says hey,man, phil, I love this video and
it's because of you I juststarted at home depot that I got
(20:24):
hired and my, you, you know,orientation is today and I
thought well, good luck, youknow it's great.
But management makes you knowwhat.
When you look back, I don'tcare what it was I've done over
my life, whether it's teachingor even the restaurant dealing
with the city or whatever.
University of Phoenix I workedthere Concierging, worked for
(20:44):
Expedia.
Your management is the key andworking at Home Depot right now
it makes or breaks.
That's why so many people, Ithink, want to work for
themselves, because you're atthe mercy of one great manager.
Could be a great or one poormanager for whatever reason, can
(21:05):
ruin your career.
It all falls back to leadership.
Todd (21:07):
It is leadership, right, yeah.
Yeah, there's a military adagethat says there are no bad units
, only bad officers.
So yeah, that applieseverywhere.
Phil (21:16):
So the leadership can make , or break a company or whatever
the organization, yes for sureso did?
Todd (21:23):
did you go through an adjustment period when you
started working at Home Depot,and how was that?
Phil (21:29):
Yeah, you know I tend to not really probably think a lot
about it, I just do it, I don'tcomplain.
You know I was raised in a.
You know it was kind of, in away, a tough way.
You know my parents, my dad,mom they never said things like
I love you or hugs Nothing, nophysical, you know, just
personal or physical love ofanything.
(21:50):
So as I grew up, you know what,if there's an adjustment, you
know you just do it, you don'tcomplain.
And I think, physically though,standing for a shift on a
concrete floor, that was hard.
Actually, before that I did fora few months I repped for
espresso machines what are theycalled?
(22:11):
Yeah, and I had to stand at aone of these nice stores William
Sonoma and Surla Tom and Irepped the machine for four
hours on a weekend and made ahundred bucks.
I'll do that, you know, justpick up a few extra bucks.
This is before I startedworking home depot, and that
four hours was difficultphysically.
(22:32):
So, yeah, I think there was alot of that.
Plus there's a lot of learningthe systems.
I was told one day haven't youever worked to register before I
went?
No, actually, I didn't say no,I was embarrassed I said, oh
yeah.
Yeah, you know, I was thinkingin the restaurant we had a had
to register, but that was justto do simple sales, learning all
(22:53):
the technology, which isactually pretty basic.
I mean, it's easy now to me now.
But yeah, all these things,when you're older and I deal
with customers that they can'teven do a cell phone, the older
people, they've not acceptedthese things in life and that's
one of the things I want topride myself on.
(23:14):
I want to try, but you can'tkeep up in today's age, now,
with the AIs, I just think mygrandparents never owned a car.
That was in the 40s, 50s and60s, and 70s never owned a car,
car.
So this technology that we facetoday, yeah, we're all going to
face these challenges just tokeep current and you just do the
(23:36):
best you can yeah, so thatbrings us to your youtube
channel.
Todd (23:41):
Can you talk about the path that led you to start a
youtube channel?
Phil (23:45):
yeah, so many years ago, like in the late 90s, 97, 98, I
don't know what it was thatprompted, oh, I wanted to market
a product and I was watching,even back then, gary Vee hearing
about how he built the, and hedid it through video, initially
on Vimeo.
(24:06):
He since realized that was amistake and went to YouTube.
So I wanted to use YouTube.
I thought it would be a greatmarketing tool, but it didn't
work.
The technology was just toodifficult.
I think I mentioned, you know,I have a Canon T2i, which is a
camera I bought.
I bought the good stuff but Icould not learn.
It was very difficult.
You had to learn all this stuff.
(24:27):
Even an upload was difficult.
Going back now, how long has itbeen?
Nine months ago, eight monthsago, after three false starts
trying, I decided I wanted to doa boomer channel nice, and I
guess five, six years ago,almost now, I decided I would
start it and document the heartevent, et cetera, and just
(24:50):
figure out.
And then I quit that.
So I started for serious, Icommitted I think it was
November in 2024.
And I want to reach out to thecommunity of boomers, I want to
monetize, I want to marketthat's to be determined, and I
think that's what the advisementis, that I think YouTube I mean
I YouTube I've heard two reallypowerful, a couple powerful
(25:12):
videos about what opportunity weall have on this platform.
Youtube today it's not goinganywhere, at least for five or
so years, and I thought, if Icould just monetize something to
a few hundred dollars a month,I'm okay Because I live a simple
life, I'm fine with SocialSecurity, and a few hundred
dollars a month, I'm okaybecause I live a simple life,
I'm fine with social security,and a few hundred, maybe even a
thousand that this is actuallyvery doable.
(25:33):
So it's a great opportunity andI believe in it.
And that's when I started it.
And it's again for boomers.
But I'm finding there's quite afew millennials and whatever
those other the gen xers, wiresor whatever they're they're kind
of gravitating to the channelas well.
So we're going to see I'm stillin the exploration stage say,
(25:53):
do 100 videos and I just happento have one now.
That's really hit.
And so I went from you know, asyou may know, from 400
subscribers, which I was reallyhappy with, to now over 8 000,
which is really nothing.
But you know, I'm a believer injust a few, a thousand true
fans.
That's going to provide me allthe supplemental income I'll
(26:13):
need when I figure out how tomonetize it.
I'm still in a real buildingstage and exploratory stage.
Todd (26:22):
Well, you've done well.
Like you said, you just crossedover 8,000 subscribers on
YouTube.
Yeah, what was that?
One video that was pivotal tobuilding that audience, though.
Phil (26:32):
Yeah, it's so bad because I just made it what a month and
a half or two ago and overnightI became monetized.
I was trying to get to 500subscribers, but it was on my
job at Home Depot, that myretirement job is working at
Home Depot and I kind of didn'tfeel I don't feel like proud
about that.
I had some shame and I justkind of just discussed this and
(26:54):
I felt like I better get thisout here, because people are
sort of seeing me in a way thatI don't claim to be, which is
this this is how you do life.
People Follow me to end up inretirement working at Home Depot
.
No, but maybe I do have somethings to share that people can
say and that's what's happened.
Todd (27:13):
I saw it and your heart came through and you're such an
affable human being and thatreally man that connected with
me, I was like, oh, this is goodstuff.
And so I immediately messagedyou and just said, hey, man, I'd
love to have you on the podcast.
Phil (27:28):
Yeah, I know.
And then when I checked outyour podcast, oh, wow, and the
stories you're telling and thethings you're talking about.
You know there's people thatdon't really ever think about
these things and yeah, I justthought, wow, I'll be happy to
come on and let's talk.
But understand, I'm not.
I have a story and I'm gladit's resonating and we'll just
go from there.
You know, if I've got somethingsomebody can use, great.
(27:50):
You know, I feel like I'mlearning just as much probably
from about people and aboutdecisions they make in their
life even now.
Other about people and aboutdecisions they make in their
life Even now.
Other boomers, other, you know.
So it's hopefully this all endsup with positivity.
Todd (28:07):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you pointed out in your video.
You just said look, a lot ofpeople are looking down on
Walmart door greeters and that's.
That's bad.
We shouldn't do that, I know.
Phil (28:18):
No, I would say, see, I didn't look down on them, but I
also felt a lot of empathy forthem.
What a tough job.
It was always an old personback in the day and I've since
heard they've kind of got rid ofthat position in a way, who
knows why.
But I always thought, wow, Idon't want to end up doing that
in my retirement years.
(28:39):
And then I ran across a guy.
I was driving Uber.
I did Uber for about a year.
I picked up the guy.
He was 90 years old and I wastaking him to Walmart.
I was thinking what's heshopping for?
I mean, I understand heprobably isn't driving anymore.
So we get to talking a littlebit.
He goes yeah, I'm the greeter,I.
(28:59):
We get to talk a little bit, hegoes.
Yeah, I'm the greeter.
Wow, that's that.
And let me tell you something Iwas picking them up in a very
affluent area of a very affluentneighborhood in the phoenix
valley called scottsdale.
He had a very nice house and Iwasn't.
You know it was a very nicehouse and you know why he was
doing it.
Did he need the money?
No, he did it for the social.
He did it to be around people.
I'm pretty sure he lived alone.
(29:19):
Um no, there was no talk of awife or whatever.
He just this was somethingreally good for him, yeah, and I
thought, well, man, if he coulddo that, yeah, this is a good
thing.
Todd (29:31):
Well, I mean a related question then does your youtube
community provide socialconnection?
Phil (29:36):
okay, yeah, that actually it's possibly my best part of my
, favorite part of it is on.
It's a little overwhelming,though, like while we've been
talking here, I'm getting morestuff, more messages of comments
, mostly from the home depot,but they're starting to.
Other people now are finding,in fact, I I've overwhelmed with
thousands of messages.
(29:56):
I can't keep up.
I don't even get notificationson some.
I just found some on anothervideo I did about the black and
white thing, the Wizard of Oz.
I made a point about that whichwasn't really that great
received, but now people arefinding it commenting, and I
just reached out from someonethat commented a month ago.
I didn't even know they'd saidanything.
So, yeah, this socialization ofthis channel is really wow.
(30:21):
It's it's a full-time deal andI'm getting a little bit like I
need a break.
You're gonna have to.
Yeah, I've already made great.
I've already made, uh, newfriends and friends that I think
will be real and we'll probablyhave a meetup someday or, if
I'm coming through, I'm going tosay I'm going to say listen,
(30:41):
I'll be in your area, let's gofor coffee, let's do uh,
whatever so I'm curious wouldyou recommend a middle-aged
person start a youtube channel?
well, let me tell you I'm notthe person to really don't take
my advice on this.
Go out there and look at who isrecommending you do it and, as
a matter of fact, we're talkingabout some great people like
(31:03):
Gary Vees or Patrick Ben David.
He does a speech.
I'm going to have to look thisup and put it on my post in my
community talking about you havethe greatest opportunity in
your life while you're working.
Still, because it takes timeusually in your life while
you're working.
Still because it takes timeusually to find your audience,
(31:24):
to find who relates and to findalso what your niche is, that
the topic, that what you canbring to the community or the
audience, that they would payyou for that because they value
you, and most of us would sitaround.
Who's going to do that?
Well, I'm that way, but we haveto find that and we find it by
going through the motions, bydoing it, and it will come.
(31:44):
And so, yeah, those people aresaying, matter of fact, youtube
creator right now is one of thetop five opportunities for
people getting out of highschool, greater opportunity than
going to college, as crazy asthat sounds.
Now, that's not me saying that.
That's what they say and I tendto believe it.
(32:04):
Interesting, yeah, unlessyou're very strategic in what
you choose to major in.
And right now, with the changesin our, the shift it should be
the biggest shift we've ever hadin our lifetime.
With the AI it's going toreally change our world.
So I'm not really sure there'sany majors outside of you know,
(32:25):
if you want to go into medicineor whatever, that's still
appropriate, maybe lawyer, youknow, as far as skills, we live
in a different world today.
Todd (32:34):
Now, look into that Now.
Would you recommend any booksor courses to help people learn
how to start a YouTube channel?
Phil (32:41):
I've taken one course.
I think I may have paid, andyou know what?
I think no, to stay away atthis point in your beginning
journey and I'm still a beginner.
I've come close, but it takes,in my opinion, hours of watching
the person, a lot of thesecourses.
If you are willing to do thework, they have all their
(33:05):
information on their channelsand you can get what you need to
start.
You don't need to know a lot,you don't need to be good.
The problem with a lot of thesecourses is this perceived
promise that take this courseand you'll be successful.
Let me tell you that's onething I've most learned.
Your success begins by startingknowing nothing.
Make the videos, post thevideos and, like they say, if
(33:25):
you're not embarrassed in a yearof those videos, then you
weren't doing it right.
The one book that made the mostsense and I follow guys like
Think Media watch all that stuff, gosh, I probably have 50
creators that I watch but thisone is the YouTube Formula by
Daryl Eves.
(33:45):
This book kind of brought ittogether for me.
Before you even buy his book,go out and watch his interviews
on YouTube or podcasts.
Yeah, go out and do that.
But this book finally put meover the top to just do it.
It made sense and understandthat trying to figure out what
(34:07):
your product is, what youraudience is, is not that you do
it totally backwards.
You find that out starting froma point of view you have no
idea.
So I don't recommend anycourses at this time and I don't
really recommend any booksexcept that one for me.
Todd (34:25):
You touched on something.
I think it has to be somethingyou want to do.
So my advice if you're thinkingabout starting a YouTube
channel, podcast or whatever,look at your skills.
Do you have the ability tocommunicate, do you have
presentation skills and is itsomething that you enjoy doing?
Because if you're just lookingto make money, that's, and if
(34:45):
it's something, you don't likedoing.
Phil (34:46):
You're going to be miserable so that's and you're
not going to succeed.
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
As a matter of fact, it is apart that I I hate to talk about
, but you know, people talkabout my storytelling and it's
like I'm a terrible storyteller.
I'm a, I'm scattered, I'm notorganized because I work off a.
I work off like an outline onpaper and I just go and luckily
(35:08):
I can stop and start.
Yeah, but it was fine man,that's good and I think it was
my years in the classroom of acumulative years of almost 20
years of talking to kids andinteracting with them, and then
all the experiences that goalong with that, with parents
and etc.
That have of basically who I amand how I do it, and so, yeah,
(35:31):
yeah, and you do have to be alittle bit.
I guess the thing too isimportant is most of us are
really hard on ourselves sowe'll never do it because we
think we don't like the sound ofour voice.
You know, these are things thatkeep people.
They don't like the way theylook.
Man, I don't either.
Matter of fact, there's filtersfor that.
Now, although I have not usedany, I'm getting these eight
(35:52):
spots and, oh my God, look at apicture of me 30 years ago and
today and I go.
What happened?
Man, life that's.
I didn't think I'd look likethis.
So, yeah, you just got to getover that, and some people will
never get over that.
Todd (36:09):
Yeah Well, I lie to myself and I look at pictures of
myself today and go, I just keepgetting better looking.
Phil (36:20):
Well, now, there's something to that that, because
we're always giving ourselvesmessages and, whether it's true
or not, say that yeah, versussaying because think of all the
messages we say about ourselvesthat are lies.
Yes, well, I, I, um, I have aface for radio.
That might be the truth,actually.
Uh, but let's just say look,because for every excuse or
(36:42):
criticism you can come up withabout yourself that you give
yourself, there's somebody outthere with the same exact there.
Can I say it?
They're.
They're not attractive, theirvoice squeaky, they're very
annoying, but they, they knowsomething and they're passionate
about it and they succeed.
Todd (36:57):
Yep, very true, right, you mentioned that you are at this
point where you're reflecting,but they know something and
they're passionate about it andthey succeed.
Very true, you mentioned thatyou are at this point where
you're reflecting back on life.
So you have a video about thison your YouTube channel.
But if you could go back intime and talk to your
20-year-old self?
Phil (37:15):
what advice would you offer?
So this is one.
I had.
I think three or four thingsthat was asked for me to do by a
20 year old co-worker, phil go.
Uh, I'm her favorite old person.
She calls me, which is actuallya very big compliment.
She says what would you tell?
What would you tell a 20 yearold based on what you know now?
So I now here's the problem.
(37:37):
I couldn't remember what I said, so I had to go back and watch
that video again the other day.
I actually had to write it down.
Uh, I mean, I would have to doit and um, so when people ask me
things, you know, I think Isaid oh, I said choose your
friends wisely.
Very important, man.
By choosing your friends, you'rechoosing your activities.
That may be the most, one ofthe most significant, because if
(37:59):
you pick your friends unwiselyand you end up just doing the
things that are a waste in life,you could end up very quickly
with a life you'll never recoverfrom.
In a way, I think I made acomment about take time getting
into relationships in terms of amarriage or something like that
.
Anything who you choose tospend your life with terms of a
marriage or something like that,anything who you choose to
(38:20):
spend your life with and I thinkI rush, we all.
I think there's a feeling ofyou know you, just you're 20,
you want to.
You want to be with somebody.
You feel like if you wait muchlonger no one's going to want
you.
You're going to get old and ifI had to do over I'd wait to at
least my late 20s, maybe ideallyinto my 30s.
But that doesn't mean you dothat so you can party and just
be irresponsible.
I like the idea of working andtraveling Once you start having
(38:45):
kids.
That's tough to do.
What else I remember?
Don't buy a new vehicle.
That's what I would tell ayoung person.
Do not buy a new vehicle.
And they all have them and it'sthe greatest.
Okay, when you look atcompounding, and I knew all this
back then.
But we went out and bought, wetraded a paid-off 1976 Celica.
(39:08):
It was my wife's.
I married into it.
They were great cars.
She had a paid-off and wetraded.
The paid-off car could havedriven probably another 15 years
.
For a brand new jeep cj5 in1981, 265 a month payment.
We paid on that for about twoand a half, three years before
(39:28):
we went and traded in justwasn't a good vehicle for travel
or for family and good vehiclefor colorado.
But if we just would have takenthe amount of those payments
and just put it in the s&p 500mutual fund at that time and
never done another penny ofinvesting, that would be worth I
did.
It would be worth a lot ofmoney.
(39:51):
So, yeah, don't buy a new carand put start investing early
and don't touch it.
I mean, and that's the lastthing you want to do.
And right now, to be honest,let's, let's be, let's be real.
We live in a time now youngpeople and they're they're kind
of resentful of this, and I getit they can't afford an
apartment on their own with thejobs that are even even the
(40:13):
higher paying jobs.
It's expensive, they have tohave roommates, it's a tough
time economically, I don't knowfor kids.
So those are things, though,you could do now.
You could do now to help yourfuture self.
I'm full of advice, as mostboomers are, so I could go.
I could do another video offour more things I would tell my
20-year-old self.
James (40:34):
Well, how about?
I'm going to flip that around alittle bit.
So what advice would you givethe middle-aged person who's
looking at retirement with fearand dread?
Phil (40:44):
Yeah, and that's one of the things.
What do we do getting intoretirement?
And it hasn't turned out likewe planned.
We're broke.
Even so, if you're in your 30s,40s or 50s and I've had
comments from people that arefreaked out saying, man, you got
me thinking about this, I don'thave any savings Well, guess
what?
If you're pre-60 years old,there's never a better time to
(41:05):
start than right now.
Now I know for a fact and thisis hard to do, because if you
don't make a lot of money, ifyou're a schoolteacher or
whatever and you want to drive anice car, you want to be able
to go to a restaurant regularly.
Maybe you want to have a sociallife.
Guess what?
Because people say live belowyour means.
So that's what I'd say Livebelow your means.
That's tough to do.
(41:27):
Let's talk about what thatlooks like for most people Just
living in a simple, not the bestneighborhood, a small apartment
with kids, and you're tellingthem live below your means.
You're buying the cheap food,you're going to the dollar store
for things and you're maxingout your.
Well, you could be making $15an hour now at a fast food place
(41:50):
.
You're not going to make it.
This is crazy.
So what do you tell people, man?
I tell you, pray and reallysimplify your life.
Be content with a lot less,whether it be drive an older
vehicle, but get a good one.
You can do that.
Don't eat out, don't eat fastfoods.
These are helpful, and I tellolder people that my food budget
(42:11):
right now is amazing, when I'vecut out all the socialization I
used to do.
Drive a simple car, live in asimple.
I would not necessarily buy ahouse, if you're looking at.
I mean, it depends on where youlive, see, and it depends on
what state you're in, what city.
If you're living in California,you can't buy a house, probably
, and you can't find rent under3,000, you know whatever a month
(42:32):
.
But if you're living in someplaces I've thought about, like
the Midwest my brother stilllives in Kentucky, he married a
gal there these states wherethings are more affordable,
consider trying to make it there.
Move out of areas that are hightaxes and high real estate.
(42:54):
The next challenge, then, isfinding work.
Todd (42:59):
Yeah, my mom lives in a rural area of North Carolina and
she lives just on her SocialSecurity income.
Because she did that, shesimplified, she got rid of
things and really found good,cheap living arrangements.
But she doesn't live.
She's not destitute at all.
She's even building her savingsoff of her social security.
Phil (43:19):
And I'd say, for investment, look and I'm not an
investment advisor, neither areyou guys but I'm going to tell
you what Warren Buffett tellspeople to do, and I 100% agree
with this.
Just don't try to get.
I'm going to be a market timer.
I'm going to be a day trader.
No, no, no.
You're not in any position todo that.
Take, I don't care if it's $50,$25, or more, whatever you can
(43:41):
Put it in the S&P 500.
This is Warren Buffett's advice.
That's what he tells his familywhere they're getting their
inheritance.
This is what they're there todo.
Put it in an index S&P 500 fundin one of the higher-rated
businesses, okay, and then don'ttouch it, don't even look at it
.
That's the safest way to do it,because if we have the big
crash, you're going to crash andburn, no matter what you think
(44:03):
you're doing, if you're tryingto do something fancy, but if
you're in that, the odds are, aslong as we don't crash and burn
, you're going to come out okayand you're going to have
something in the future.
Todd (44:13):
It's like over 90% of day traders lose money.
They're not living off of theirincome there.
Phil (44:20):
They're not making any, but if they're selling their
courses, they're all makingmoney.
Todd (44:25):
Yes, that's where they make their money.
But yeah, that's what we talkedto a financial advisor here on
the podcast one time, and he's awealth management advisor.
He says I don't try to pick myown stocks, I just put my money
in index funds.
Phil (44:45):
Yeah, Index is the way to go.
In my day it was mutual funds.
An index fund is just maybe amutual fund on steroids.
Really it's a good thing,Cheaper to be wise.
Todd (44:51):
One of the best things I learned in college was a
professor.
He did pretty much a wholeclass on compound interest over
time.
Phil (44:59):
That's crazy.
Todd (45:01):
Compound interest over time.
The amount of money youactually end up investing is
this much the money you make?
Phil (45:10):
off of interest is huge and it happens in the final
years of the investment you cansave.
Actually one of the greatestlessons I heard about.
Did I do it?
No, but because here's thechallenge, guys, and we have to
give ourselves some grace.
You know these people out therethat are criticizing me and
saying you're a loser.
You had to have made some baddecisions to end up where you've
(45:30):
ended up.
There were some bad decisionsless than good but life happens
where I had to use myinvestments Remember I didn't
make a big income.
I had no.
I mean, I guess I could havetried to find a second job or
third to make it, but I used mysavings, my investments, and I
used it to pay the bills, to payuntil I started working again.
(45:54):
And that's what most people aredoing.
They go into that fund and ifyou can find a way not to do
that, that's the key.
Because if you invest in your20s just for eight years, ten
years, and then not investanymore the rest of your life
and you've got it in the S&P,you're going to end up with buku
bucks.
You can retire well, but youjust can't touch it Because
(46:14):
after about 20 years ofinvesting, you still have a
little bit, and it's the final10 where it just explodes.
Todd (46:21):
Yeah.
To those people that arethinking they know and they're
happy to say, oh yeah, well,you're a loser and all this
stuff.
You can do all the right thingsin life and still lose out,
because I've always my wife whenwe got married, my wife's a
saver.
I had $1,000 on a credit cardwhen we got got married and she
was like what are you doing?
She says.
She says if I'd known you hadcredit card debt, I wouldn't
(46:43):
have married you.
And I was like whoa serious.
But we, we always saved.
But in the 2008, 2010 realestate crisis, we lost all of
our savings.
James (46:56):
It was just like oof.
Phil (46:58):
Yeah.
Todd (47:00):
I mean, you can do the right things and still lose out
For people that try to look downon others, for, however, their
lives are turning out it's notfair, it could have happened to
you too, yeah, it is.
Phil (47:11):
They may not have lived life long enough, or those that
did get through it, they werevery fortunate.
They worked for a great companywith great people.
They were lucky not to have toleave a job or just where you
know.
Whatever, there's so manythings that can happen and again
, you do the best you can.
Todd (47:29):
Yeah, I mean yeah, you get to your 50s and you get laid
off from your job, and it's notyour fault, it's just companies
do that.
Phil (47:37):
Yeah, especially today.
Todd (47:41):
Yeah, not fun.
Phil (47:43):
Who do you know that has worked 30 years for the same
company?
Today, nobody.
I don't know anybody.
I did.
Oh, then we know James.
Todd (47:54):
You know me, you know me.
It's not a company.
You work for the government.
James (47:59):
Yeah, I worked for the NC State University, but while
doing that at the same time, Imean I had like five different
jobs over that 30 years, so it'snot like it was the same kind
of job.
Phil (48:14):
Actually I have a friend like that too, but I think
that's really fortunate, that'sreally good.
James (48:20):
It was extremely fortunate.
I am so grateful.
So I retired from the state ofNorth Carolina with 30 years of
service because I had two yearsof sick leave banked up.
Wow, but I have to.
You know I've got to be a partof the party here.
We've got a Home Depot and aLowe's former Lowe's employee,
so I start Lowe's next week.
(48:41):
So that's yeah.
I was doing some consulting.
I got laid off a month ago.
It's like you know what?
I just want to go.
I can't not work.
So it's like I just I need to.
Phil (48:59):
Well, let me ask something , James, because this brings up
a really this is a big decision,and that is can I ask how old
you are?
James (49:08):
I am 53.
Phil (49:11):
Oh, wow, okay.
James (49:12):
Yeah, I know, I look older.
Todd (49:13):
Well, it's good you're doing something there?
Phil (49:16):
No, no, no, no, not at all .
All it's not about that.
Here's the big, here's the bigdeal and this is about where I'm
coming to is today's got to be?
You got to live today like it'syour last day.
It sounds real what do theycall that?
Real, not trite, but yeah, yeah, it's.
It's one of those sayings, or,oh, yeah, whatever.
(49:37):
But because, let me tell you,you know people, there's a lot
of people, I guess, yeah, it'sone of those sayings where, oh,
yeah, whatever.
But because, let me tell you,you know people, there's a lot
of people, I guess they'reoptimists.
They all think, they thinkwe're all going to live to be 80
.
That's why you shouldn't takeSocial Security early, that's
why you need to get out whileyou can enjoy life, and there is
something to be said.
So, if you can't, if you got tokeep working, do something.
But you know, uh, look guys, sixyears ago I was, uh, I think
(50:04):
I'd just turned 60 and I wasminutes away from that, was it?
And I think about all thethings the grandkids, the new
grand since then I would nothave been here for.
And uh, wow, you know, yeah, wesit here.
Since then I would not havebeen here for and wow, you know
we sit here.
This is why we got to take careof our health.
(50:24):
We got to decide when could werealistically just quit work and
do something?
Think about that.
Don't think about waiting 60 or70.
It sounds like you're set uppretty nice.
Maybe not for right now, butlook at when you could actually
start doing what you want to doand still be productive,
whatever I just tell you.
(50:47):
That's why I'm not going towork at Home Depot.
I'm going to continue to lookat my options.
That for me might mean as wellas we're living in a more
conducive area for retirement.
It could be another country,but as long as it still works
out with the family.
Those are things you've got tothink about now.
Either one morning you wake upand something changes and you
(51:09):
wish you would have worked less.
Todd (51:12):
What I've told my son and my daughter is look, you need to
manage your affairs, or someoneelse is going to be managing
them for you.
Phil (51:21):
So, or events will overcome perhaps, and events are
coming for all of us.
Todd (51:30):
So that's a good place to wrap it up.
Man.
We really appreciate you beingon the podcast, Phil, yeah.
James (51:35):
Really appreciate you taking the time.
Phil (51:38):
All right, well, just know that I just have my answers for
me, hopefully, maybe thinkabout them and apply them for
you.
It might even be something likeyeah, I'm not going to do that
because there's a better way foryou.
I appreciate you having me.
Todd (51:57):
You said something.
You said that that young lady,the 20 year old, said you're her
favorite old person.
What that says to me is thatshe looks up to you as a mentor,
and so what I'm seeing in yourYouTube channel is that you are
becoming, or you have become, amentor to a lot of people, and
so what we'll do is we'll putlinks up to Phil's what's Up
(52:20):
Boomer channel in the episodedescription here and also I'll
put a link out to the YouTubeformula book that he mentioned.
James (52:26):
But go check out Phil's channel.
Todd (52:27):
He's got some really good insight there and just a good
guy that has lived life and canreally provide some good
insights that help people out.
So we appreciate you sharingyour mind with us and your time.
So thanks so much.
Phil (52:42):
Yes sir.
This is the Cluttered Path , a compass for midlife.
Many people think of retirementas simply quitting your job,
kicking back and enjoying apermanent vacation.
But what if retirement is yourchance to reinvent your life and
(00:22):
embark on a new adventure?
Forget the idea of coastinginto your golden years, no
matter who you are.
That's just a pipe dream.
Today we're talking with Phil,host of a YouTube channel called
what's Up Boomer.
His story proves thatretirement isn't the end.
It really is a new phase oflife that offers an opportunity
to create joy and fulfillment.
Phil, welcome to the show.
Phil (00:44):
Thanks, Todd James.
It's exciting to be here as anoriginal, an OG podcaster.
Back in the day, when youdidn't have this technology, you
had a lot more bells andwhistles you had to work with to
get just an audio file up.
Todd (01:01):
Right, and having to meet in person back in the day.
So this is cool yeah.
Phil (01:06):
Yeah.
Todd (01:06):
Yeah, so James and I are on the East Coast, phil's on the
West Coast time, so it's verycool.
The technology allows us justto meet up here live.
So, phil, would you give us abrief intro to your channel and
audience?
Phil (01:18):
Yeah, so my channel what's Up Boomer is my attempt at
documenting number one legacyfor my grandkids, as well as my
family, my kids I have a son, adaughter and six grandkids most
powerfully putting a record myvoice and my appearance on
record for them.
(01:39):
When I'm gone, they still.
There's a real power in havingthose things.
You know, back in the day wehad.
If we were enough, we maybe hadvideotapes of our family.
Most often not, though, but nowwith this technology, so my
channel will document that.
I don't know which one weighsmore.
That's, ultimately, my mostimportant goal.
(02:00):
My secondary goal is tobasically talk about making the
best of the way things haveturned out when they haven't
turned out exactly like I'dplanned, and I also realized
that a very high percentage 70,80, you know, 90% of people
reach retirement and realize Idon't have enough money or I
(02:22):
can't retire, so I knew therewas a large audience out there
like me, and I'm in the processright now my first 40 videos
really of discovering where thedirection exactly will go with
the channel Right.
Todd (02:37):
Yeah, man, that's how James and I came up with the
name the Cluttered Path, becausewe make our plans in life and
life happens and it usuallydoesn't turn out the way we want
it to.
Phil (02:46):
So yep and it goes very quickly.
It goes very quickly, yes,that's I think, anyone who
reaches I'm 66.
Uh, it just seems likeyesterday when I thought, well,
I've got time, when I leftteaching to, you know, pursue a
business opportunity, I've gottime if it doesn't make it to
recover.
And here it is.
I never recovered completely.
Todd (03:09):
Well, I found your channel a while back and, man, I've
really enjoyed your videos.
Your story is very compellingand I think we can learn a lot
from you, so that's why weinvited you to join us.
So thank you for sharing yourtime with us today.
We really appreciate that, man.
We'll just go ahead and jumpinto the questions here.
Let's start with your earlyyears.
Where'd you grow up?
Phil (03:30):
First 10 years of my life was Lima, ohio, and then when I
was 10 years old, economicallythings were kind of depressed.
My dad was in the trades, myuncle and aunt lived in Colorado
Springs and they invited us outbecause things were booming
there with growth and so we wentout on vacation or to visit and
(03:51):
we stayed.
And so then I pretty much grewup for the next 30-some years 38
years in Colorado and thenthrough the course of life I've
ended here in Phoenix, arizona,landed I don't want to use the
word ended.
Todd (04:04):
Ended.
Don't want to use the wordended.
James (04:08):
Although oh gosh Great.
Todd (04:12):
So can you share some, maybe some of your formative
experiences as a young man,things that shaped you?
Phil (04:18):
Well, you know, I think I'm going through a lot of
reflection this time in lifeabout why did things turn out
the way they did?
Why am I like the way I am?
Could I have done thingsdifferently?
Of course I could have, but whydid I make the decisions I made
?
What are the things that I feelthe baggage, the baggage that
(04:43):
have held me back.
So that they don't continue tohold me back in my final years?
You know, that's that, thisfeeling that making the best of
the way things have turned out,to do that, I know that I have
to change the way I've been, theway I've thought most of my
life.
I have to change, maybe, someof my habits, things like that,
so that I have a tomorrow that'sbetter than today.
(05:06):
Some of the things that didthat, though, is we grew up
rather I don't.
I guess in some ways it wouldbe poor.
I was talking to my brother theother day.
We often we never had arefrigerator full of food.
We never had a refrigeratorwith hardly any food in it, and
that went on a long time.
So there's a lot of lack in mypast, and I'm not saying that
(05:27):
sounds like an excuse, but Istill had a decent life.
I was lucky enough to go tocollege.
I think that was a hugeopportunity for me back in the
70s, and it was all because of aschool counselor that said well
, what are your plans?
You know they meet with youwhen you're a senior.
I didn't have any plans.
My parents didn't have anymoney, so he just recommended.
(05:48):
He said what do you want to do?
And I always thought being ateacher would be a good thing
and I always enjoyed my teachersand I respected them, I admired
them and I liked you know.
It seemed like a fun thingworking with the kids and they
(06:09):
had a good time.
So he recommended a teacher'scollege in Colorado University
of Northern Colorado and that'syeah.
It's just weird how thosethings take off.
I will say this I wasdiscouraged from all my parents'
friends who said, oh, he'sgoing into teaching, don't go
into teaching, there's no moneyin that, you'll never you're
going to be broke, this and that.
But it's what I wanted to do.
I had an altruistic attitudehey, I'm gonna make a difference
.
It's something I think I couldmake a difference in.
And, uh, maybe I could helpkids with a similar background
(06:33):
as mine of uh, you know,struggle in some ways and where
school was not always kind to.
Uh, you know, I did well inschool, but not that that.
You know, I worried a lot.
I worked hard and I thought Icould help other kids understand
that I'll get them through myclass, which was English, which
was not necessarily a favoriteone.
(06:53):
So I went with it anyway andthat was a big decision, because
if I knew then what I know nowI hate to say it I probably
would have chosen a differentpath.
Todd (07:06):
Yeah, I mean your background and mine very similar
.
I grew up in trailer parks inthe southeast and I didn't even
think of myself as being goodmaterial for college.
So I didn't even think that way.
I was like I'm just going tograduate high school and go get
a job, and that was the mindset.
But then I had a headmaster ofa school I was attending.
(07:26):
The guy.
He started talking to me likehey, so when you go to college
and I'm like, you think I can goto college.
So that was a good influence.
So I knew I wanted to go tocollege and was able to
eventually go.
So I'm thankful for that.
It sounds like you had somementors who were very positive
influence on you Any mentorsthat you can think of, maybe
(07:46):
positive or even negativeinfluence.
The guidance counselor was oneof them.
Phil (07:50):
Yeah, you know what it's, Mr Gill.
I had some teachers that werevery influential I really liked.
Starting in junior high schoolI was not real confident in
school but I guess teachers werethe ones that shaped me pretty
highly, and maybe a couplecoaches when I played sports.
But then getting into life Iwas mentor-less but I pursued
(08:14):
knowledge, learning as much as Icould about investments and
things, and back then it waspretty much just gosh, what did
I hear about these?
I guess it was podcasts or, Idon't know, talk radio.
I just yeah, I'd have to saythere wasn't anyone really truly
mentoring me.
And that might be.
We live, we grow up, we livelife in the circle of friends
(08:36):
that we have.
Then I had I went, you know Ihad trades people and
professionals, graduated fromsome really good schools and you
know, you just kind of do withthat circle.
What do they call that Kind ofthe environment of your friends
you keep, you become most likethose friends.
That's kind of true.
So luckily I had a pretty goodcircle as far as they didn't
(08:59):
choose the paths of drugs orthere was alcohol.
That was a, that was adetriment overall.
Yeah, you just gosh.
I look back and I think, well,I survived it.
Uh, the unknown.
You just live day to day, monthto month, year to year.
You, you get into your jobs andstart a family and you just do
the best you can.
James (09:19):
Yeah, mentor less really would you say there are.
Are any specific good or badexperiences that you can recall
that kind of shaped or affectedyour outlook on life?
Phil (09:30):
Oh wow, Wow, yeah, well, I lost my first wee.
I lost our first child.
That is possibly to this day.
I mean, these are big things.
This is where we're newlymarried.
We've been married a coupleyears, I guess.
Maybe you know first baby, andit's a boy and he was born with
(09:52):
hypoplastic left heart.
So I'm at work and I'm workingin a manufacturing place.
At the time I did not go rightinto teaching and anyway, that's
seared in my emotions, mymemory, my makeup.
Because you get a call from mywife that says, hey, there might
(10:14):
be a problem.
They're transferring him.
John, his name was John, namedafter his grandfather,
great-grandfather, and he'sgetting transferred to to the
main.
There's the co-host of mypodcast.
Uh, he's getting transferred.
I can't remember this.
This is now gosh 81, 82, okay,so, and so I leave work to go
(10:38):
and I'm sitting in a room inthis hospital.
It's kind of dark, one littlelight on, and through the door
comes a doctor.
He's the chief of uh, intensivecare pediatrics.
He said are you, mr ladden?
And I'm sitting there, you knowI'm 20, some years old and,
yeah, I look like I'm, you know,15.
And here's this doctor.
He's a younger guy, he's got,and I'm like kind of like uh,
(10:59):
he's calling me, mr ladden, hegoes, I go, yeah, he goes.
Come in here, mr Ladin.
He says I'm afraid I've gotsome bad news for you, and that
was like it's still.
It's like what?
This is not the way, again,life's supposed to be.
Then we find out thehyperplastic heart.
There's no hope, there'snothing they can do except maybe
go to university hospital.
(11:20):
Without getting into this wholestory, he lived for four days,
two open heart surgeries, and ablessing was he didn't go
through that because back thenthere was no technology that
could allow what would have hadto happen, which was ultimately
a heart transplant when he wasolder.
So I mean that to this day isone of the most whatever, um,
yeah, yeah.
And then then at my heart eventsix years ago, really put
(11:45):
things in perspective, I think,for how I go forward now in the
final quarter of my life as far,I don't know what else.
There's lots of things in life.
You do Some things.
You're very lucky on that.
I didn't.
Things worked out, thingsworked out the best they could,
and I guess that's the deal.
Despite what, the good and thebad, it works out one way or the
(12:06):
other.
Todd (12:06):
Right, that's some deep grief that you went through
there, man.
I'm sorry it's still crazy.
Phil (12:12):
But you know, now there's a regret.
You know, at the time I thoughtI need to do what others to
help others in this samesituation.
Right now there's people Ithink about these children's
hospitals all over the countrythey're dealing with this stuff
right now.
My deal was this long.
I said I'm going to dosomething to help others, be a
(12:33):
volunteer, and here's the thingI never did.
I regret that.
Those are the things in lifethat you don't follow through on
.
Todd (12:42):
I think all of us feel that we have things we don't
follow through on.
Phil (12:45):
I think all of us feel that we have things we don't
follow through on.
We should have.
Maybe it would have been good,but for whatever reason, man, we
don't Absolutely.
Todd (12:53):
So, coming out of college, what was your first job?
Phil (12:58):
Preparing for college was dishwashing At an IHOP.
So after and then duringcollege I learned to paint.
My first summer we're going tocollege house being commercially
and stuff from apartments and I.
But the very first job, I think, was working at.
(13:21):
The first real job was workingat a place called Moss Tech.
They were from Carrollton,Texas.
They were the world's largestproducer of the 64K dynamic RAM
computer chip.
James (13:34):
I'm thinking about that.
Phil (13:34):
That was the top, fastest, most powerful computer chip 64K
.
Yes, and they had a plant inColorado Springs and I went to
work there, worked in thefurnace room.
Oh, wow, wow.
Todd (13:51):
That is awesome man.
So I mean, what other jobs orbusinesses have you pursued over
the years?
Phil (13:57):
Yeah, well, and I did do that because when you're a
teacher you're always doingsomething in your summers where
you're earning all your extramoney.
You know that I was coaching,so that took care of that.
But house painting I took thatskill I had learned.
I had the opportunity to learnduring a summer break and it was
amazing what I learned fromthis guy who was a craftsman but
(14:19):
I house painted.
I did that a lot.
I've had numerous.
I had a restaurant later that'sone of the things that I was
not in teaching.
At the time I had left, Istarted a publication for Denver
, colorado, for at the time BabyBoomers, being that I am one
and it was called now this isfunny it was called Mile High
(14:41):
Times in Denver, colorado.
Denver is the mile high city.
Very benign, Can you imagine?
I wish I would have.
There was no com back then.
By the way, this waspre-computer.
But you know, colorado becamethe first state in the United
States to not only legalizemarijuana but become
recreational.
(15:02):
So it was just not medical, itwas recreational.
You'd think it would be likeone of these West Coast states,
but it was Colorado.
So, yeah, I probably could havesold that com had I had it for
a lot of money my lifetime.
Yes, indeed, that wasinteresting, that was a great,
that was a really neat thing,but it didn't make it.
The restaurant was successfulbut overwhelming, and I ended up
(15:24):
just closing it and walkingaway.
Gosh, those would be the bigthings over the years.
What was your most?
favorite job well, you know, Ireally enjoyed the restaurant.
You talk about a people, youtalk about something different
every day.
You talk about the peopleinvolved in the restaurant, but
work at restaurants the cooks,the waitresses, the wait staff,
uh, the dishwashers, uh, man, Iyou know I had just started to
(15:47):
blog about this experience.
Oh, wow, and I was overwhelmedthe first week.
We literally averaged fourhours of sleep for seven days,
so it was like 140, 50, 60 hours.
It was exhausting, and then wekind of got that going, but it
was 12 to 16-hour days every dayfor two and a half years, and
(16:10):
so I enjoyed it, but it couldn'tbe.
You couldn't keep up with that.
Yeah, but I would say that waskind of the most.
That was fun, but I think whatI'm doing now is what I'm most
enjoying.
That's awesome.
Which is?
Which is I work I do work atHome Depot for a while longer
here, it won't be forever.
Which is I do work at HomeDepot for a while longer here,
it won't be forever.
(16:30):
And doing this, building aYouTube channel is my most
exciting thing to do.
Todd (16:35):
That's great, just switching things up a little bit
.
Moving to recent years, I sawthat video on your channel.
It talks about this unplannedHome Depot retirement job.
How did that come about?
Phil (16:46):
What's it been?
It'll be four years inSeptember.
We're now in June, so almostfour years ago.
What did I do?
I had moved back from Hawaii.
Now, that was a good story.
I was a concierge in Hawaii I'mKauai, that was and I had a
podcast called Kauai Talk.
You can still probably findsome of that out there.
Yeah, but I was, you know,living a half mile from the
(17:11):
beach.
It sounds really great.
It's not not paradise when youlive there, by the way.
But I had come back and I waskind of taking some time to a
lot of things going on with myparents having.
Well, we had to move.
My dad and my mom had passedand I needed to go to work.
But I had some time to take anda neighbor worked at Home Depot
(17:31):
and I thought you know, what amI going to do now at 59, 60, 60
years old?
You know what guys you know youget to be certainly 50 and plus
, and the work environment isnot friendly to you.
Your options become limited.
And I thought, hey, home Depot.
My dad had actually workedthere 20, 30 years ago.
(17:52):
But you know, home Depot was aplace that sounds like this
sounds good.
She said, yeah, go over therehiring, they'll hire you, she
said, and they did, and sothat's how Home Depot came about
, and it's been a real good,what I'll call what will become,
I think, a transitionexperience, are there any social
benefits of kind of working atHome Depot?
(18:14):
Oh, yeah, yeah, huge.
It's probably been the best.
It's one of the best thingsbecause not only do you have
some, you know when you quoteretire, you lose the work.
You know, when you think aboutour relationships, most of them
are through work or church orsomething, but most people,
their relationships are at work.
So, yeah, I've made new friends.
And then, of course, you'redealing with the public every
(18:35):
day, some not in positive waysbecause they're angry, things
like that, but again, it'ssocial and a job like this is
almost overwhelming sometimes.
Todd (18:47):
Social in a job like this is almost overwhelming sometimes
.
Yeah, I had my Home Depot.
Employment.
Story is I was getting out ofthe Marines and I applied at
Home Depot and the managercalled me and was like so what
do you do?
What skills have you got?
I was infantry in the Marinesso I can dig holes and carry
stuff, do what you're told to do, right?
(19:08):
They did not hire me, so Iended up working at Lowe's.
But the social aspects ofworking at Lowe's were.
They were good because therewere guys that came in.
I worked at the paint desk andthere were older gentlemen that
were running their ownbusinesses that came in and they
would they would kind of taketime to talk to me about stuff.
(19:29):
So I ended up painting houseswhile I was in college.
So I worked at Lowe's while Iwas in college and, uh, ended up
branching off and startedpainting houses and I'm glad I
did that.
Phil (19:40):
But I didn't know that that, yeah, we, I know you've
mentioned you felt our, ourpaths have some a number of
similarities.
Yes, I'd still like to painthouses, but I can't really
handle ladders.
I do, but I probably shouldn'tsee.
I love brushwork cuts.
I still like that to this day.
(20:01):
It's very.
I just put music on and yeah.
So, uh, yeah, I think that youknow these, these places are, um
, you know, I gotta say forpeople when, if you're retiring
and you're looking for you know,a guy told me yesterday and on
my one of my comments says hey,man, phil, I love this video and
it's because of you I juststarted at home depot that I got
(20:24):
hired and my, you, you know,orientation is today and I
thought well, good luck, youknow it's great.
But management makes you knowwhat.
When you look back, I don'tcare what it was I've done over
my life, whether it's teachingor even the restaurant dealing
with the city or whatever.
University of Phoenix I workedthere Concierging, worked for
(20:44):
Expedia.
Your management is the key andworking at Home Depot right now
it makes or breaks.
That's why so many people, Ithink, want to work for
themselves, because you're atthe mercy of one great manager.
Could be a great or one poormanager for whatever reason, can
(21:05):
ruin your career.
It all falls back to leadership.
Todd (21:07):
It is leadership, right, yeah.
Yeah, there's a military adagethat says there are no bad units
, only bad officers.
So yeah, that applieseverywhere.
Phil (21:16):
So the leadership can make , or break a company or whatever
the organization, yes for sureso did?
Todd (21:23):
did you go through an adjustment period when you
started working at Home Depot,and how was that?
Phil (21:29):
Yeah, you know I tend to not really probably think a lot
about it, I just do it, I don'tcomplain.
You know I was raised in a.
You know it was kind of, in away, a tough way.
You know my parents, my dad,mom they never said things like
I love you or hugs Nothing, nophysical, you know, just
personal or physical love ofanything.
(21:50):
So as I grew up, you know what,if there's an adjustment, you
know you just do it, you don'tcomplain.
And I think, physically though,standing for a shift on a
concrete floor, that was hard.
Actually, before that I did fora few months I repped for
espresso machines what are theycalled?
(22:11):
Yeah, and I had to stand at aone of these nice stores William
Sonoma and Surla Tom and Irepped the machine for four
hours on a weekend and made ahundred bucks.
I'll do that, you know, justpick up a few extra bucks.
This is before I startedworking home depot, and that
four hours was difficultphysically.
(22:32):
So, yeah, I think there was alot of that.
Plus there's a lot of learningthe systems.
I was told one day haven't youever worked to register before I
went?
No, actually, I didn't say no,I was embarrassed I said, oh
yeah.
Yeah, you know, I was thinkingin the restaurant we had a had
to register, but that was justto do simple sales, learning all
(22:53):
the technology, which isactually pretty basic.
I mean, it's easy now to me now.
But yeah, all these things,when you're older and I deal
with customers that they can'teven do a cell phone, the older
people, they've not acceptedthese things in life and that's
one of the things I want topride myself on.
(23:14):
I want to try, but you can'tkeep up in today's age, now,
with the AIs, I just think mygrandparents never owned a car.
That was in the 40s, 50s and60s, and 70s never owned a car,
car.
So this technology that we facetoday, yeah, we're all going to
face these challenges just tokeep current and you just do the
(23:36):
best you can yeah, so thatbrings us to your youtube
channel.
Todd (23:41):
Can you talk about the path that led you to start a
youtube channel?
Phil (23:45):
yeah, so many years ago, like in the late 90s, 97, 98, I
don't know what it was thatprompted, oh, I wanted to market
a product and I was watching,even back then, gary Vee hearing
about how he built the, and hedid it through video, initially
on Vimeo.
(24:06):
He since realized that was amistake and went to YouTube.
So I wanted to use YouTube.
I thought it would be a greatmarketing tool, but it didn't
work.
The technology was just toodifficult.
I think I mentioned, you know,I have a Canon T2i, which is a
camera I bought.
I bought the good stuff but Icould not learn.
It was very difficult.
You had to learn all this stuff.
(24:27):
Even an upload was difficult.
Going back now, how long has itbeen?
Nine months ago, eight monthsago, after three false starts
trying, I decided I wanted to doa boomer channel nice, and I
guess five, six years ago,almost now, I decided I would
start it and document the heartevent, et cetera, and just
(24:50):
figure out.
And then I quit that.
So I started for serious, Icommitted I think it was
November in 2024.
And I want to reach out to thecommunity of boomers, I want to
monetize, I want to marketthat's to be determined, and I
think that's what the advisementis, that I think YouTube I mean
I YouTube I've heard two reallypowerful, a couple powerful
(25:12):
videos about what opportunity weall have on this platform.
Youtube today it's not goinganywhere, at least for five or
so years, and I thought, if Icould just monetize something to
a few hundred dollars a month,I'm okay Because I live a simple
life, I'm fine with SocialSecurity, and a few hundred
dollars a month, I'm okaybecause I live a simple life,
I'm fine with social security,and a few hundred, maybe even a
thousand that this is actuallyvery doable.
(25:33):
So it's a great opportunity andI believe in it.
And that's when I started it.
And it's again for boomers.
But I'm finding there's quite afew millennials and whatever
those other the gen xers, wiresor whatever they're they're kind
of gravitating to the channelas well.
So we're going to see I'm stillin the exploration stage say,
(25:53):
do 100 videos and I just happento have one now.
That's really hit.
And so I went from you know, asyou may know, from 400
subscribers, which I was reallyhappy with, to now over 8 000,
which is really nothing.
But you know, I'm a believer injust a few, a thousand true
fans.
That's going to provide me allthe supplemental income I'll
(26:13):
need when I figure out how tomonetize it.
I'm still in a real buildingstage and exploratory stage.
Todd (26:22):
Well, you've done well.
Like you said, you just crossedover 8,000 subscribers on
YouTube.
Yeah, what was that?
One video that was pivotal tobuilding that audience, though.
Phil (26:32):
Yeah, it's so bad because I just made it what a month and
a half or two ago and overnightI became monetized.
I was trying to get to 500subscribers, but it was on my
job at Home Depot, that myretirement job is working at
Home Depot and I kind of didn'tfeel I don't feel like proud
about that.
I had some shame and I justkind of just discussed this and
(26:54):
I felt like I better get thisout here, because people are
sort of seeing me in a way thatI don't claim to be, which is
this this is how you do life.
People Follow me to end up inretirement working at Home Depot
.
No, but maybe I do have somethings to share that people can
say and that's what's happened.
Todd (27:13):
I saw it and your heart came through and you're such an
affable human being and thatreally man that connected with
me, I was like, oh, this is goodstuff.
And so I immediately messagedyou and just said, hey, man, I'd
love to have you on the podcast.
Phil (27:28):
Yeah, I know.
And then when I checked outyour podcast, oh, wow, and the
stories you're telling and thethings you're talking about.
You know there's people thatdon't really ever think about
these things and yeah, I justthought, wow, I'll be happy to
come on and let's talk.
But understand, I'm not.
I have a story and I'm gladit's resonating and we'll just
go from there.
You know, if I've got somethingsomebody can use, great.
(27:50):
You know, I feel like I'mlearning just as much probably
from about people and aboutdecisions they make in their
life even now.
Other about people and aboutdecisions they make in their
life Even now.
Other boomers, other, you know.
So it's hopefully this all endsup with positivity.
Todd (28:07):
Yeah, yeah, I mean you pointed out in your video.
You just said look, a lot ofpeople are looking down on
Walmart door greeters and that's.
That's bad.
We shouldn't do that, I know.
Phil (28:18):
No, I would say, see, I didn't look down on them, but I
also felt a lot of empathy forthem.
What a tough job.
It was always an old personback in the day and I've since
heard they've kind of got rid ofthat position in a way, who
knows why.
But I always thought, wow, Idon't want to end up doing that
in my retirement years.
(28:39):
And then I ran across a guy.
I was driving Uber.
I did Uber for about a year.
I picked up the guy.
He was 90 years old and I wastaking him to Walmart.
I was thinking what's heshopping for?
I mean, I understand heprobably isn't driving anymore.
So we get to talking a littlebit.
He goes yeah, I'm the greeter,I.
(28:59):
We get to talk a little bit, hegoes.
Yeah, I'm the greeter.
Wow, that's that.
And let me tell you something Iwas picking them up in a very
affluent area of a very affluentneighborhood in the phoenix
valley called scottsdale.
He had a very nice house and Iwasn't.
You know it was a very nicehouse and you know why he was
doing it.
Did he need the money?
No, he did it for the social.
He did it to be around people.
I'm pretty sure he lived alone.
(29:19):
Um no, there was no talk of awife or whatever.
He just this was somethingreally good for him, yeah, and I
thought, well, man, if he coulddo that, yeah, this is a good
thing.
Todd (29:31):
Well, I mean a related question then does your youtube
community provide socialconnection?
Phil (29:36):
okay, yeah, that actually it's possibly my best part of my
, favorite part of it is on.
It's a little overwhelming,though, like while we've been
talking here, I'm getting morestuff, more messages of comments
, mostly from the home depot,but they're starting to.
Other people now are finding,in fact, I I've overwhelmed with
thousands of messages.
(29:56):
I can't keep up.
I don't even get notificationson some.
I just found some on anothervideo I did about the black and
white thing, the Wizard of Oz.
I made a point about that whichwasn't really that great
received, but now people arefinding it commenting, and I
just reached out from someonethat commented a month ago.
I didn't even know they'd saidanything.
So, yeah, this socialization ofthis channel is really wow.
(30:21):
It's it's a full-time deal andI'm getting a little bit like I
need a break.
You're gonna have to.
Yeah, I've already made great.
I've already made, uh, newfriends and friends that I think
will be real and we'll probablyhave a meetup someday or, if
I'm coming through, I'm going tosay I'm going to say listen,
(30:41):
I'll be in your area, let's gofor coffee, let's do uh,
whatever so I'm curious wouldyou recommend a middle-aged
person start a youtube channel?
well, let me tell you I'm notthe person to really don't take
my advice on this.
Go out there and look at who isrecommending you do it and, as
a matter of fact, we're talkingabout some great people like
(31:03):
Gary Vees or Patrick Ben David.
He does a speech.
I'm going to have to look thisup and put it on my post in my
community talking about you havethe greatest opportunity in
your life while you're working.
Still, because it takes timeusually in your life while
you're working.
Still because it takes timeusually to find your audience,
(31:24):
to find who relates and to findalso what your niche is, that
the topic, that what you canbring to the community or the
audience, that they would payyou for that because they value
you, and most of us would sitaround.
Who's going to do that?
Well, I'm that way, but we haveto find that and we find it by
going through the motions, bydoing it, and it will come.
(31:44):
And so, yeah, those people aresaying, matter of fact, youtube
creator right now is one of thetop five opportunities for
people getting out of highschool, greater opportunity than
going to college, as crazy asthat sounds.
Now, that's not me saying that.
That's what they say and I tendto believe it.
(32:04):
Interesting, yeah, unlessyou're very strategic in what
you choose to major in.
And right now, with the changesin our, the shift it should be
the biggest shift we've ever hadin our lifetime.
With the AI it's going toreally change our world.
So I'm not really sure there'sany majors outside of you know,
(32:25):
if you want to go into medicineor whatever, that's still
appropriate, maybe lawyer, youknow, as far as skills, we live
in a different world today.
Todd (32:34):
Now, look into that Now.
Would you recommend any booksor courses to help people learn
how to start a YouTube channel?
Phil (32:41):
I've taken one course.
I think I may have paid, andyou know what?
I think no, to stay away atthis point in your beginning
journey and I'm still a beginner.
I've come close, but it takes,in my opinion, hours of watching
the person, a lot of thesecourses.
If you are willing to do thework, they have all their
(33:05):
information on their channelsand you can get what you need to
start.
You don't need to know a lot,you don't need to be good.
The problem with a lot of thesecourses is this perceived
promise that take this courseand you'll be successful.
Let me tell you that's onething I've most learned.
Your success begins by startingknowing nothing.
Make the videos, post thevideos and, like they say, if
(33:25):
you're not embarrassed in a yearof those videos, then you
weren't doing it right.
The one book that made the mostsense and I follow guys like
Think Media watch all that stuff, gosh, I probably have 50
creators that I watch but thisone is the YouTube Formula by
Daryl Eves.
(33:45):
This book kind of brought ittogether for me.
Before you even buy his book,go out and watch his interviews
on YouTube or podcasts.
Yeah, go out and do that.
But this book finally put meover the top to just do it.
It made sense and understandthat trying to figure out what
(34:07):
your product is, what youraudience is, is not that you do
it totally backwards.
You find that out starting froma point of view you have no
idea.
So I don't recommend anycourses at this time and I don't
really recommend any booksexcept that one for me.
Todd (34:25):
You touched on something.
I think it has to be somethingyou want to do.
So my advice if you're thinkingabout starting a YouTube
channel, podcast or whatever,look at your skills.
Do you have the ability tocommunicate, do you have
presentation skills and is itsomething that you enjoy doing?
Because if you're just lookingto make money, that's, and if
(34:45):
it's something, you don't likedoing.
Phil (34:46):
You're going to be miserable so that's and you're
not going to succeed.
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
As a matter of fact, it is apart that I I hate to talk about
, but you know, people talkabout my storytelling and it's
like I'm a terrible storyteller.
I'm a, I'm scattered, I'm notorganized because I work off a.
I work off like an outline onpaper and I just go and luckily
(35:08):
I can stop and start.
Yeah, but it was fine man,that's good and I think it was
my years in the classroom of acumulative years of almost 20
years of talking to kids andinteracting with them, and then
all the experiences that goalong with that, with parents
and etc.
That have of basically who I amand how I do it, and so, yeah,
(35:31):
yeah, and you do have to be alittle bit.
I guess the thing too isimportant is most of us are
really hard on ourselves sowe'll never do it because we
think we don't like the sound ofour voice.
You know, these are things thatkeep people.
They don't like the way theylook.
Man, I don't either.
Matter of fact, there's filtersfor that.
Now, although I have not usedany, I'm getting these eight
(35:52):
spots and, oh my God, look at apicture of me 30 years ago and
today and I go.
What happened?
Man, life that's.
I didn't think I'd look likethis.
So, yeah, you just got to getover that, and some people will
never get over that.
Todd (36:09):
Yeah Well, I lie to myself and I look at pictures of
myself today and go, I just keepgetting better looking.
Phil (36:20):
Well, now, there's something to that that, because
we're always giving ourselvesmessages and, whether it's true
or not, say that yeah, versussaying because think of all the
messages we say about ourselvesthat are lies.
Yes, well, I, I, um, I have aface for radio.
That might be the truth,actually.
Uh, but let's just say look,because for every excuse or
(36:42):
criticism you can come up withabout yourself that you give
yourself, there's somebody outthere with the same exact there.
Can I say it?
They're.
They're not attractive, theirvoice squeaky, they're very
annoying, but they, they knowsomething and they're passionate
about it and they succeed.
Todd (36:57):
Yep, very true, right, you mentioned that you are at this
point where you're reflecting,but they know something and
they're passionate about it andthey succeed.
Very true, you mentioned thatyou are at this point where
you're reflecting back on life.
So you have a video about thison your YouTube channel.
But if you could go back intime and talk to your
20-year-old self?
Phil (37:15):
what advice would you offer?
So this is one.
I had.
I think three or four thingsthat was asked for me to do by a
20 year old co-worker, phil go.
Uh, I'm her favorite old person.
She calls me, which is actuallya very big compliment.
She says what would you tell?
What would you tell a 20 yearold based on what you know now?
So I now here's the problem.
(37:37):
I couldn't remember what I said, so I had to go back and watch
that video again the other day.
I actually had to write it down.
Uh, I mean, I would have to doit and um, so when people ask me
things, you know, I think Isaid oh, I said choose your
friends wisely.
Very important, man.
By choosing your friends, you'rechoosing your activities.
That may be the most, one ofthe most significant, because if
(37:59):
you pick your friends unwiselyand you end up just doing the
things that are a waste in life,you could end up very quickly
with a life you'll never recoverfrom.
In a way, I think I made acomment about take time getting
into relationships in terms of amarriage or something like that
.
Anything who you choose tospend your life with terms of a
marriage or something like that,anything who you choose to
(38:20):
spend your life with and I thinkI rush, we all.
I think there's a feeling ofyou know you, just you're 20,
you want to.
You want to be with somebody.
You feel like if you wait muchlonger no one's going to want
you.
You're going to get old and ifI had to do over I'd wait to at
least my late 20s, maybe ideallyinto my 30s.
But that doesn't mean you dothat so you can party and just
be irresponsible.
I like the idea of working andtraveling Once you start having
(38:45):
kids.
That's tough to do.
What else I remember?
Don't buy a new vehicle.
That's what I would tell ayoung person.
Do not buy a new vehicle.
And they all have them and it'sthe greatest.
Okay, when you look atcompounding, and I knew all this
back then.
But we went out and bought, wetraded a paid-off 1976 Celica.
(39:08):
It was my wife's.
I married into it.
They were great cars.
She had a paid-off and wetraded.
The paid-off car could havedriven probably another 15 years
.
For a brand new jeep cj5 in1981, 265 a month payment.
We paid on that for about twoand a half, three years before
(39:28):
we went and traded in justwasn't a good vehicle for travel
or for family and good vehiclefor colorado.
But if we just would have takenthe amount of those payments
and just put it in the s&p 500mutual fund at that time and
never done another penny ofinvesting, that would be worth I
did.
It would be worth a lot ofmoney.
(39:51):
So, yeah, don't buy a new carand put start investing early
and don't touch it.
I mean, and that's the lastthing you want to do.
And right now, to be honest,let's, let's be, let's be real.
We live in a time now youngpeople and they're they're kind
of resentful of this, and I getit they can't afford an
apartment on their own with thejobs that are even even the
(40:13):
higher paying jobs.
It's expensive, they have tohave roommates, it's a tough
time economically, I don't knowfor kids.
So those are things, though,you could do now.
You could do now to help yourfuture self.
I'm full of advice, as mostboomers are, so I could go.
I could do another video offour more things I would tell my
20-year-old self.
James (40:34):
Well, how about?
I'm going to flip that around alittle bit.
So what advice would you givethe middle-aged person who's
looking at retirement with fearand dread?
Phil (40:44):
Yeah, and that's one of the things.
What do we do getting intoretirement?
And it hasn't turned out likewe planned.
We're broke.
Even so, if you're in your 30s,40s or 50s and I've had
comments from people that arefreaked out saying, man, you got
me thinking about this, I don'thave any savings Well, guess
what?
If you're pre-60 years old,there's never a better time to
(41:05):
start than right now.
Now I know for a fact and thisis hard to do, because if you
don't make a lot of money, ifyou're a schoolteacher or
whatever and you want to drive anice car, you want to be able
to go to a restaurant regularly.
Maybe you want to have a sociallife.
Guess what?
Because people say live belowyour means.
So that's what I'd say Livebelow your means.
That's tough to do.
(41:27):
Let's talk about what thatlooks like for most people Just
living in a simple, not the bestneighborhood, a small apartment
with kids, and you're tellingthem live below your means.
You're buying the cheap food,you're going to the dollar store
for things and you're maxingout your.
Well, you could be making $15an hour now at a fast food place
(41:50):
.
You're not going to make it.
This is crazy.
So what do you tell people, man?
I tell you, pray and reallysimplify your life.
Be content with a lot less,whether it be drive an older
vehicle, but get a good one.
You can do that.
Don't eat out, don't eat fastfoods.
These are helpful, and I tellolder people that my food budget
(42:11):
right now is amazing, when I'vecut out all the socialization I
used to do.
Drive a simple car, live in asimple.
I would not necessarily buy ahouse, if you're looking at.
I mean, it depends on where youlive, see, and it depends on
what state you're in, what city.
If you're living in California,you can't buy a house, probably
, and you can't find rent under3,000, you know whatever a month
(42:32):
.
But if you're living in someplaces I've thought about, like
the Midwest my brother stilllives in Kentucky, he married a
gal there these states wherethings are more affordable,
consider trying to make it there.
Move out of areas that are hightaxes and high real estate.
(42:54):
The next challenge, then, isfinding work.
Todd (42:59):
Yeah, my mom lives in a rural area of North Carolina and
she lives just on her SocialSecurity income.
Because she did that, shesimplified, she got rid of
things and really found good,cheap living arrangements.
But she doesn't live.
She's not destitute at all.
She's even building her savingsoff of her social security.
Phil (43:19):
And I'd say, for investment, look and I'm not an
investment advisor, neither areyou guys but I'm going to tell
you what Warren Buffett tellspeople to do, and I 100% agree
with this.
Just don't try to get.
I'm going to be a market timer.
I'm going to be a day trader.
No, no, no.
You're not in any position todo that.
Take, I don't care if it's $50,$25, or more, whatever you can
(43:41):
Put it in the S&P 500.
This is Warren Buffett's advice.
That's what he tells his familywhere they're getting their
inheritance.
This is what they're there todo.
Put it in an index S&P 500 fundin one of the higher-rated
businesses, okay, and then don'ttouch it, don't even look at it
.
That's the safest way to do it,because if we have the big
crash, you're going to crash andburn, no matter what you think
(44:03):
you're doing, if you're tryingto do something fancy, but if
you're in that, the odds are, aslong as we don't crash and burn
, you're going to come out okayand you're going to have
something in the future.
Todd (44:13):
It's like over 90% of day traders lose money.
They're not living off of theirincome there.
Phil (44:20):
They're not making any, but if they're selling their
courses, they're all makingmoney.
Todd (44:25):
Yes, that's where they make their money.
But yeah, that's what we talkedto a financial advisor here on
the podcast one time, and he's awealth management advisor.
He says I don't try to pick myown stocks, I just put my money
in index funds.
Phil (44:45):
Yeah, Index is the way to go.
In my day it was mutual funds.
An index fund is just maybe amutual fund on steroids.
Really it's a good thing,Cheaper to be wise.
Todd (44:51):
One of the best things I learned in college was a
professor.
He did pretty much a wholeclass on compound interest over
time.
Phil (44:59):
That's crazy.
Todd (45:01):
Compound interest over time.
The amount of money youactually end up investing is
this much the money you make?
Phil (45:10):
off of interest is huge and it happens in the final
years of the investment you cansave.
Actually one of the greatestlessons I heard about.
Did I do it?
No, but because here's thechallenge, guys, and we have to
give ourselves some grace.
You know these people out therethat are criticizing me and
saying you're a loser.
You had to have made some baddecisions to end up where you've
(45:30):
ended up.
There were some bad decisionsless than good but life happens
where I had to use myinvestments Remember I didn't
make a big income.
I had no.
I mean, I guess I could havetried to find a second job or
third to make it, but I used mysavings, my investments, and I
used it to pay the bills, to payuntil I started working again.
(45:54):
And that's what most people aredoing.
They go into that fund and ifyou can find a way not to do
that, that's the key.
Because if you invest in your20s just for eight years, ten
years, and then not investanymore the rest of your life
and you've got it in the S&P,you're going to end up with buku
bucks.
You can retire well, but youjust can't touch it Because
(46:14):
after about 20 years ofinvesting, you still have a
little bit, and it's the final10 where it just explodes.
Todd (46:21):
Yeah.
To those people that arethinking they know and they're
happy to say, oh yeah, well,you're a loser and all this
stuff.
You can do all the right thingsin life and still lose out,
because I've always my wife whenwe got married, my wife's a
saver.
I had $1,000 on a credit cardwhen we got got married and she
was like what are you doing?
She says.
She says if I'd known you hadcredit card debt, I wouldn't
(46:43):
have married you.
And I was like whoa serious.
But we, we always saved.
But in the 2008, 2010 realestate crisis, we lost all of
our savings.
James (46:56):
It was just like oof.
Phil (46:58):
Yeah.
Todd (47:00):
I mean, you can do the right things and still lose out
For people that try to look downon others, for, however, their
lives are turning out it's notfair, it could have happened to
you too, yeah, it is.
Phil (47:11):
They may not have lived life long enough, or those that
did get through it, they werevery fortunate.
They worked for a great companywith great people.
They were lucky not to have toleave a job or just where you
know.
Whatever, there's so manythings that can happen and again
, you do the best you can.
Todd (47:29):
Yeah, I mean yeah, you get to your 50s and you get laid
off from your job, and it's notyour fault, it's just companies
do that.
Phil (47:37):
Yeah, especially today.
Todd (47:41):
Yeah, not fun.
Phil (47:43):
Who do you know that has worked 30 years for the same
company?
Today, nobody.
I don't know anybody.
I did.
Oh, then we know James.
Todd (47:54):
You know me, you know me.
It's not a company.
You work for the government.
James (47:59):
Yeah, I worked for the NC State University, but while
doing that at the same time, Imean I had like five different
jobs over that 30 years, so it'snot like it was the same kind
of job.
Phil (48:14):
Actually I have a friend like that too, but I think
that's really fortunate, that'sreally good.
James (48:20):
It was extremely fortunate.
I am so grateful.
So I retired from the state ofNorth Carolina with 30 years of
service because I had two yearsof sick leave banked up.
Wow, but I have to.
You know I've got to be a partof the party here.
We've got a Home Depot and aLowe's former Lowe's employee,
so I start Lowe's next week.
(48:41):
So that's yeah.
I was doing some consulting.
I got laid off a month ago.
It's like you know what?
I just want to go.
I can't not work.
So it's like I just I need to.
Phil (48:59):
Well, let me ask something , James, because this brings up
a really this is a big decision,and that is can I ask how old
you are?
James (49:08):
I am 53.
Phil (49:11):
Oh, wow, okay.
James (49:12):
Yeah, I know, I look older.
Todd (49:13):
Well, it's good you're doing something there?
Phil (49:16):
No, no, no, no, not at all .
All it's not about that.
Here's the big, here's the bigdeal and this is about where I'm
coming to is today's got to be?
You got to live today like it'syour last day.
It sounds real what do theycall that?
Real, not trite, but yeah, yeah, it's.
It's one of those sayings, or,oh, yeah, whatever.
(49:37):
But because, let me tell you,you know people, there's a lot
of people, I guess, yeah, it'sone of those sayings where, oh,
yeah, whatever.
But because, let me tell you,you know people, there's a lot
of people, I guess they'reoptimists.
They all think, they thinkwe're all going to live to be 80
.
That's why you shouldn't takeSocial Security early, that's
why you need to get out whileyou can enjoy life, and there is
something to be said.
So, if you can't, if you got tokeep working, do something.
But you know, uh, look guys, sixyears ago I was, uh, I think
(50:04):
I'd just turned 60 and I wasminutes away from that, was it?
And I think about all thethings the grandkids, the new
grand since then I would nothave been here for.
And uh, wow, you know, yeah, wesit here.
Since then I would not havebeen here for and wow, you know
we sit here.
This is why we got to take careof our health.
(50:24):
We got to decide when could werealistically just quit work and
do something?
Think about that.
Don't think about waiting 60 or70.
It sounds like you're set uppretty nice.
Maybe not for right now, butlook at when you could actually
start doing what you want to doand still be productive,
whatever I just tell you.
(50:47):
That's why I'm not going towork at Home Depot.
I'm going to continue to lookat my options.
That for me might mean as wellas we're living in a more
conducive area for retirement.
It could be another country,but as long as it still works
out with the family.
Those are things you've got tothink about now.
Either one morning you wake upand something changes and you
(51:09):
wish you would have worked less.
Todd (51:12):
What I've told my son and my daughter is look, you need to
manage your affairs, or someoneelse is going to be managing
them for you.
Phil (51:21):
So, or events will overcome perhaps, and events are
coming for all of us.
Todd (51:30):
So that's a good place to wrap it up.
Man.
We really appreciate you beingon the podcast, Phil, yeah.
James (51:35):
Really appreciate you taking the time.
Phil (51:38):
All right, well, just know that I just have my answers for
me, hopefully, maybe thinkabout them and apply them for
you.
It might even be something likeyeah, I'm not going to do that
because there's a better way foryou.
I appreciate you having me.
Todd (51:57):
You said something.
You said that that young lady,the 20 year old, said you're her
favorite old person.
What that says to me is thatshe looks up to you as a mentor,
and so what I'm seeing in yourYouTube channel is that you are
becoming, or you have become, amentor to a lot of people, and
so what we'll do is we'll putlinks up to Phil's what's Up
(52:20):
Boomer channel in the episodedescription here and also I'll
put a link out to the YouTubeformula book that he mentioned.
James (52:26):
But go check out Phil's channel.
Todd (52:27):
He's got some really good insight there and just a good
guy that has lived life and canreally provide some good
insights that help people out.
So we appreciate you sharingyour mind with us and your time.
So thanks so much.
Phil (52:42):
Yes sir.
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.