I have never been particularly interested in YouTube.
I thought it was a place where you went to watch cat videos (and I hate cats) or to learn DIY. I also know a lot of people watch someone else playing video games and that it’s becoming more and more popular to watch kids unboxing or playing with toys.
However, during the pandemic, the subsequent isolation/lockdown and working from home more, I delved into YouTube and discovered some great channels. I thought I would highlight a few of them that are relevant to the FIRE community.
Peter and Yen
While not Australian, we tend to claim awesome Kiwis as our own and I think Peter and Yen fit into that awesome category!
Their channel started as a food and travel channel and then suddenly, they released a video announcing they had retired early and would be travelling full time. They have only released a couple of videos about financial independence (I hope they release more) but I gather that they followed the steps of FIRE and quit their jobs. I believe their YouTube income is surplus to their nest egg and that they mostly do this for the love of it.
I enjoy their videos because they’re relatable, interesting and often make me laugh. Warning – do not watch hungry! Some of the food videos will have your mouth watering.
Since lockdown, they’ve done a lot of New Zealand centric videos. Poopsie and I loved our time on the North Island in 2019 and these videos have definitely increased our enthusiasm to return!
As well as their YouTube channel, check our their website and follow along on their Instagram.
Our Freedom Years
Stephanie and Gillian are a Canadian couple who FIRE’d in 2019 and commenced full time travel. They travel with their two cute dogs and put out a new video every week.
They provide a lot of FIRE content, including how they reached it themselves, mistakes they made along the way and how they’ve managed their cash flow since. They also do great travel videos which are relevant to anyone who wants to travel and they provide excellent cost breakdowns of where they’ve been.
Most of their videos on their channel are accompanied by a blog post on their website. They also have Instagram where you can see more photos of their travels (and their dogs).
Our Rich Journey
Amon and Christina retired early at the ages of 39 and 41. With their two daughters in tow, they moved to Portugal and have recently bought a house their.
I love their channel! Right from the very beginning, they exude positivity and warmth. Their production levels have certainly increased since then however, they’ve remained one of my favourite channels to come back to.
Their channel is more FIRE focussed with some travel sprinkled in. They provide some really in depth, step by step videos of how to achieve FIRE and also outline how they did it with kids and living in an expensive area. Poopsie and I have never been to Portugal but watching their videos has made us really want to go.
They have some great blog posts and courses on their website and their Instagram account details their journey and their current home renovations.
Beat the Bush
Beat the Bush (real name Francis) retired early as an engineer. He was in his late 30s when he retired and is currently 40.
He started his channel as a bit of a DIY/How To channel but it has evolved into a financial channel (he has created a seperate DIY channel if you’re interested though I have never watched this).
Beat the Bush is definitely more on the extreme frugality side of things however, he has some great ideas about minimalism and simplicity. I have found great value in his videos about how to reach credit card minimum spends when churning them for travel points.
He’s a little bit quirky but I have found myself really enjoying his videos. He isn’t very active on Instagram but occasionally posts to give a peak into his life.
Market Watch FIRE Starters Series
During the pandemic, Market Watch have produced a short YouTube series called FIRE Starters. These videos (usually produced by the subject of the videos because of the lockdown) detail how they got to FIRE and how they’re living now.
We have enjoyed them all but a favourite was definitely ModernFImily’s video whose blog we enjoy reading.
Market Watch appear to be adding new ones every so often so be sure to continue checking back if you find them interesting.
Do you follow any FIRE YouTubers? Do you recommend any of them? Let us know in the comments below!
