Add Podcasts To Your Binge List for 2021
This time last year, many seniors had never heard of Zoom or made a video call. You knew about Netflix and Apple TV, but maybe you were waiting for your grandkids to set them up for you the next time they visited. You had social media accounts, but those were just for sharing family photos.
After learning how to connect, stay informed, and keep yourself entertained during the pandemic, I’ll bet your cell phone and other household technology are much less intimidating than they used to be. So, if your TV and movie queue is starting to thin out, this might be the perfect time to explore podcasts.
1. What is a podcast?
Podcasts are like prerecorded radio shows that you listen to on your phone, tablet, or computer. This media space has really exploded in the past decade to encompass everything from daily news programs to true crime serials and celebrity interviews. Whatever you’re interested in there’s probably a podcast that you’ll enjoy. And, unlike watching movies and TV on Netflix or Amazon Prime, most premium podcasts are free to listen to.
2. What do you need?
There are dozens of mobile apps that let you subscribe to shows you like and automatically download new episodes when they’re published. The easiest place to start if you have an iPhone or another Apple device is the Apple Podcasts app, which is probably already installed on your phone or tablet. Likewise, most newer Android devices come with Google Podcasts. Tap on the search bar, type in the name of a show or a topic and you’ll find a list of episodes.
Another option is to listen to podcasts on your computer through your web browser. If you do a Google search for a show you’ll probably find a webpage with a built-in media player. Just click on play and turn up your speakers or headphones. Many programs also publish shownotes along with their episodes where you can browse key topics or read transcripts of the conversations.
Finally, if you have a smart speaker with Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant built in, you can probably just ask it to play the latest episode of your favorite show.
3. What should you listen to?
To get you started, here are some (non-political!) podcasts that I recommend:
- This American Life NPR’s unique brand of journalistic storytelling is one of the most popular podcasts in the world.
- 99% Invisible Host Roman Mars discusses how design and architecture can influence our lives in ways that we often don’t notice.
- How I Built This with Guy Raz The stories behind some of the most famous companies in the world.
- Freakonomics If you liked the best-selling book you’ll enjoy this podcast from co-author Stephen J. Dubner about important socioeconomic issues.
- TED Talks Daily Every day, some of the brightest minds in the world deliver short presentations on a wide range of subjects. Recent topics include lessons for women leaders, techniques to improve your powers of persuasion, and tips on building better habits.
4. What should you REALLY listen to?
Forgive me slipping in a bit of a plug at the end here, but I really am so proud of how our Keen on Retirement podcast has grown. We’re closing in on 130 episodes covering a wide range of financial planning topics including:
Plus, if you’re just trying to master the basics of subscribing, downloading, and listening to podcasts, I can promise you that sampling my show isn’t going to get anyone’s blood boiling. Our weekly discussions are friendly, informative, and hopefully entertaining. And when we do touch on news, such as Joe Biden’s Social Security proposals or Donald Trump signing the SECURE Act in 2019, it’s only through the lens of how events and policies could affect your financial planning.
So, if you’ve never listened to a podcast before, give it a try! Click here and you’ll land on the shownotes page for my January 6th episode about planning 2021 around your values. You can listen to that episode right on the shownotes page or follow links that will let you subscribe to Keen on Retirement on popular podcast apps.
We also love to hear from our listeners! If you have a question or a topic you’d like us to tackle on a future episode, email me at bkeen@keenwealthadvisors.com.
About Bill
Bill Keen is a CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠ and independent financial advisor with more than 25 years of industry experience. As the founder and CEO of Keen Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm, he specializes in providing personalized retirement planning designed to help people thrive before and during their retirement years. With a passion for educating others, Bill regularly blogs about retirement planning, hosts the podcast Keen on Retirement, and has contributed to U.S. News and World Report, Reuters, Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and other publications. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Bill and his team work with clients throughout the greater Kansas City area and across the nation. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.keenwealthadvisors.com.
KWMG, LLC’s dba Keen Wealth Advisors (“company”) is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor located in Overland Park, KS. The company and its representatives may only conduct business in those states where registered or where excluded/exempt or from licensure. For registration information please contact the SEC or the state securities regulators for the states where the company is notice filed. A copy of the company ADV is available upon request. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where the company and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by the company unless a client service agreement is in place. This information is not intended to be investment advice or construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy and is for illustrative purposes only. Clients and prospective clients must consider all relevant risk factors involved with each strategy, including costs or fees, and their own personal financial situations before trading.
The views outlined in the book, Keen on Retirement Engineering the Second Half of Your Life, are those of the author and should not be construed as individualized or personalized investment advice. Any economic and/or performance information cited is historical and not indicative of future results. Economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted.
The Amazon Best Seller ranking listed on marketing materials is specifically referring to Best Seller rankings for the Kindle Top 100 Paid Lists under the subcategories of: Budgeting and Financial Risk Management, based on data as of September 5, 2019. Amazon rankings although relevant on how a product is selling overall doesn’t necessarily indicate how well an item is selling among other similar items or similar item categories. Amazon may choose the most popular categories or subcategories within which an item has a high ranking to determine its best seller rankings. These rankings are updated hourly and as a result, should be expected to fluctuate as such. Keen Wealth Advisors and Amazon are not affiliated entities.
The Steve Sanduski Advisor Network, Belay Advisor, LLC and other third-party contributors to our blogs and podcasts are not affiliated with Keen Wealth Advisors.
For additional details on Keen Wealth Advisors, please visit https://www.keenwealthadvisors.com/important-disclosures.