This is the starting point of our journey together. But why should you spend your valuable time listening to me talk about investing, taxes, money, and all things retirement? My hope is that this video lays down some foundation for your trust and shows you how my licenses and credentials should serve you well in your pursuit of “Retirement”.

Welcome to The Retirement Cheat Code

Hi everyone, JD White here, and welcome to The Retirement Cheat Code. In this first video, I just want to chat a little bit about why I’m creating this channel and why you might want to watch it. I’m going to stay off script here, just ramble a bit about what makes me different, what makes this channel different, and a little bit about my personal journey.

What Makes Me Different

There are a lot of people out there giving advice on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook—you name it. And most of them, not all, but most, have no business telling you what to do with your money.

If you look down at my channel description, you’ll see it’s completely filled with disclosures. Literally no room to write anything else. That’s because I’m licensed, I’m affiliated, and I have to put it all out there. At the end of my videos, you’ll also see me roll through even more disclosures anytime I touch retirement planning, investing, or anything that could impact your financial life.

That’s actually a good thing to watch for. If you’re taking advice from someone online and they never mention disclosures, that’s a red flag.

Another difference is that I actually run a wealth management business. I’ve been working with clients since 2011, and I’ve got what I like to call the alphabet soup—lots of letters after my name from years of studying. More than that, though, I have skin in the game. When I give advice, there are real-world implications for me and for the families I serve.

My Story

I grew up here in Colorado, raised by a single mom who was a teacher. My parents split when I was really young—like one year old. She did an incredible job, and I never felt like I missed out, but I didn’t learn much about money at home. My grandparents were lawyers, and they tried to teach me, but I didn’t really listen. Funny enough, you often end up becoming what you needed most—and here I am.

We didn’t have much saved for college, so I worked hard in swimming and earned a full-ride scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Go Mustangs. I swam all four years, earned a degree in real estate finance, and moved back to Colorado basically the day after graduation.

I jumped into real estate right in the middle of the recession. At first, it went well—we helped a lot of people through tough situations in ’08. But as the market normalized, I struggled. I didn’t know how to market myself, didn’t know how to network, and eventually I failed out.

Around that time, I had a 401(k) with a big-name firm. When I went to pull money from it, the advisor there suggested I come work for them. So I did. My first year I made $38,000—not exactly rolling in it—but it was a start.

From there, I built my business literally knocking on doors. I introduced myself, asked awkward financial questions, and enough people trusted me on their doorstep to help me grow. I did that for about six years before transitioning to a referral-only business, which is where I’m at today with a small team and a group of clients I’m proud to serve.

It wasn’t always pretty. There were times I worked nights hanging drywall just to afford Christmas presents. I even borrowed money from my mom to keep things going. But I never had a plan B. I was too stubborn to quit, and I knew this was my calling.

Why This Matters

Money is stressful. It’s emotional. And it impacts everything in your life. I love what I do because I get to help people navigate all that and feel more confident about their future.

If you enjoyed this, hit the thumbs up button—it helps me know if I’m on the right track. Because of industry rules, I can’t allow comments, but there are plenty of ways to reach me online. And if you want to keep learning, hit subscribe so you don’t miss future videos.

Next up, I’ll be putting out a video that explains how the channel is laid out—different topics, different verticals—so you’ll know exactly where to start.