An appreciation post dedicated to Andrei Jikh- a Millennial Finance YouTuber and Magician.
Background
Investing entails due diligence (DD)- your investment research, and today, the DD resources include news, articles, media, conversations, etc. One popular information resource today is YouTube, where YouTubers create content on different topics, especially finance.
However, there's one YouTuber with eye-catching content, knowledgeable of money, and stunning videography altogether. He puts effort into his vids which attract you to what he says and how he says it.
The best part about him is that he's a millennial- someone many youths would relate to.
His name, Andrei Jikh.
Who is Andrei?
Andrei Jikh, 32, is a RussiAmerican finance YouTuber and investor, and it's on his channel, Andrei Jikh - YouTube, that he talks about personal finance, financial minimalism, and investing.
Andrei is also a reputable cardistry magician (Cardistry = magic of cards.) He blends financial literacy with magic in a mix that trademarks his videos, making them enjoyable and worth watching.
"Hi! My name's Andrei Jikh, hope you're doing well! Come for the finance and stay for the magic!"
Andrei's Story
Beginnings
Andrei immigrated to the US at age nine. He grew up in a circus family with his parents performing gigs worldwide before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada. From his family's circus careers, he fancied cardistry, mastering it for twenty-one years.
Andrei attended the University of Las Vegas- Nevada but didn't graduate. Instead, his magic opened paths for him as he became a freelance cardistry specialist for entertainment firms in Las Vegas. The hit of his magical career arrived when he became the Lead Cardistry Consultant in the build-up of the movie "Now You See Me 2."
You can check his recreation here.
Investing Journey
Andrei's journey was typically not easy.
His cardistry job earned him roughly $50,000 a year. Unfortunately, the devastating 2008 Financial Crisis wrecked the people's finances globally, unsparing Andrei's parents. Despite their successful circus careers, they struggled to make ends meet and cover their daily expenses. This mishap broke and inspired Andrei- broken because he didn't like seeing his parents striving for the bare minimum and encouraged because he never again wanted to worry about money. Thus, at 19, Andrei started investing for passive income.
Investing Philosophy
A believer in financial minimalism, Andrei encourages making as much as possible, setting aside expenses, and investing the difference, not to mention cutting down unnecessary costs and living below your means.
Eight years into his career, Andrei saved $150,000, which he Buffet-esque invested into high-value dividend growth stocks, and that was partly a gamechanger for him. Andrei reputes this strategy as a dividend investor whose dividends help pay for his expenses. His favorite stocks? Broad Market Index Funds like the Vanguard Total Market Index Fund (VTI) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund (VOO) simply because, long-term, "the market always goes up."
Notably, Andrei is also a cryptocurrency explorer and a bullish one too. He has some positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Omi, surmounting to $1.4 million currently. Interestingly enough, Andrei first engaged with Bitcoin in 2014 when he bought six Bitcoins at $300 and sold them at $500 to buy a drone- a weird opportunity cost.
What is Andrei's favorite investment?
It's not index funds, not dividend stocks, and not Bitcoin.
Andrei's favorite investments are Pokemon Cards- his speculative $200,000 investment. These cards are somewhat complicated as not everyone is a Pokemon fan, so evaluating the cards is mind-boggling. Still, for the Pokemon community of which Andrei is part, these collectibles are highly-valued. Hence, you have a community of Pokemon fanatics who share their likings for these assets.
YouTube
You can't talk of Andrei without mentioning YouTube.
Andrei took the leap of faith in January 2019 by quitting his job and starting his YouTube channel after saving enough to invest aggressively. Via YouTube, Andrei publicly keeps himself accountable and shares his investment tidbits with the world to see.
What's scary is that he had no backup plan if YouTube sank, so he had no option but to go all-in.
Andrei spent the first six months perfecting his content that had less engagement than today's, but after that, the big bucks came out.
Two years later, Andrei's channel has 1.75 million subscribers, with 130 million views total. His YouTube earnings have hit $1.3 million and counting, and it's YouTube that funds his investments and expenses- nice catch.
When does Andrei release his videos?
I'll see you back here on Mondays and Fridays, sometimes on Wednesdays. I'll see you soon, bye-bye!
When did Andrei become a millionaire?
Andrei joined the millionaire's club between late 2019 and mid-2020, thanks to YouTube and his investments, among other mini-ventures. As of October 2021, Andrei's net worth is approximately $3.5 million.
Andrei Jikh today
Andrei currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he continues his magic and YouTubing while also bonding with fellow investors Meet Kevin, Graham Stephan, and Jeremy Lefebvre- all who star in their hit podcast, Millennial Money.
Why does Andrei inspire you?
To me, Andrei is that big brother I never had. He's funny, creative, yet reasonable and rational, and an impressive magician too.
He is also transparent; he has no courses, ebooks, or subscriptions to sell and instead wants to provide edutainment. This approach is fair enough as he too fell victim to other financial gurus with their courses with get-rich-quick schemes that guaranteed zero returns.
Also, considering Russia's cold relationship with the US, being a Russian immigrant, Andrei started from the bottom, and I admire that about him.
On age, Andrei is a millennial, and I'm a Gen-Z; it's cool to learn from someone just eleven years older than I am.
Talentwise, I like how he includes his cardistry niche into his videos, especially on finance ones. Although his cardistry is something I'd take a considerable while learning, it motivates me to perfect my piano even more, so there's a niche for each of us.
My biggest takeaways from Andrei Jikh are financial minimalism, frugalism, and the power of dividend investing, and I've started incorporating these practices into my personal investing cycle.
Closing
Dear Andrei,
One day, God willing, I'll meet you.
Until then, I'll be working hard to replicate your success.
Keep up the great job with YouTube! Until then, see you on the other side.
Sincerely,
~Carerra, 2k21.
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