Andrei Jikh

Biography:

Andrei Jikh runs a namesake personal finance YouTube channel with over 2.2 million subscribers and over 242 million views. His videos focus on investing and financial minimalism.

Prior to starting his YouTube channel, Jikh had been featured on numerous TV shows, including “Steve Harvey” and Nat Geo’s “Brain Games.” His big break came in 2013 when he consulted on the film “Now You See Me 2,” which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo and Daniel Radcliffe. As “lead cardistry consultant,” Jikh spent two months in London helping the cast prepare and train for the popular card-throwing scene.

Why He’s a Top Money Expert:

Jikh’s popular YouTube channel explores the “magic of finance” in a way that’s both entertaining and educational.

Q&A:

What’s been your most popular video and why do you think it has resonated with so many viewers?

My most watched video happens to be a YouTube short, “Top Investments for the Metaverse.” I used an example of the MillionDollarHomepage.com, where people could buy a pixel to advertise their business. My video was actually a warning to be careful about investing in trends because the people that usually get rich are not investors, but the creators of those trends. [It’s an illustration of the] classic quote, “Better to sell shovels in a gold rush.”

What topic do you wish people were more informed about?

I wish people understood how simple money actually is. Here is the secret: buy low-cost broad market index funds and ignore the noise. YouTubers are noise. Money should be boring.

In a 20-year rolling period, the stock market always made money, but only if you stayed invested. That strategy will beat over 90% of professional hedge fund managers and traders. Ultimately, I try to creatively tie all my videos back to this simple concept.

Once you know the rules, then you can start breaking them. Unfortunately, most people start the other way around.

When I was younger, I thought there was only one best way to invest my money. As I got older, I realized why the real answer is, “it depends” — on your financial situation, your age, your goals and your personality. If investing was all about the highest returns, we’d all be over-leveraged real estate investors or all in on crypto. Diversification is important. There is a time and place for all assets to shine. First, learn the rules and then break them accordingly.

What’s the worst financial advice you’ve seen being given (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

The worst advice is usually [anything] that says, “This is the BEST thing to invest your money into.” There is no “best.” It’s called personal finance for a reason — it’s personal to all of us.