Graham Stephan

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Graham Stephan is an American real estate investor, Youtuber, and financial commentator. Stephen built his following by posting about his experiences in real estate investing, frugal living and entrepreneurship.[1] As of 2021, his Youtube channel has over 3.5 million subscribers.[2]

Early life

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In 2008, Stephan began his career in real estate at age 18, working as an agent in Los Angeles.[3] By his mid-20s, he was involved in closing $125 million in residential real estate transactions and purchased multiple rental properties.[3] By age 26, he became a millionaire, which Stephan attributes to his real estate investments, frugality, and content creation on Youtube.[4][5]

Career

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In 2016, Stephan began posting content on Youtube, focusing primarily on real estate topics and eventually posting content on personal finance such as budgeting, saving, and investing.[6] A theme of his videos that gained widespread notoriety was his refusal to buy coffee, instead brewing coffee at home for about 20 cents per cup. This phenomenon inspired the name of his podcast, "Iced Coffee Hour."[7] As part of his channel he has discussed economic trends, including interest rates, inflation, and the housing market.[8][9][10] He has also discussed financial strategies such as how to strategize financially around policy changes such as with tariffs.[10] Stephen has also talked about using AI tools like ChatGPT as a way of making regulatory compliance and investing easier for the average person.[11]

By 2021, Stephan was earning $6 million annually from his online ventures, including ad revenue, sponsorships, and marketing.[2] He has also been featured on CNBC's Millennial Money, where he discussed his income, lifestyle, and savings strategy.[2] While he gained his fame from being frugal, he has since moderated his approach, stating that he was "overworked" and "taking on too much" to continue this strategy.[12]

Reception

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Stephan's work has been reacted to by Kevin O'Leary and has appeared in interviews on CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Glamour and Nasdaq.[13][14][15] Stephan moved from Santa Monica to Las Vegas and has since commented on his rationale for making this move.[16] Stephan cited Santa Monica's homelessness, increased crime, and housing affordability as key contributors to the problem. He stated that the "2020 riots" were the "nail in the coffin."[16] This commentary spurred debate among the city officials with Councilwoman Caroline Torosis responding that the local economy was "thriving."[16]

Personal life

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Stephan lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[16] He no longer lives as frugally as he did in the start of his career, stating that this strategy was making him "overworked" and "taking on too much."[12] He is known for his collection of watches and cars which he claims he gives to himself as a reward for reaching his financial goals.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Millionaire real estate investor Graham Stephan says he's not buying US homes in 2025 — prefers this asset instead". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  2. ^ a b c Vega, Nicolas (2021-09-09). "This 31-year-old went 'all in' on YouTube—now he makes $6 million a year". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  3. ^ a b Competiello, Christopher. "Meet the 29-year-old YouTuber who rakes in $1 million a year from his channel and has done $125 million in property deals. He explains why he saves 'like 99%' of his income to invest in real estate". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  4. ^ a b Elkins, Kathleen (2020-03-15). "29-year-old millionaire who hates spending money explains why he bought a $19,700 watch". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  5. ^ Dasko, Martin (November 25, 2023). "Self-Made Millionaire: How Graham Stephan Did It by Age 26 — and How You Can Too". nasdaq.com.
  6. ^ Doyle, Karen (February 14, 2025). "Money Expert Graham Stephan: 3 Ways To Make $100 a Day With Index Funds". Yahoo! Finance.
  7. ^ Perelli, Amanda. "A YouTube star who launched a coffee brand breaks down how he did it, what it cost, and how much he's made". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  8. ^ Cariaga, Vance. "Graham Stephan Says Home Sellers Are Panicking About Dropping Home Values — but Should They Be?". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  9. ^ Barley, Brooke (May 11, 2025). "Graham Stephan Says This Investment Has Become the 'Ultimate Money Printer' — Here's Why". Yahoo! Finance.
  10. ^ a b "Is It Possible To Remove Income Taxes? Graham Stephan Explains What the 10% Trump Tariff Could Mean for Everyday Americans". Archived from the original on 2025-06-29. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  11. ^ "Graham Stephan: Here's How To Become a Millionaire Using ChatGPT". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2024-12-20. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  12. ^ a b Vega, Nicolas (2021-09-20). "A 31-year-old 'frugal' millionaire explains why he decided to start spending more money". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  13. ^ Elkins, Kathleen (2019-11-21). "How a 29-year-old YouTube millionaire making up to $220,000 a month spends his money". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  14. ^ "How YouTuber Graham Stephan Lives Mortgage Free Making $1.6M in L.A." Glamour. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  15. ^ Elkins, Kathleen (2020-05-21). "Kevin O'Leary reacts to a 30-year-old YouTube millionaire who refuses to spend money on coffee". CNBC. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  16. ^ a b c d Hall, Matthew (2024-08-23). "YouTube influencer has 3M people asking "WTF Happened to Santa Monica?" - Santa Monica Daily Press". Retrieved 2025-06-29.