Millennials tend to invest more in alternative assets like trading cards than older generations.
Influencer and WWE wrestler Logan Paul said young investors should consider nontraditional assets over the stock market as he prepares to auction a rare Pokémon card he bought for almost $5.3 million.
“If you’re young, there are ways to spend and invest your money in ways that might mean more to you than in a traditional conservative environment like the stock market,” Paul said while appearing on Fox Business’s “The Big Money Show” on Tuesday.
He said younger investors should consider investing in items such as sports memorabilia, trading cards, fossils, and art over traditional stocks.
“I think if you have the money, don’t be afraid to take a risk, especially if you’re young,” Paul said.
During the interview, Paul wore his PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card around his neck, describing it as the “rarest and most valuable card in the world.”
In April 2022, Guinness World Records confirmed that Paul had broken the record for buying the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold in a private sale.
Paul paid about $5.28 million for the card, which he said he bought after “someone gave me way too much money as an adult.” The card is expected to go to auction in early 2026.
Asked whether collectibles, such as trading cards, could be a fad, Paul said that it was “entirely possible” and advised caution. He said he tends to buy at the “top of the asset class.”
Pokémon cards have provided a roughly 3,821% monthly cumulative return between 2004 and August 2025, according to an index by analytics firm Card Ladder.
In October 2025, Business Insider contributor Santiago Barraza Lopez wrote about how ChatGPT recommended that he invest in Pokémon cards, citing scarcity and nostalgia-driven demand, as an alternative to the volatile stock market.
Alternative investments can include cryptocurrencies, commodities such as gold and natural gas, as well as collectibles like vintage cars, artworks, and Pokémon cards.
All investments carry risk, but trading cards can come with additional challenges, including counterfeiting, a lack of income generation, and a history of collectibles that failed to hold their value, such as Beanie Babies and NFTs.
Millennials seem to be more inclined to spend on alternative investments than older generations, according to an October 2025 report from Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
The report found that millennials allocate about 20% of their portfolios to alternative investments, compared with 6% for baby boomers and 11% for Gen X.
