PPC Ian

Today, I am excited to share my personal review of the Voyager App (the number 21 most popular financial services app in the Apple app store, according to App Annie). I now have $8,700.00 in my Voyager account (and growing), and I have been thrilled with my experience so far. As you can see in the screenshot below, my personal Voyager account assets are shared across Bitcoin (BTC), US Dollar Coin (USDC), and the Voyager Loyalty Token (VGX). I’ll discuss my entire account strategy in much more detail throughout my review today. Before I jump into tbe blog post today, here’s my recent video introduction to the Voyager App:

Claim your $25 in FREE Bitcoin (BTC) By Signing Up With Voyager

Before I even begin with my review today, I want to invite you to join the Voyager App with my affiliate referral link. If you use my link, Voyager will generously deposit $25 worth of Bitcoin in your Voyager account (and mine too)! All you have to do is deposit $100 USD, and trade that USD into a crypto asset such as Bitcoin (BTC) or US Dollar Coin (USDC). And, I’ll be truly grateful for your support, in that all referrals help me write blog posts like this one, as well as produce the videos I love sharing on YouTube (I’ll link to a few of those below). From my experience, this entire process only takes a few days (or less), and Voyager is really prompt with the $25 BTC bonus.

Here’s my Voyager Link: https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=BF2598
Here’s my Voyager Affiliate Code: BF2598
(Make sure to enter my code during sign-up to claim your $25 in free Bitcoin)
(Disclosure: I am a Voyager affiliate)

I’m In Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency For The Long-Term

As someone who has been in and out of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies over the years, I am now here to stay as a long-term crypto investor. I believe crypto assets can provide me with: 1) a store of value, 2) capital appreciation, and 3) passive income (the most exciting part to me). Starting with my purchase of Bitcoin in November, 2018 at $3,771 (yes, I got very lucky with this purchase), I am here to stay and do not plan to sell (like I did in the previous crypto run-up of 2017). While there will be (possibly huge) volatility ahead, I do not envision this cycle to be the same as the last cycle, largely because companies such as Telsa (TSLA) are including Bitcoin on their balance sheets and large institutions like Mass Mutual are investing in crypto as well!

Over the years, I have tested out many different crypto platforms, those offering both hot wallet storage, and cold storage as well. As a Computer Science major from Stanford University, I am here to stay that crypto has never been very easy nor accessible to the everyday person. However, things have finally changed with Voyager. Lately in 2021, I have been adding to my crypto portfolio with ease thanks to Voyager. As a new development, I’m learning about the power of crypto assets in providing a stable and growing stream of passive income for my day-to-day living expenses. None of this would have been possible without the easy-to-use Voyager App! (In fact, I’m earning a staggering 9.0% APY on my US Dollar Coin right now, which I’ll discuss further throughout this review.)

What Is The Voyager App?

In short, Voyager is a simple-to-use cryptocurrency app that allows everyday investors to trade small (or large) amounts of traditional fiat currency (US Dollars) into crypto assets. Voyager has approached cryptocurrency with the customer in mind, so the app is very simplistic to use, even for those with no prior crypto experience. (Although, I also think the app is great for cryptocurrency veterans as well.) In addition to being easy-to-use, Voyager charges no trading fees AND provides very high interest rates on crypto assets held in the platform. That’s right: I’m earning 9.0% APY interest (month of March) on my US Dollar Coins (USDC) held in my personal Voyager account!

Voyager Is So Easy-To-Use Because of Their World-Class Team

The fact that Voyager is so easy to use makes perfect sense to me based on their team. Their CEO is Stephen Ehrlich, an executive with many years’ experience in the financial services industry (including founding Lightspeed Financial and also previously serving as CEO of E*TRADE Professional Trading LLC). I also enjoyed seeing that Oscar Salazar is an Advisor and Co-Founder at Voyager because he was the founding Architect and CTO of UBER. The team behind Voyager is strong, with clear backgrounds in financial services and also consumer-facing apps.

Why I Love Voyager (Pros)

I’d like to share some of my favorite things about the Voyager app. (Don’t worry, I’ll also share constructive feedback too.)

• Did I mention, it’s easy to use? (This is my favorite.)
• Free trades. For someone who likes to dollar cost average and make lots of trades, this aspect of Voyager is truly rewarding.
• Market-leading bid/ask spreads because of their advanced pricing system that connects a multitude of different exchanges, applying smart logic to the process. (Meaning: The investor can rest assured of getting the best possible price.)
• Free ACH transfer of USD into the account.
• Free ACH transfer of USD out of the account (to my understanding at this time).
• Staggering interest rates on many crypto assets! Current (March) APY on Bitcoin (BTC) is 6.25%. Current (March) APY on US Dollar Coin (USDC), a stable coin pegged to the US Dollar, is 9.0%. For me, as a dividend and passive income investor, this element of earning interest (passive income) on my crypto assets was my single biggest realization of 2021 as it pertains to crypto, and why I fell in love with Voyager and crypto assets for the long-term. I can use my interest to pay bills (just like my dividend payments from traditional dividend stocks)!
• Access to many different coins! I’m counting 58 as of right now. While my strategy at this time revolves around three coins – BTC, USDC, and VGX – I have 55 other coins to choose from, and I’m sure I’ll add another 1 or 2 over the long-term. I’m still learning, and Voyager offers the investor who’s on the learning growth path (like me) great opportunity to dabble around and learn about the different coins.
• An Amazing Loyalty Program: I absolutely love the Voyager Loyalty Program (driven by the VGX token). Once the new loyalty program goes into effect, because I own 500 VGX tokens, I am eligible to receive a 0.5% interest rate boost on the crypto assets that pay interest in Voyager. So, if the 9.0% March APY holds on USDC, I’ll actually earn 9.5% interest on my USDC. And, those in higher tiers of the loyalty program earn even more of a boost! (The Voyager loyalty program comes with even more perks, as you can see in the screenshot below.)
• Voyager is a publicly-traded company (ticker: VYGVF) with a $2.96 billion market capitalization (and growing). Hodling my crypto assets at a publicly-traded entity makes me feel a lot better!
• Voyager is an educational hub! If you’re like me and you enjoy seeing the latest industry news and learning about all the new coins, Voyager makes this easy. For example, you can see a screenshot above that shows what you see when you drill down into the StormX crypto asset. Voyager tells you all about this coin, its market cap, the 24-hour trading volume, and more. I also look at this screen to understand Voyager’s interest rate on each crypto asset (some, like StormX, do not currently offer interest).

Constructive Feedback For Voyager

I’d also like to share some thoughts on where Voyager could improve, as even an amazing app can always improve.

• The Loyalty Program is expensive to join. To hit that first tier of loyalty (the Explorer tier), 500 VGX tokens are required. Based on the current “ask” price right now (as of 3/18/21), each VGX token is trading at $5.03. If I multiply 500 by $5.03, that equals $2,515 buy-in for that 0.5% interest rate boost. (NOTE: The loyalty program offers other perks as well, but the interest rate boost is the most important benefit for me.) For me, the buy-in was worth it because I plan to 1) be on the Voyager App for a very long time (years, or even decades, to come) and 2) I expect to transfer a good amount of USD onto the platform that I then convert into USDC for those huge interest rates. And, those Voyager tokens do have value and could eventually be sold, although I probably will never do that because I’m a “buy and hold forever investor”. And, those VGX tokens are anticipated to pay 7% APY, once the new loyalty program goes into effect. All of this said, the platform is still amazing even for those that have zero VGX tokens! Don’t feel left out if you have zero VGX tokens, as the token is not required to enjoy the platform!
• The App can be addicting. This is no fault of Voyager’s, but something that every person should be aware of. Once you get this app, if you’re anything like me, you will be glued to this app because it’s so fascinating to see the crypto market function 24/7. I am learning more than ever, but I also realize I need to put my phone down!
• Crypto held on Voyager is not backed by FDIC nor any third-party insurance. It is up to each individual user to secure their personal account. Personally speaking, I like to hold my crypto in multiple different locations, so not all my eggs are in any one basket. (By contrast, Coinbase, the largest crypto platform, insures all coins held in hot storage, as long as the breach is Coinbase’s fault and not the customer’s.)
• I’d like to see Voyager offer a running tally of intra-month interest. While interest gets paid at the beginning of each new month (for the prior month), it would be cool to get a sense of progress. Meaning: I would love to see Voyager implement a feature that shows how much interest is earned so far (to be paid out in the next interest payment). BlockFi, for example, offers something like this.
• There are fees involved in transferring crypto from Voyager to another wallet. Thankfully, I do not plan to do so. And, if I do transfer, I’ll enjoy a discount because of my participation in the Voyager loyalty program. That being said, I’m raising this item because there are investors in the community who have brought up this particular concern with me.
• I’d like to see Voyager implement cold wallet solutions. My understanding from the Voyager “Node” blog is that such solutions are in the works. We are in the very early stages of this amazing platform, in my opinion.
• It would be nice to have the option for flexible interest payments, like on the BockFi platform. Meaning: I may in the future want my Bitcoin (BTC) interest to be paid in USDC. This is of particular importance for cash-flow oriented investors (like myself) who plan to utilize passive income for everyday living expenses.

Worth noting: Voyager is a very new platform. Those starting with the platform now, in my opinion, are getting in on the ground floor. I also personally view the VGX token as possibly growing in price over time (as there is a limited supply and Voyager is going to attract a ton of investors worldwide). So, while some improvements could be made, that is also a tradeoff of being a first mover and early adopter.

My Personal Voyager Strategy

As a cash flow investor with 20+ years’ experience, I have certainly refined my investing strategy over the years. The largest lessons I have learned include:

• Buy and hold forever. I do not sell an asset, but I will harvest passive income (dividends/interest from the asset).
• Choose wisely and avoid too many positions. I don’t want to own every crypto asset. Rather, I’d like to focus and “go big” in a handful.
• Minimize transactions. Life is confusing enough. I don’t need to have a ton of buy and sell transactions to account for. Rather, I’d just like to dollar cost average in, and then hold forever.
• Diversify wisely. I love crypto and I’m in this for the long-term. That being said, crypto is only a fraction of my portfolio. In fact, I reserve 5% of my portfolio for more speculative endeavors, and crypto only comprises a fraction of that 5%. I invest in crypto knowing the risks. That being said, I do foresee that my crypto holdings could appreciate quite a bit over the long-term, making them much larger than 5% of my overall portfolio (which would be awesome).
• Cash flow is everything. Any investing strategy I take (whether it be dividend stocks, real estate, or cryptocurrencies) will involve a focus on cash flow.

Given all of this background, my personal Voyager strategy is as follows:

• Focus on USDC. USDC is my breadwinner. It provides the most stability and the highest interest rate. The bid and ask are always both $1. And, the March interest rate is currently 9.0% APY. While this strategy will never be fun and exciting, it gets the job done. At 9.0% (and my eventual 0.5% boost due to my VGX tokens), I can just compound that interest and watch the miracle of compound interest at play. And, if I ever need to take interest out to pay bills, it will be super easy to convert some interest back to USD and then ACH out.
• Let my VGX tokens work for me. I’m now up to 658.28 VGX tokens. Originally, I was going for just 500 (for that Explorer level for my 0.5% interest rate boost). However, I’m now considering the Navigator level at 5,000 tokens (which would get me a 1.0% interest rate boost). I have no immediate plans to reach Navigator, but if VGX is on sale, I will slowly and surely buy a few more tokens each time. Right now, I’m only targeting VGX at $5.0 or below.
• Slowly and surely build my Bitcoin (BTC) position. So far, I have built up some Bitcoin in my Voyager account thanks to the community generously using my affiliate referral link. I plan to keep all of my Bitcoin as-is, and slowly add to my position over time. While my primary strategy in Voyager revolves around USDC, I see BTC as being a great base as well. While the current interest rate is lower on BTC (it’s 6.25%), the opportunity for growth is larger. I view USDC as a bond-like proxy, while I view BTC as a dividend growth stock (a “ride or die” if you will).

Worth noting: I do hold crypto assets outside of Voyager, as well, and what I’m depicting above is my specific strategy to Voyager (but not my overall crypto strategy). I’ll definitely discuss my Voyager (and overall) crypto strategies in more detail in future blog posts and videos.

Don’t Forget To Earn Your $25 Free Bitcoin From Voyager

Before I leave today, I want to share some helpful videos that I filmed on YouTube. Before that, however, I want to share a friendly reminder to consider using my affiliate link and code. In doing so, you will receive $25 in free Bitcoin from Voyager (and I will as well). All you need to do is deposit $100 USD and trade that $100 USD into a crypto asset. It’s easy!

Here’s my Voyager Link: https://voyager.onelink.me/WNly/referral?af_sub5=BF2598
Here’s my Voyager Affiliate Code: BF2598
(Make sure to enter my code during sign-up to claim your $25 in free Bitcoin)
(Disclosure: I am a Voyager Affiliate)

My Voyager Resources

If you have not checked it out yet, I have a brand new YouTube channel called PPC Ian Crypto.

And, I have a multitude of Voyager-specific videos on my YouTube channel. Here they are:

1. My Voyager App Review
2. My Voyager App Account (and How Voyager Pays Their High Interest)
3. Voyager App Questions Answered
4. Possible Tax Implications of Earning Interest On Voyager

I hope you enjoyed my review today, and I’ll leave you with my YouTube video explaining how Voyager is able to pay out such high interest rates, for your viewing pleasure! If you enjoyed this post, please make sure to share with your friends and family. Wishing you all the greatest, and please report back with your experience!

DISCLOSURE: I am long Apple (AAPL) stock. I am long US Dollar Coin (USDC), Bitcoin (BTC), and Voyager Token (VGX). I own these stocks and crypto assets in my personal portfolio.

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: I am an affiliate of Voyager. I am also an affiliate of BlockFi.

DISCLAIMER: All information and data on my YouTube Channel, blog, email newsletters, white papers, Excel files, and other materials is solely for informational purposes. I make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of any information. I will not be liable for any errors, omissions, losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights. I will not be responsible for the accuracy of material that is linked on this site.

Because the information herein is based on my personal opinion and experience, it should not be considered professional financial investment advice or tax advice. The ideas and strategies that I provide should never be used without first assessing your own personal/financial situation, or without consulting a financial and/or tax professional. My thoughts and opinions may also change from time to time as I acquire more knowledge. These are, as discussed above, solely my thoughts and opinions. I reserve the right to delete any comments for any reason (abusive in nature, contain profanity, etc.). Your continued reading/use of my YouTube Channel, blog, email newsletters, whitepapers, Excel files, and other materials constitutes your agreement with and acceptance of this disclaimer.

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