With about 700 million active monthly users, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world — particularly among Generation Z. However, its days may be numbered in the U.S. thanks to President Trump, who has given TikTok’s parent company in China, ByteDance, 45 days to sell its American operations to Microsoft before banning the app.
But in addition to dance challenges and weird memes, TikTok is home to financial advice on everything from saving and investing to creating side gigs and planning for retirement. “I think personal finance is interesting to all ages,” says Humphrey Yang, whose 760,000 followers make him one of the platform’s most popular financial gurus. “But for Gen Z, it’s all about how they prefer to get their information and content. That’s where TikTok fills the gap.”
Ian Grove, a financial advisor at Robert Green & Company who credits TikTok with encouraging financial interest in young people, warns TikTok users against advising individuals like a certified financial planner. “Stepping into the advice world when it comes to someone’s personal finances will probably, in the long run, attract the wrong kind of attention from the worst kinds of regulators — SEC, FINRA.”
But the current TikTok formula is working — the “investing” hashtag currently has 426.4 million views while the “finance” hashtag has amassed 524.5 million. We spoke with seven of the most popular TikTok finance buffs to see what makes them…tik (sorry).
Humphrey Yang has one of the largest followings (768.5K) for financial content on TikTok. He studied finance in college and worked for a time as a financial advisor. Yang then worked in gaming as a monetization specialist for a top-grossing iOS/Android game. He left to start his own business in 2017, selling posters online and eventually building a $ 1.7 million business.
@humphreytalksGross vs Net. Know the difference 😅 ##personalfinance ##learnontiktok ##tiktokpartner ##business ##CanYouWorkIt♬ original sound – humphreytalks
Q: Why is TikTok a good platform for financial content?
Humphrey Yang: It’s a good place to get quick bites of information, especially if you are looking to get a quick summary of a topic you might not be super familiar with. As a creator, with quick cuts, you’re able to convey a story or a lot of information with video-editing/making.
Q: Why do you love sharing finance content on TikTok?
Humphrey Yang: I like connecting with people from everywhere and answering questions that audience members may have — knowing that it may change their life or be a valuable piece of information that sets them on their financial journey is really fulfilling to me. I answer 90-100% of my DMs and always like to see what people inquire about.
Q: Where do you go to cultivate your expertise? And how do you ideate the financial content you share with your followers?
Humphrey Yang: I’ve been an avid reader of Reddit’s personal finance subreddit, and I watch a lot of personal finance YouTube and read a lot of news (WSJ, SeekingAlpha, and other financial blogs.) I ideate from the ideas that my followers ask of me, or I see what topics are trending or interesting.
Q: Have you noticed a change in your audience or the financial community on TikTok since the COVID-19 pandemic? Has that changed the content you create?
Humphrey Yang: I have noticed a small change, in that people are more concerned about money and how to make it on the side or at home if they don’t have to rely on a full-time job. I try to be sensitive in my content creation to empathize with all/most situations.
Taylor Price is a 20-year-old finance major with a passion for fintech. After a major spinal fusion surgery, Price was drawn away from her intended neurosurgeon career and into finance. She is inspired by the innovation and freedom that the finance and investing world offer. Price started TAP Intuit, an educational platform aimed at teaching Generation Z about finance, after realizing many of her peers didn’t know about basics like a Roth IRA.
@pricelesstaycogs is a funny acronym ##invest ##money ##wealth ##tapintuit ##teamtap ##trade ##stock ##stockmarket ##FavoriteMemory♬ Elevator Music – Bohoman
Q: How is the TikTok finance space different from other social media platforms?
Taylor Price: TikTok’s financial space is filled with Gen Z, our future leaders of the world. It’s different from other sites, books, or platforms because its viewers are the ones who will be facilitating change and reform for the better of our world. Not only is the demography different, but also the communities on TikTok are different. I have several friends in the finance niche from TikTok that are now family to me. We started a content house called TAP House (standing for Today’s Answer, Profit!), similar to Hype House, except we teach educational content like personal finance, business, real estate and investing.
Q: How would you describe your particular angle and platform? Why do you think that has been successful?
Taylor Price: My angle has formed on the basis of being a young woman in finance. As finance is still a male-dominated field, I was highly criticized in the beginning stages of my growth on TikTok for being a young, female college student trying to educate my classmates. My platform has been successful because people can relate to me. I’m young, went through trauma with my spinal fusion, and understand what it’s like to know nothing about finance because I was there too.
Q: Why do you enjoy sharing finance content on TikTok?
Taylor Price: I love sharing financial content on TikTok because that is where most of Gen Z is and where school isn’t. Only 6 out of 50 states require a personal finance class. My TikTok not only reaches the entire United States but the majority of the globe. Our vision statement at Team TAP is ‘Learning today to build wealth tomorrow, showing the world what school never taught us.’ At one point in our lives, we all go through the process of trying to build a budget, questioning credit score, and so much more that our educational system lacks to prioritize.
Zaid Admani began day trading at 18 years old. Though he was planning on a career in financial services, his college years were plagued by the Great Recession. Admani chose a more steady career course as a civil engineer. Yet, he continues to self-educate and maintain a passion for finance and credits not having a formal business education to his advantage. The platform allows him to explain concepts in the same way he taught himself without being bogged down by industry jargon.
@admani_explainsShould we be concerned that Tesla would be losing money if they weren’t selling regulatory credits? ##tesla ##investing ##stocks ##business ##finance♬ original sound – admani_explains
Q: How is the TikTok finance space different from other platforms?
Zaid Admani: I think people like watching videos instead of reading books/blogs. The content on TikTok is more discoverable and introduces finance to a group of people that might not have been interested before. Instead of people searching for finance books, the TikTok algorithm just feeds it to you. There are thousands of people that never would have looked into finance content. Still, because it showed up in their TikTok feed, the content gets consumed—people discover that finance is interesting and not super complicated.
Q: How would you describe your particular angle and platform?
Zaid Admani: I try to explain things using skits and ordinary language. I watched a lot of CNBC as a kid. But I only understood half of the things the suits on CNBC would talk about. My angle is to simplify that. My language is loose. I curse a lot in the skits, but the point is to reduce the barrier for people to understand the business and finance world.
Q: What is your favorite or most surprising piece of financial advice?
Zaid Admani: I might get some heat for this, but I would look into investing a small portion of your portfolio into crypto. I’m most invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The potential long term ROI is worth the risk. I’m not suggesting you invest all your money. But I currently have 10% of my portfolio in crypto.
Poku Banks, from Ghana and born in the UK, is a 19-year-old finance, accounting and management student at the University of Nottingham. Banks was inspired to view money differently after reading “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. He was motivated to teach himself and others about personal finance once he noticed the absence of such an important topic in school.
@pokubanksDo You Think Taxes Are Theft? ##rich ##tax ##money ##pokubanks♬ original sound – pokubanks
Q: Why did you start posting on TikTok? How did you get started in the TikTok financial community?
Poku Banks: I always wanted to spread my love and interpretation of personal finance, but I wasn’t sure which platform to use. After watching some motivational videos from GaryVee, I was sure that TikTok was the way forward as it was a new social media on the rise, which would help me spread personal finance to the youth.
Q: Generation Z seems to be taking an interest in finances earlier than other generations. Why do you think that is?
Poku Banks: I completely agree, and I believe this is due to the growing awareness of social media and availability to technology. When my parents grew up, they had access to toys; this new generation is growing up with access to small computers that hold all the information you need on something called ‘the Internet’. I definitely believe this is a positive step forward for the generations to come.
Q: Why do you enjoy sharing finance content on TikTok?
Poku Banks: I love empowering the youth and challenging their ideals. I want to help them think differently about how they should use their money. When I know someone else has benefitted from my content, I feel better.
Q: What is your favorite or most surprising piece of financial advice?
Poku Banks: A lot of people are fascinated by the concept of increasing their multiple sources of income, but what many forget is to reduce the number of outgoings they have per month. It’s not about how much money you make but how much money you can keep.
Keyla Katz was born in Margarita, Venezuela and raised in sunny South Florida. Her passion for money and personal finances come from personal experiences. Her family lived paycheck to paycheck when she was a teen, and with a knack for math, Katz took over the family budget. Now a mother of two boys, she continues to share the importance of money management.
@ikeyliI bought mine for 5K, don’t give up! ##firsttimehomebuyer ##realestate ##mortgage ##downpayment ##credit ##creditscore ##homebuying ##homebuyingtips♬ original sound – sabinahannan
Q: Why is TikTok a good platform for financial content?
Keyla Katz: TikTok is a good platform for financial content because users are already prepared to learn something. The algorithm that goes on the “For Your Page” (FYP) is diverse, ranging from cooking to life advice to financial education. Who wouldn’t want free useful information wrapped up into a 60-second video?
Q: Why do you enjoy sharing finance content on TikTok?
Keyla Katz: I love sharing finance content because I genuinely want to help someone see that there is a way out. I’ve had great credit, but I also destroyed my credit before. I had thousands in savings, and at one point, I used to pay my bills by over-drafting my bank account every two weeks. Life happens, and I used to feel very down and helpless when it came to my debt and overall responsibilities. If I can teach someone anything, or even give them hope, that is all I could ever ask for.
Q: What is your favorite or most surprising piece of financial advice?
Keyla Katz: Never stop learning. There are always new and better ways to invest, to budget, to generate income; it is all about keeping an open mind.
Rahul Rai is an actor with an economics degree. He became passionate about money and finances after realizing he didn’t know how to take advantage of his savings account. After years of self-educating, he felt implored to inspire financial literacy in his friends too. Rai eventually centralized his advice on Instagram, a blog, YouTube and now TikTok.
@thelaymaninvestorYou’re One Funnel Away from changing your life. Link in bio to get more info! ##onefunnelawaychallenge ##onlinebiz ##personalfinance♬ original sound – thelaymaninvestor
Q: Have you noticed a change in your audience or the financial community on TikTok since the COVID-19 pandemic? Has that changed the content you create?
Rahul Rai: Well, I think now more than ever, people are concerned about money and making money work for them. It’s affected me as well, and now I’m looking to make money online, so I’ve shifted my perspective towards that. I’ve met some great people through financial literacy that talk and teach about building online side hustles, so as I learn more about that, I’ll start sharing that on my Tiktok account. Side hustles and financial literacy go hand in hand, I think. The more income you’re making from multiple sources, the better. It also means you have more disposable income to invest with and accelerate your nest egg.
Q: What is your favorite or most surprising piece of financial advice?
Rahul Rai: “Stay the course.” John Bogle and even Warren Buffet have said it. It’s just so true. There is so much noise, and there will continue to be, so if you can stay the course and maintain your temperament, you’ll do well as an investor. Also “you are enough” is a great piece of advice to follow in all walks of life. You don’t have to be anything other than who you are to get the job done. Just improve upon yourself every day for the rest of your life. That’s it. It’s all a process.
Jamie Fankhauser played D1 soccer and studied business management and information systems at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Though Fankhauser learned a lot of foundational information in her classes, personal research and experience led to actionable development. Fankhauser uses TikTok to pass along the expanded learning from outside of the classroom.
@jamie.bizpt 2👊🏼 ##stockmarket ##investing ##investingtips ##beginnerinvesting ##beginnerinvestor ##stocks ##etfs ##trading♬ Girls Like You – Maroon 5
Q: Generation Z seems to be taking an interest in finances earlier than other generations. Why do you think that is?
Jamie Fankhauser: I think it’s because of platforms like TikTok and Youtube that the younger generation can hear more information related to finance. Without videos showing up on their FYP, they may have not been interested in even learning about the topic, but by watching the video it sparked an interest. We spend a lot of time on our phones; with all of the educational content popping up around us, many people are not turning a blind eye to how they can become successful.
Q: How would you describe your particular angle and platform? Why do you think that has been successful?
Jamie Fankhauser: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching my account grow. Being able to engage with many of my followers has been a blast. I simply try to add value to the app and offer any knowledge that can be helpful. I make sure to post factual information — I don’t post anything that’s a scam. I think those who follow me can respect that because when it comes to the topic of money, you see many things out there. At one point in time, I had questions relating to the topics in the videos I posted, so my thought process was that if I had these questions, then maybe others did too.
Q: What is your favorite or most surprising piece of financial advice?
Jamie Fankhauser: Do your due diligence. Don’t just invest or sell because your friends or others told you to. Always understand what and why you are investing in a company in the first place.
Keep Reading
We welcome your feedback on this article. Contact us at inquiries@thesimpledollar.com with comments or questions.
