Turning to personal finance influencers is one way to increase your financial knowledge. Not all are alike, so it pays to know which ones are worth your time.
What Is a Personal Finance Influencer?
A personal finance influencer, or “finfluencer,” is a social media influencer who specializes in sharing tips about finances and money. A social media influencer is someone who has established credibility in a specific industry or niche and uses social media to promote themselves. They build a devoted audience and following by sharing content through social media channels such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. They may also have a podcast or blog.1
The rise of the personal finance influencer can be partly attributed to the growing use of social media to access money advice. For example, here’s where Gen Z and millennial investors look for money tips, according to Morning Consult:2
- Facebook—33%
- Instagram—32%
- Reddit—29%
- X platform (formerly Twitter)—27%
Personal finance influencers can earn money by sharing their financial knowledge in several ways, including monetizing a YouTube channel, sharing sponsored posts, selling digital products or courses, and affiliate marketing.
How to Vet Personal Finance Influencers
Not all personal finance influencers provide high-quality content. When you are choosing a personal finance influencer to follow, you’ll want to ensure they are reputable and trustworthy. It’s important to vet the influencers giving you financial advice.
You can check whether a financial influencer has specific certifications that make them more qualified to provide financial advice—for example, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) has been through a rigorous process and is certified by a well-known institution.
Look for red flags that a financial influencer may have ulterior motives besides helping you with your finances. For example, they may give advice that sounds very risky or promise to make you rich quickly.
Top 10 Personal Finance Influencers to Follow
Getting financial advice online via social media can be risky as scammers are among the professionals. So which personal finance influencers are legitimate and worth following? Here are 10 noteworthy names:
Humphrey Yang, @HumphreyTalks
- Follow on—TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram345
- Tips on—Investing, taxes, and money basics
Humphrey Yang is a former financial advisor turned content creator and personal finance influencer. He has 2.7 million followers on TikTok, and one of his most popular videos, with more than seven million views, breaks down the difference between short- and long-term capital gains tax rates.6
Delyanne Barros, @DelyanneTheMoneyCoach
- Follow on—Instagram, TikTok, and X789
- Tips on—Investing
Delyanne Barros is a personal finance influencer who writes a blog called Delyanne the Money Coach. Previously an attorney, she’s now a self-made millionaire and her content focuses on teaching everyday investors how to master the stock market.10
Dasha Kennedy, @TheBrokeBlackGirl
- Follow on—Instagram, Facebook, and X111213
- Tips on—Debt, building wealth, and financial independence
Dasha Kennedy is a personal finance influencer and activist on a mission to help women become financially empowered. She leverages her own experiences with money to provide advice that’s practical, useful, and realistic.
Nick Loper, @nloper
- Follow on—X and Instagram1415
- Tips on—Side hustles, creating passive income, and financial independence
Nick Loper used to work a nine-to-five job, but then he learned the secret to making money without one. He shares his best tips for creating additional income streams through side hustles and online businesses via social media, a blog called Side Hustle Nation, and “The Side Hustle Show” podcast.16
Tiffany Aliche, @thebudgetnista
- Follow on—Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook17181920
- Tips on—Budgeting and money management
Tiffany Aliche is the founder of The Budgetnista blog and author of the book Get Good with Money. She also co-hosts “The Brown Ambition” podcast with Mandi Woodruff-Santos. Aliche focuses on women and money and has helped more than 1 million women worldwide to expand their financial know-how.
Chelsea Fagan, @thefinancialdiet
- Follow on—Instagram, X, and YouTube212223
- Tips on—Spending, saving, debt, budgeting, and money management
Chelsea Fagan founded The Financial Diet blog in 2014 as a personal finance blog. She has since grown it into a company dedicated to helping women feel more confident in managing their finances. Her Instagram account has close to 1 million followers and offers plenty of practical tips for improving your financial life.
Jeremy Schneider, @PersonalFinanceClub
- Follow on—Instagram and TikTok2425
- Tips on—Investing
Jeremy Schneider offers his followers a crash course in investing basics. His approach to content is largely visual. He explains complex investing topics with easy-to-read infographics. This could be a great place to start if you’re new to investing and need some help building a solid foundation.
Daniella Flores, @iliketodabble
- Follow on—Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube26272829
- Tips on—Side hustles, making money, saving money, and budgeting
1-Daniella Flores started the I Like to Dabble blog in 2017 to document their experiments with various side hustles and ways of making money on the side. Daniella and Alexandra (Daniella’s spouse) were able to pay off $40,000, and Daniella is now an active voice in promoting financial health and independence for members of the LGBTQ+ community.30
Anthony O’Neal, @anthonyoneal
- Follow on—Instagram, X, and YouTube313233
- Tips on—Debt and money management
Anthony O’Neal is a best-selling author and speaker, and he’s also garnered a sizable YouTube following by sharing financial advice for students. One of his main focuses is teaching you to get out of debt so that you can live your best life financially.
Anjie and RJ Muhammad, @richbyintention
- Follow on—Instagram and website/podcast34Instagram. “richbyintention.”35
- Tips on—Managing money and building wealth as a couple
Anjie and RJ Muhammad are a married couple who understand how important it is to be able to manage money as a team, especially when building wealth is the goal. They’ve paid off more than $100,000 in student loan debt together and use their experiences to help other couples manage money with fewer arguments.
Who Are Personal Finance Influencers?
Personal finance influencers are people who use social media platforms and websites to offer tips about money. In terms of success, they’re typically gauged by the size of their following and the visibility of their brand. Some of the top influencers have audiences that number in the millions.
How Do You Become a Personal Finance Influencer?
Becoming a personal finance influencer starts with identifying a target audience and understanding which problems they might need help solving. From there, you can create a content plan that speaks to those needs and build your following across different social media platforms.
Are Personal Finance Influencers Legit?
Many are legitimate in that they’re drawing on their own experiences or relying on their professional expertise to share money tips. There are, however, some who lack credibility and authority, so it’s important to do your research when deciding whom to follow.
Is It Legal to Give Financial Advice on Social Media?
Anyone can share financial advice on social media, but it’s important to understand how that can potentially create legal issues. For example, if you’re an influencer who recommends a specific banking product for which you are also an affiliate, you have to disclose that relationship to your audience. Otherwise, you could land in hot water with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The Bottom Line
Following personal finance influencers can be a useful way to get money advice, but it’s important to consider the source. Many influencers specifically note that their tips should not be considered a substitute for professional financial advice. If you’re struggling with how to make a budget or need some insight into how to develop a retirement strategy, you may want to consider meeting with a certified credit counselor or a financial advisor.
