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Debunking the Most Common Personal Finance Lies on TikTok

Michael Reynolds, CFP® | October 13, 2025

Scroll through TikTok (or YouTube and similar platforms) for five minutes, and you'll find no shortage of confident voices promising to unlock the secrets of wealth building. Some claim you can retire by 30 with one simple trick. Others insist traditional financial advice is a scam designed to keep you poor.

The problem? Much of it is dangerously wrong.

Social media has democratized financial education in ways that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. Anyone with a smartphone can now share investing strategies, tax tips, and money-saving hacks with millions of viewers.

That accessibility is powerful, but it comes with a serious downside: there's no quality control, no accountability, and often no actual expertise behind the advice.

The consequences are real. People are making major financial decisions based on 60-second videos from creators who may have never managed significant wealth themselves, never studied finance formally, and sometimes have direct financial incentives to mislead you.

Let's examine some of the most popular and prevalent personal finance "tips" on social media that are actually myths or at best, misleading.

Just Buy Rental Properties and Let Tenants Pay Your Mortgage

One of the most pervasive myths on financial TikTok is that real estate investing is a foolproof path to passive income.

The pitch usually goes something like this: buy a rental property, charge enough rent to cover your mortgage payment, and watch the money roll in while you build equity. Your tenants essentially buy the house for you while you sit back and collect the profits.

Some influencers take it even further. They'll show you their supposed portfolio of multiple properties and claim they went from broke to financially free in just a few years.

The formula sounds simple: save up for a down payment, buy a property in a hot market, rent it out for more than your monthly costs, and repeat. Scale this up to five or ten properties, they say, and you'll never have to work again.

The presentation is slick. You'll see carefully edited videos of beautiful properties, screenshots of rental income deposits, and lifestyle content showing someone working from a laptop on a beach.

The message is clear: this could be you, and it's easier than you think.

What they don't show you is everything else.

The Reality of Real Estate Investing

Real estate can absolutely be a wealth-building tool. But calling it passive income is misleading at best and financially dangerous at worst.

The math that looks so clean in a 60-second video rarely works that way in practice. When influencers show you rental income covering the mortgage, they're typically ignoring a long list of other expenses. Property taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, property management fees, HOA dues, and vacancy periods all eat into your returns. A good rule of thumb is that these costs can easily consume 30% to 50% of your rental income.

Then there's the reality of being a landlord. Tenants call at 2 AM when pipes burst. HVAC systems fail in the middle of summer. Roofs need replacing. Some tenants pay late, some damage the property, and some need to be legally evicted, which is both expensive and time-consuming.

You can hire a property manager to handle these issues, but that typically costs another 8% to 12% of your monthly rent.

The idea that you can simply charge enough rent to cover all your costs is also overly optimistic. Rental rates are determined by the market, not by what you need to break even. If you overpay for a property or buy in the wrong location, you might find yourself subsidizing your tenants rather than the other way around.

Financing adds another layer of complexity that gets glossed over. Yes, you can leverage other people's money through a mortgage, but that cuts both ways. If property values decline or you experience extended vacancies, you're still on the hook for that mortgage payment.

During economic downturns, some landlords find themselves trapped: they can't sell without taking a loss, but they can't afford to keep paying the mortgage either.

The influencers who claim they built massive portfolios quickly often leave out crucial details. Some used creative financing strategies that carry significant risk. Others started with substantial capital or family connections. Many are selling courses or mentorship programs, which means their real income comes from teaching real estate rather than from the properties themselves.

Real estate investing requires significant upfront capital, ongoing financial reserves for unexpected expenses, time and expertise to manage properties or vet management companies, and the ability to weather market fluctuations. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme, and it's certainly not passive in the way most people understand that term.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't invest in real estate. It means you should go in with realistic expectations and a solid understanding of what you're getting into.

For many people, their first and best real estate investment is simply buying a home to live in, building equity slowly over time without the complications of being a landlord.

Form an LLC and Write Off Everything

Another viral claim that circulates constantly on TikTok is the idea that forming an LLC is a magic tax cheat code. The typical pitch suggests that once you have a business entity, suddenly everything becomes tax-deductible.

Your car? Business expense. Your phone? Write it off. That vacation to Hawaii? Call it a business trip and deduct the whole thing. According to these influencers, wealthy people use this strategy to pay almost nothing in taxes, and you can too.

Some versions of this myth go even further. They'll tell you that an LLC protects you from the IRS, that it shields all your personal assets, or that it fundamentally changes your tax situation in dramatic ways. The underlying message is that forming an LLC is step one to keeping more of your money and paying less to the government.

These videos often feature creators showing off expensive purchases while winking at the camera and saying something like, "Don't worry, it's a write-off." The implication is clear: there's a simple loophole that lets you live a lavish lifestyle while dramatically reducing your tax bill, and the only reason you're not doing it is because you haven't figured out the secret yet.

This advice is not just oversimplified. It's fundamentally wrong in ways that can land you in serious legal trouble.

The Truth About Business Deductions

Let's start with what's actually true. Yes, legitimate business expenses are tax-deductible. If you run a real business and incur expenses that are ordinary and necessary for that business, you can deduct them. This is a normal part of the tax code, not a secret loophole.

But here's what the influencers always leave out: the IRS has very specific rules about what qualifies as a business expense, and they actively investigate people who abuse these rules.

An expense is only deductible if it's both ordinary and necessary for your business. Ordinary means it's common and accepted in your industry. Necessary means it's helpful and appropriate for your business. The expense also needs to be directly related to producing income for your business.

That means you can't just slap a business label on personal expenses and call them deductions. Your daily commute to an office? Not deductible. A family vacation where you took one business call? The IRS will likely disallow the entire deduction. That luxury car you bought for personal use but occasionally drive to business meetings? You can only deduct the portion that's actually used for business, and you need detailed mileage logs to prove it.

The IRS is particularly skeptical of businesses that show losses year after year while the owner maintains an expensive lifestyle. They call this the "hobby loss rule." If your business doesn't show a profit in at least three of the last five years, the IRS may determine it's not actually a business at all, just a hobby. When that happens, all those deductions you claimed get disallowed, and you owe back taxes, plus penalties and interest.

Forming an LLC doesn't change any of this. An LLC is a legal structure that can provide liability protection and may offer some flexibility in how you're taxed, but it doesn't give you special permission to deduct personal expenses. By default, a single-member LLC is taxed the same as a sole proprietorship. The IRS doesn't even see it as a separate entity for tax purposes unless you elect to be taxed as an S-Corp.

The idea that an LLC shields you from the IRS is particularly dangerous. If you commit tax fraud, the corporate veil doesn't protect you. The IRS can and will pursue you personally. Worse, deliberately falsifying deductions isn't just a civil tax matter where you owe money. It's criminal fraud that can result in prosecution.

What often happens is that people follow this TikTok advice, deduct everything liberally, and then get audited a few years later. The IRS disallows the improper deductions, calculates what you actually owed, and then adds penalties and interest on top. Those penalties can be substantial, plus interest that compounds over time.

Does this mean you shouldn't take legitimate business deductions? Absolutely not. If you run a real business and incur real expenses, you should absolutely deduct them. But you need to keep meticulous records, understand the rules, and be honest about what truly qualifies as a business expense.

The wealthy people who legally minimize their taxes aren't doing it with simple LLC tricks from social media. They're working with experienced financial planners and tax pros who understand strategies like tax-loss harvesting, strategic charitable giving, retirement account optimization, and business structure planning. These strategies are legal, but they require expertise and careful execution.

If you're serious about optimizing your taxes, talk to a qualified tax professional who understands your specific situation. Don't take tax advice from social media influencers who have no credentials and who are oversimplifying complex rules to make engaging content.

Put Everything in a Trust to Avoid Paying Taxes

The trust myth is one of the more sophisticated-sounding pieces of misinformation floating around financial TikTok. Influencers will tell you that wealthy people use trusts to avoid taxes entirely, and if you're smart, you'll do the same. Some versions claim that putting your assets in a trust means the IRS can't touch them. Others suggest that trusts create a special tax-free zone where your money can grow without any tax liability.

You'll see videos with titles like "Why the Rich Don't Pay Taxes" or "The Trust Strategy They Don't Want You to Know About." Some influencers even sell courses or templates for setting up these trusts yourself, promising that for a few hundred dollars, you can access the same strategies that billionaires use.

The problem is that trusts don't work this way at all.

What Trusts Actually Do

A trust is a legal arrangement where one party holds and manages assets for the benefit of another. Trusts serve many legitimate purposes in estate planning, asset protection, and wealth transfer. But tax avoidance isn't one of them, at least not in the way these influencers claim.

Most trusts don't provide tax benefits during your lifetime. A revocable living trust, which is the most common type, is completely transparent to the IRS. Any income the trust generates is taxed to you personally, exactly as if you owned the assets directly. The primary benefit is helping your assets avoid probate after you die, not reducing your current tax liability.

Irrevocable trusts are different. When you put assets into an irrevocable trust, you're giving up control of those assets permanently. They're typically not counted as part of your estate for estate tax purposes. But they don't eliminate income taxes. The trust itself may owe taxes on income it generates, and trust tax rates are generally extremely unfavorable.

The offshore trust strategy that sometimes gets mentioned is particularly problematic. These strategies require extensive reporting to the IRS and are often designed to defer taxes rather than eliminate them. If not structured correctly, they're illegal.

Setting up a trust yourself based on a template from a social media course is incredibly risky. Trust law varies by state, and a poorly drafted trust can be invalidated or create unintended tax consequences.

Trusts are specialized tools for specific situations. They're most commonly used by people with a very high net worth who are concerned about estate taxes. If your estate is well below the estate tax threshold, the tax benefits of complex trust planning are largely irrelevant to you.

If you genuinely need a trust for legitimate estate planning purposes, work with a qualified attorney. If someone on social media is promising that a trust will eliminate your taxes, they're either confused or selling you something that could get you in serious trouble.

Quit Your Job and Get Rich Day Trading

Perhaps no TikTok finance myth is more seductive than the day trading promise. Influencers will show you screenshots of massive gains, often with captions like "I made $5,000 today while you were at work" or "This is why I'll never go back to a 9-to-5." They make it look effortless. A few clicks on a trading app, some basic chart reading, and suddenly you're financially free.

The typical pitch shows someone working from a laptop at a coffee shop or on a beach, checking their phone occasionally while profits roll in. They'll claim they started with just a few thousand dollars and turned it into six figures within months.

Many of these influencers offer to teach you their secrets. For just $997, you can join their exclusive Discord community. For $2,500, you get their premium course with "proven strategies." They dangle the promise of financial freedom while positioning themselves as generous mentors who want to help you escape the rat race.

Here's what they rarely mention: most of them make far more money selling courses than they ever made trading.

The Reality of Day Trading

The statistics on day trading are brutally clear. Academic studies consistently show that the vast majority of day traders lose money. One comprehensive study found that only about 1% of day traders are able to predictably and reliably earn positive returns after fees. If you decide to day trade, you have roughly a 1% to 3% chance of making consistent profits. Those are worse odds than many casino games.

You're competing against professionals with sophisticated algorithms, teams of analysts, and access to information you'll never have. Short-term price movements are largely random and impossible to predict consistently. The influencer who shows you their winning trades conveniently forgets to mention all the losing trades they made along the way.

When these influencers show you their "proof" of profits, look closer. Screenshots can be easily faked. That winning trade might represent a tiny fraction of their overall activity. They might be trading in a demo account, not with real money. Or they might have simply gotten lucky during a brief period and are now selling that luck as a repeatable system.

The real tell is what they're selling. If someone has truly discovered a method to consistently generate massive returns with minimal effort, why would they sell that information for a few thousand dollars? Why wouldn't they just keep trading and compound their wealth? The answer is simple: the course is the product. You're not the customer learning their system. You're the customer who is the system.

This doesn't mean all trading is bad. Long-term investing in diversified portfolios has created substantial wealth for millions of people. The key difference is time horizon and strategy.

Buy-and-hold investing allows you to benefit from the general upward trajectory of the market over time, minimize transaction costs, and avoid the psychological pitfalls of constant trading.

Be extremely skeptical of anyone promising quick riches through day trading, especially if they're trying to sell you something. The people getting rich from day trading courses are the ones selling the courses, not the ones taking them.

Start This Side Hustle and Make $10,000 a Month From Home

The side hustle myth might be the most pervasive money-making promise on TikTok. Influencers post videos showing themselves working in pajamas, sipping coffee on their couch, while claiming to earn thousands of dollars per month. The formula is always similar: they discovered an opportunity that requires no special skills, minimal startup costs, and just a few hours of work per week.

Sometimes it's dropshipping. Other times it's print-on-demand, affiliate marketing, or selling digital products. The specifics change, but the pitch remains the same: this is easy money that anyone can make if they just take action.

These videos show bank account screenshots, fancy purchases, and lifestyle upgrades, all supposedly funded by this simple side hustle. Then comes the hook. To learn exactly how they do it, you need to click the link in their bio. Maybe it's a free webinar that turns into a high-pressure sales pitch. Maybe it's a course that costs anywhere from $497 to several thousand dollars.

The reality is usually far less glamorous.

What They're Not Telling You

Most of these side hustles require significantly more work, skill, and capital than the influencers let on. Dropshipping involves finding reliable suppliers, managing customer service complaints, handling returns, running paid advertising campaigns, and competing with thousands of other sellers. The profit margins are often razor-thin, and many people lose money on advertising before they make their first sale.

Print-on-demand faces similar challenges. You're competing in an oversaturated market where standing out requires either exceptional design skills or significant marketing spend. Most sellers make little to nothing.

Affiliate marketing can work, but it typically requires building an audience first. Growing that audience takes time and often years of consistent content creation before you see meaningful income. The influencer selling you the course already has that audience, which is why affiliate marketing works for them.

The influencers showing you their earnings are often being deliberately misleading. That screenshot showing $10,000 in revenue doesn't account for expenses, refunds, or taxes. Their actual profit might be a fraction of what they're displaying. In many cases, the bulk of their income comes from selling courses about the side hustle rather than from the side hustle itself.

This creates a problematic incentive structure. The business model isn't really dropshipping or print-on-demand. It's selling the dream of dropshipping or print-on-demand to people who want to believe it's easy.

The truth about legitimate side hustles is less exciting but more honest. Real additional income usually comes from leveraging skills you already have or are willing to develop. Freelance writing, consulting, tutoring, or skilled trades can generate real money, but they require actual expertise and effort.

Building a business, even a small one, takes time, persistence, and often multiple failed attempts before finding something that works.

Before spending money on any course or program, ask yourself: is this person making money from the opportunity itself or from teaching others about the opportunity? If it's the latter, you're not buying a business strategy. You're buying a sales pitch.

This Crypto Will Make You a Millionaire

Cryptocurrency advice on TikTok operates at a fever pitch that makes other financial misinformation look tame by comparison. Influencers breathlessly promote specific coins or tokens with promises that sound too good to be true because they are.

You'll see claims like "This coin is about to 100x," or "Get in now before it's too late," or "I turned $500 into $50,000 in three months."

The presentation is designed to trigger FOMO, the fear of missing out. They'll show you charts with dramatic upward trajectories, talk about upcoming catalysts that will send prices soaring, and create urgency by suggesting the window of opportunity is closing.

Many of these influencers are heavily invested in the coins they're promoting, which means they have a direct financial interest in getting you to buy. Others are being paid by crypto projects to promote their tokens, though they rarely disclose this clearly. Some are running pump-and-dump schemes, where they accumulate a position in a low-volume coin, hype it to their followers, and then sell into the buying pressure they created.

The Reality of Crypto Investing

Cryptocurrency is an extremely volatile and speculative asset class. Yes, some early investors in Bitcoin or Ethereum made life-changing money. But for every success story, there are countless people who lost substantial amounts chasing the next big thing.

The crypto market is largely unregulated, which means it's rife with fraud, manipulation, and scams. Projects can collapse overnight. Founders can disappear with investor funds. Unlike traditional securities, you have very little legal recourse when things go wrong.

When an influencer tells you a specific coin is about to explode, ask yourself how they know this. More often, they don't actually know anything. They're speculating, hoping to profit from the attention they generate.

The coins that influencers promote most aggressively are often the riskiest. Established cryptocurrencies don't offer the dramatic overnight gains that make for viral content, so influencers focus on obscure altcoins with tiny market caps. These assets can move dramatically on small amounts of volume, which is exactly why they're attractive for manipulation.

Many people who follow this advice end up buying near the peak after the influencer and their inner circle have already accumulated positions at lower prices. When you buy, you're providing exit liquidity for people who got in earlier. By the time the hype reaches TikTok, the easy money has often already been made.

The tax implications are also more complex than influencers acknowledge. Crypto trading is generally a taxable event. If you're actively trading, you could owe significant taxes even if your overall portfolio is down.

Does this mean you should never invest in cryptocurrency? Not necessarily. A small allocation to crypto, typically 5% or less of your portfolio, might be appropriate for investors who understand and can tolerate the risk. But this is fundamentally different from betting heavily on specific coins based on TikTok tips.

If you do choose to invest in crypto, stick to the most established projects, never invest more than you can afford to lose completely, and be extremely skeptical of anyone promoting specific coins, especially if they're trying to create urgency.

The best investment opportunities rarely come with a countdown timer and a link in someone's bio.

Use Infinite Banking to Become Your Own Bank

One of the more complex-sounding strategies promoted on financial TikTok is something called "infinite banking." Influencers present this as a secret wealth-building hack that the rich have been using for decades. The pitch typically goes like this: you can become your own bank by using a specially designed whole life insurance policy, borrow against it tax-free whenever you want, and continue earning returns on your money even while you're using it.

They make it sound like financial wizardry. You put money into a whole life policy, the cash value grows, and then you can borrow against that cash value to buy cars, invest in real estate, or fund business ventures. Meanwhile, your policy continues earning dividends as if you never took the money out. You pay yourself back with interest instead of paying a bank, and that interest goes back into your own policy.

The language used is deliberately empowering. You're "taking control" of your money. You're "breaking free" from traditional banks. Some influencers even suggest this is information that financial institutions don't want you to know.

Of course, to set this up properly, you need to work with someone who specializes in these policies.

Conveniently, many of the influencers promoting infinite banking are insurance agents or are affiliated with people who sell these policies and earn substantial commissions.

What Infinite Banking Actually Is

Infinite banking is based on using dividend-paying whole life insurance policies as a personal financing tool. When you pay premiums into a whole life policy, part of that money goes toward the death benefit and expenses, while another part builds cash value. After several years, you can borrow against that cash value.

But here's what the influencers leave out. Whole life insurance is expensive. The premiums are significantly higher than term life insurance, and in the early years, very little of your premium actually goes toward building cash value. Most of it goes to commissions and fees. It can take a decade or more before you have substantial cash value to borrow against.

When you borrow from your policy, you're paying interest on that loan. The idea that this interest somehow goes back to you is misleading. It goes to the insurance company. If you don't pay the loan back, it reduces your death benefit or can cause your policy to lapse.

The returns on whole life insurance cash value are also relatively modest, often around 3% to 5% annually once the policy matures. This is substantially lower than historical stock market returns.

Infinite banking can make sense for a very specific type of person: someone with a high income who has already maxed out all other tax-advantaged retirement accounts, has a legitimate need for permanent life insurance, and understands they're prioritizing access to capital over maximum returns. For most people, this describes almost no one.

The strategy also requires significant capital commitment. You typically need to fund these policies with tens of thousands of dollars annually for years before the strategy becomes viable.

What makes this particularly problematic is that the people selling infinite banking earn large commissions on whole life policies. This creates a massive incentive to present the strategy as universally beneficial when it's actually appropriate for very few people.

For most people, buying term life insurance for protection and investing the difference will produce significantly better financial outcomes.

If someone on TikTok is promoting infinite banking and encouraging you to set up a policy, there's a very good chance they're earning a commission from that recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Financial Advice on Social Media

How can I tell if a financial influencer is trustworthy?

Look for credentials first. Legitimate financial professionals typically hold designations like CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), CPA (Certified Public Accountant), or CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst). These require extensive education, testing, and adherence to ethical standards.

Be wary of influencers who avoid mentioning their qualifications or use vague titles like "financial expert" or "wealth coach."

Also, examine their motivations. Are they earning money from the advice itself through commissions, affiliate links, or course sales? If so, their recommendations may be biased toward what profits them rather than what helps you.

What are red flags that financial advice might be misleading?

Several warning signs should make you skeptical. Promises of quick or guaranteed returns are a major red flag. Legitimate investments carry risk, and anyone promising certainty is either lying or selling something inappropriate for most investors.

Creating urgency is another warning sign. Phrases like "act now," "limited time opportunity," or "before it's too late" are pressure tactics designed to make you act without thinking critically.

Be cautious of advice that sounds too simple. Personal finance has nuance, and one-size-fits-all solutions rarely work for everyone. If someone suggests a complex strategy can be implemented with a simple template or formula, they're likely oversimplifying.

Should I ever pay for financial education from social media influencers?

Approach paid courses with extreme skepticism. Much of the information sold in expensive courses is available for free through legitimate sources like financial planning websites, government resources, and even public libraries.

Before paying for any course, research the instructor thoroughly. Look for reviews from independent sources, not just testimonials on their website. Check if they have any regulatory complaints or disciplinary actions against them.

Ask yourself why they're selling education rather than simply implementing the strategy themselves. If someone truly has a method to generate substantial wealth quickly, they typically wouldn't need to sell courses about it.

How do I know if financial advice applies to my situation?

Generic advice rarely accounts for your specific circumstances. Your tax situation, income level, risk tolerance, time horizon, existing debts, and financial goals all matter when making decisions.

Be especially cautious of advice that ignores these variables. Someone telling you to invest in real estate without knowing your capital, credit score, or market knowledge is giving incomplete guidance. Someone suggesting you max out retirement accounts without understanding your emergency fund or debt situation may be leading you astray.

Good financial advice is personalized. If an influencer's recommendation doesn't consider your unique situation, treat it as entertainment rather than guidance.

What should I do if I've already followed bad advice from social media?

First, don't panic. Many financial mistakes can be corrected or mitigated with proper planning.

If you've invested in something risky or inappropriate, consult with a legitimate financial advisor, attorney, or tax professional about your options. Don't make impulsive decisions to try to recover losses quickly, as this often leads to additional mistakes.

If you've purchased courses or programs that didn't deliver what was promised, document everything and research whether you have grounds for a refund or complaint. Some credit card companies offer purchase protection that might help.

Most importantly, learn from the experience. Understanding why you were susceptible to misleading advice can help you make better decisions going forward.

Where can I find legitimate financial education?

Numerous reputable sources offer free or low-cost financial education. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provides educational resources on various financial topics. Many public libraries offer access to financial planning databases and educational materials.

Books by established financial experts who aren't primarily selling courses or products can provide solid foundational knowledge. Look for authors with legitimate credentials and a track record of fiduciary responsibility.

Consider working with a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor or a flat fee financial advisor who charges for their service rather than earning commissions on products. These advisors are more likely to provide objective guidance aligned with your best interests.

Is all financial advice on TikTok bad?

Not necessarily. Some credentialed professionals use social media to share genuinely helpful information and break down complex topics. The key is learning to distinguish between educational content and sales pitches.

Good financial content typically acknowledges nuance, discusses both benefits and risks, doesn't promise specific outcomes, and doesn't pressure you to act immediately. It often encourages you to do additional research or consult with professionals before making major decisions.

Use social media as a starting point for learning, not as your sole source of financial guidance. If something you see sparks your interest, research it further through multiple credible sources before taking action.

The Truth About Building Wealth

Building real wealth isn't complicated, but it's not quick either. That's why it doesn't make for viral TikTok content.

The actual path to financial security involves unglamorous fundamentals that have worked for decades. Spend less than you earn. Build an emergency fund. Eliminate high-interest debt. Invest consistently in diversified funds. Take advantage of tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Protect yourself with appropriate insurance. Let compound interest work over time.

None of this is exciting. None of it promises overnight transformation. You won't become a millionaire in six months following these principles.

But you also won't lose everything chasing schemes promoted by people who profit from your desperation or inexperience.

The influencers selling courses, promoting risky investments, and promising easy money are building their wealth by monetizing your desire for a shortcut. Their business model depends on you believing that traditional advice is outdated or that they possess secret knowledge unavailable elsewhere.

The truth is simpler and less thrilling. Wealth building is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires patience, consistency, and discipline. It means making reasonable decisions repeatedly over many years. For most people, it means living below their means and investing the difference in boring, diversified portfolios.

If you want legitimate financial guidance, work with a fiduciary financial advisor who is legally obligated to act in your best interest. Read books by established experts. Follow evidence-based strategies that have been proven over time.

And the next time a TikTok influencer promises you can get rich quick with one weird trick, remember this: if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. The people getting rich from these schemes are the ones selling them, not the ones buying them.

Your financial future is too important to entrust to viral videos.